Selections of Lessons from Movies

Trying to become the ideal adult, only to realize that no matter your age, the fear of the unknown never truly fades? With limited life experience, we struggle to survive in an ever-changing world. We become parents, yet still carry the weight of our own upbringing. Here are five soul-nourishing cinematic “coming-of-age remedies” to help you rediscover your original self and strength—bring along your inner child and taste the essence of growth: Yi Yi, a Taiwanese New Wave masterpiece, reflects the quiet milestones of growing up. When dreams fall apart, All About Lily Chou-Chou captures the angst of disillusioned youth. Lost your way? Get gloriously drunk with Another Round, the Oscar-winning Danish hit. Feeling bound by your roots? Draw rebellious inspiration from Afghanistan’s maverick filmmaker in Nothingwood. And if loneliness creeps in, turn to the extraordinary lives of creators like Cheng Wen, Steve Jobs, Yayoi Kusama, and Agnès Varda. Sometimes, growing up isn’t about letting go of your inner child—but learning how to walk with them.

Communication and Its Discontents

In today’s world, is mutual understanding still possible? When authoritarianism resurges, power is concentrated in the hands of corporate giants, and fake news floods every channel, even basic communication between people has become a daunting challenge. The team at Chichi’s Notes believes that the desire to communicate stems from our human longing to understand the unknown. As long as we stay curious and refuse to accept a black-and-white view of the world, meaningful dialogue remains possible. This online film program begins with the theme of fake news and self-media, inviting viewers to reflect on how media shapes public perception. Through the lens of documentary, we question what we take for granted and challenge our assumptions—listening to the confessions of dictators and digital nationalists, exploring the resistance of cults and subcultures, and blurring the line between criminality and creativity. We hope these films offer glimpses into our shared struggles and desires—and open up new spaces for mutual understanding in a world that feels increasingly divided.

The Future is Near!

Let us imagine the future through multiple perspectives: quantum physics and human consciousness, robots and humans, love and relationships, gene banks and the apocalypse, social networks and surveillance, nuclear fusion and artificial suns, climate crisis and geopolitics, eugenics, and extraterrestrial intelligence. Though this program is titled The Future Is Near, perhaps the future has already arrived. The more important question is: Are we ready?

They Say I Am Not Normal.

In a society as warped as ours, who has the right to call themselves "normal"? Six teenage boys, locked inside their New York apartment for years, understand the world through their collection of 5,000 movies. An invisible army of overworked gig workers scrubs your social media feeds clean—out of sight, out of mind. Three adult women, posing as underage girls online, expose over 2,000 suspected child predators. In the U.S., a teen kills another—over a pair of rare, resold Air Jordans. Elsewhere, a group of people worship Satan—not to spread evil, but to resist the suffocating grip of far-right religious politics. So—are these people “normal”? Are they not? And who gets to decide what “normal” even means? Giloo presents 10 documentaries that explore the lives of those often labeled as “abnormal”—but who, in their own ways, might just be the most honest reflections of our times.

Experimental Film