From Libya to Sudan to Palestine, the films collectively reflect the diversity, resilience, and creative force shaping contemporary Arab storytelling on the global stage.
MAD Solutions has announced that four of its acclaimed films, My Father and Qaddafi by Jihan K, Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani, The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania and Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir, will be featured at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, running from October 15 to 26. The films will screen across the Documentary, New Directors, International Feature and Spotlight sections, respectively, with My Father and Qaddafi and Cotton Queen having their North American premieres.
The Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s oldest competitive film festival, remains a vital platform for world cinema, annually showcasing more than 100 films and serving as an Academy Award, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Award-qualifying event. Its programme spotlights both emerging and established voices through screenings, Q&As, and networking events.
Jihan K’s My Father and Qaddafi, which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, will compete in the Documentary section. The film traces the director’s personal search for answers surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her father, Mansur Rashid Kikhia — Libya’s former foreign minister, UN ambassador and human rights advocate who vanished in Egypt in 1993 after defecting from Muammar Qaddafi’s regime. Through intimate interviews, archival material, and self-reflection, Jihan reconstructs her father’s life and explores her own connection to Libya. The film will screen on October 16 and 17 at AMC 4.
In the New Directors Competition, Sudanese filmmaker Suzannah Mirghani’s feature debut Cotton Queen — which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week — follows teenage Nafisa, who lives in a Sudanese cotton-farming village shaped by her grandmother’s revolutionary past. When a businessman introduces genetically modified cotton and new ambitions for the community, Nafisa becomes the unexpected force of resistance. The film will screen on October 18 and 19 at AMC 1.
Tunisia’s Oscar submission The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania will compete in the International Feature section. The film, which earned the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at Venice and later screened in Toronto, dramatizes the real-life story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, trapped under fire in Gaza while pleading for help via phone. Using authentic recordings and powerful reenactments, the film is a haunting exploration of innocence amid conflict. Executive producers include Brad Pitt and Alfonso Cuarón. Screenings are scheduled for October 17 and 18.
Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36, screening in the Spotlight section, transports audiences to 1936 Mandate Palestine. The film follows Yusuf, a young man torn between his rural roots and the charged atmosphere of Jerusalem as the region faces escalating unrest and calls for independence. Through Yusuf’s journey, the film captures the spirit of a nation on the brink of transformation. Palestine 36 will screen on October 21 and 23.
