Italian writer-director Carolina Cavalli has a gift for characters who feel slightly out of step with the world. Based in Milan, she made her feature debut with “Amanda” (2022), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. She co-wrote “Fremont” with director Babak Jalali, which premiered at Sundance in 2023 and won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Her second feature, “The Kidnapping of Arabella,” premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti section, where Benedetta Porcaroli won Best Actress, and it screened in the Chicago International Film Festival’s New Directors Competition in 2025 before landing on Cinema Femme’s Top 10 Films of 2025 list.
This year, Cavalli came back to Chicago without a film of her own. She served on the International Feature Film Competition jury at the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival (October 14–25, 2026), alongside actor John C. Reilly, “Return to Seoul” director Davy Chou, Oscar-nominated Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi (“On Body and Soul”), and “Babylon Berlin” showrunner and “Good Bye Lenin!” co-writer Henk Handloegten. Jury duty is becoming familiar territory for her: earlier this year, she served as president of the Lion of the Future jury for first features at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The jury awarded the Gold Hugo for Best Film to Valeska Grisebach’s “The Dreamed Adventure,” with its star Yana Radeva taking Best Performance. Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime” won the Silver Hugo Jury Prize, Marine Atlan won Best Director for “La Gradiva,” and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Léa Le Dimna won Best Screenplay for “All of a Sudden.”
I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Carolina a few times now, first about “Amanda” and then about “The Kidnapping of Arabella.” When I caught up with her this time, the jury was exactly halfway through its screenings, so favorites were off the table. Instead, we talked about the rare luxury of watching two films a day, how the festival is woven into the fabric of the city, what she’s learning from her fellow jurors, and her “year of writing,” which includes a new screenplay with Babak Jalali, now in post-production.
How did it feel when the festival reached out and invited you to be on the jury?
It’s not my first jury, and I’ve realized how much I love being on one. You get to go to a festival without the stress of having your own film there, just the wonder of watching other people’s work. I really take time off. I postpone everything and just think about the films I’m watching. It’s a very rare period of time when you can simply watch films.
You’re in great company. Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul” is one of my favorite films. I actually interviewed its star. What’s it like being part of this group?
We’re getting along very well. I feel like many of them are further along in their artistic careers, so I’m learning a lot. There’s a beauty in the way they talk about films, something you acquire by talking about films a lot. They’re very eloquent, not just in how they see, but in how they communicate. So I’m trying to keep up.
Ildikó Enyedi is based in Budapest. Is it nice having another European filmmaker on the jury?
Yes. I’m familiar with the work of everyone on the jury, and I love their work.
I thought it was funny that John C. Reilly is on the international jury, since he’s a Chicago guy. What’s it like having him in the mix?
It’s amazing. I think he really loves his hometown. We’re all very happy to be here, and I’m sure he’s happy to be back.
You’re still in the middle of watching the competition films, right?
We’re exactly halfway through. It’s a great rhythm: two films a day. I think that’s the best possible option. You’re immersed in films, but you’re not overwhelmed by them. You have time to think about them every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you wake up.
What do you think is special about the Chicago International Film Festival compared to other festivals you’ve attended?
I’m more familiar with European festivals than U.S. ones. What I see here is that the festival is really part of the city. People can easily reach the cinema and easily be part of the festival. I feel that very much.
Perspectives from filmmakers outside the U.S. are so interesting. I recently saw “I’ll Be Gone in June,” a German director’s film about her experience as an exchange student here. What do you feel you bring to the jury that’s distinct from the other members?
The more different the jurors are in their tastes, the better the discussions. It’s always a real opportunity to see things from another perspective, especially when you trust and look up to the other jurors. Everyone has a very open spirit toward different readings of the same film. I don’t know if it has to do with this festival in particular, but the jury is very well composed, and we have interesting discussions.
Why do you keep saying yes to juries?
For me it’s still incredible that there’s a city, a period of time, and film lovers who all come together to watch and talk about films. I love festivals because they’re a great platform for films that maybe aren’t immediately commercial, but through the festival they can be seen by many people.
Also, almost all of us on the jury are filmmakers and writers, and watching other filmmakers’ work is really inspiring. You have to detach yourself from it while you’re judging, but when the day is over you think, I’d love to explore more of this, or more of that. You take inspiration from it. At least, I do.
Can you share anything about what you’re working on now?
This is my year of writing. I’m working on different projects, and I have no idea yet whether someone will produce them. Some days I feel very positive; some days I have the blues about it. But when you take a little distance, when you don’t work for a week like now, you just want to go back to writing. You think, I want to make a great film. Coming to festivals is inspiring in that sense.
You’ve collaborated with other writers on scripts. Is that helpful for you?
I’m writing again with Babak [Jalali]. He just wrapped the film we co-wrote, so we’ll see how it goes. With Babak, I write really, really well. I’m always looking for new collaborators, and a festival is another occasion to meet people and see whether your writing or your tone could be useful to someone else. I would love to find new people to collaborate with on their films. It’s a way to meet people in an informal setting that isn’t a business meeting.
I love collaborating, too. This is Cinema Femme’s second year as a nonprofit, and we’ve brought on a lot of younger people, including college students from DePaul. They have so much energy and such great ideas. It’s exciting to see the next generation shaping our future.
One hundred percent. In this competition there are some first features, but mainly very established directors and masters, so you’re watching films with a great deal of artistic experience. But when I have time to watch other sections, like first features or shorts, you really see a new generation. It’s exciting.
From what you’ve seen so far, what do you hope audiences take away from this year’s international selection?
Unfortunately, we never stay for the Q&As. But you can always feel the atmosphere of a room, and my impression is that people are very intentional when they come to watch these films. Maybe that’s because I’m very intentional, so I project it around me.
These audiences are definitely film lovers. I saw “Being Heumann” yesterday, and it was really emotional because it’s based on a real story. Films like that always expand people’s worlds.
Header photo by Marya E. Gates, who served on the New Director Jury this year.
