Kevin Shaw’s One Golden Summer Headlines Opening Night of Chicago Film Festival

The 61st Chicago International Film Festival will open with World Premiere of Kevin Shaw’s documentary One Golden Summer, the true story behind Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West Little League team’s heartbreaking fall from grace and the subsequent road to redemption, as told by the players themselves.

The Chicago International Film Festival runs October 15 – 26, 2026

In 2014, Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West Little League became the first all-Black team to win the Little League U.S. Baseball Championship. Along the way, 13 twelve-year-old athletes from the South Side turned into media superstars—their faces were splashed across magazine covers and major TV networks, garnering them millions of fans around the country. They were even invited to the White House to meet President and Mrs. Obama. But it all came crashing down after a rival coach accused the team of breaking residential boundary rules.

Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Shaw (Let the Little Light Shine, America to Me) deftly investigates the story behind the headlines, shattering stereotypes and reframing the narrative.

The festival announced its International Competitions lineup including the world premiere of Only Heaven Knows directed by Nurzhamal Karamoloeva and EMI directed by Ezequiel Erriquez Mena.

International Feature Competition

BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT (Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates)
Dir. Shahram Mokri
North American Premiere

THE CURRENTS Las Corrientes (Switzerland, Argentina)
Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler

KONTINENTAL ‘25 (Romania)
Dir. Radu Jude

LA GRAZIA (Italy)
Dir. Paolo Sorrentino

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS Ástin sem eftir er (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France)
Dir. Hlynur Pálmason

MY FATHER’S SHADOW (UK, Nigeria)
Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.

RENOIR (Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar)
Dir. Chie Hayakawa
U.S. Premiere

THE SECRET AGENT O Agente Secreto (Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany)
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

SILENT FRIEND (Germany, Hungary, France)
Dir. Ildikó Enyedi
U.S. Premiere

SIRÂT (France, Spain)
Dir. Oliver Laxe

SOUND OF FALLING In die Sonne schauen (Germany)
Dir. Mascha Schilinski

THE STRANGER L’Etranger (France)
Dir. François Ozon
North American Premiere

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia, France)
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

WHITETAIL (The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium)
Dir. Nanouk Leopold
U.S. Premiere

New Directors Competition

BLUE HERON (Canada, Hungary)
Dir. Sophy Romvari
U.S. Premiere

BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE Miharashi Sedai (Japan)
Dir. Danzuka Yuiga
U.S. Premiere

CHRISTY (U.K., Ireland)
Dir. Brendan Canty
North American Premiere

THE CONDOR DAUGHTER La Hija Cóndor (Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay)
Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico
U.S. Premiere

COTTON QUEEN (Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan)
Dir. Suzannah Mirghani
North American Premiere

THE GIRL IN THE SNOW L’Engloutie (France)
Dir. Louise Hémon
North American Premiere

ISH (U.K.)
Dir. Imran Perretta
North American Premiere

THE KIDNAPPING OF ARABELLA Il rapimento di Arabella (Italy)
Dir. Carolina Cavalli
North American Premiere

OCA (Mexico, Argentina)
Dir. Karla Badillo
U.S. Premiere

ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS Dünüyö (Kyrgyzstan, U.S.)
Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoloeva
World Premiere

REEDLAND Rietland (The Netherlands, Belgium)
Dir. Sven Bresser
North American Premiere

SHORT SUMMER (Germany, France, Serbia)
Dir. Nastia Korkia
North American Premiere

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)
Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
U.S. Premiere

WIND, TALK TO ME Vetre, pričaj sa mnom (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia)
Dir. Stefan Djordjevic
U.S. Premiere

Documentary Competition

THE BEAUTY OF THE DONKEY La Beauté de l’Âne (Switzerland, Kosovo, France, U.S.)
Dir. Dea Gjinovci
North American Premiere

CELTIC UTOPIA Útóipe Cheilteach (Sweden, Ireland)
Dirs. Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén
North American Premiere

CHILD OF DUST Dziecko z pyłu (Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic)
Dir. Weronika Mliczewska
North American Premiere

THE HELSINKI EFFECT (Finland, Germany, Norway)
Dir. Arthur Franck
North American Premiere

MY FATHER AND QADDAFI (U.S., Libya)
Dir. Jihan
North American Premiere

PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK (France, Palestine)
Dir. Sepideh Farsi

THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia)
Dir. Tamara Kotevska
U.S. Premiere

TRUE NORTH (U.S., Canada)
Dir. Michèle Stephenson
U.S. Premiere

OutLook Competition

BOUCHRA (Italy, Morocco, U.S.)
Dirs. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani

EMI (Argentina, Uruguay)
Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena
World Premiere

HEDDA (U.S.)
Dir. Nia DaCosta

THE HOLY BOY La Valle dei Sorrisi (Italy, Slovenia)
Dir. Paolo Strippoli

THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO La misteriosa mirada del flamenco (Chile,
France, Germany, Spain, Belgium)
Dir. Diego Céspedes

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)
Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
U.S. Premiere

TWO TIMES JOÃO LIBERADA Duas Vezes João Liberada (Portugal)
Dir. Paula Tomás Marques

A USEFUL GHOST Pee Chai Dai Ka (Thailand)
Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

WE ARE PAT (U.S.)
Dir. Rowan Haber