DAY EIGHT Podtalk: Maura Delpero of ‘Maternal’ at 55th Chicago International Film Festival

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CHICAGO – A new director screening is one of the most exciting events of any film festival, and Maura Delpero will represent her narrative film, “Maternal” at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival today (October 23rd) at 5:45pm. This exploration of motherhood and desire is Delpero’s first fiction film, after two documentaries.

Director Maura Delpero of ‘Maternal’
Photo credit: File Photo

The Chicago International Film Festival Celebrates DAY EIGHT of the Toddlin’ Town movie spectacular. Today is the day for the short films programs SHORTS 7 (“Some Kind of Tomorrow”). Red Carpets will occur for JUMP SHOT, THE AERONAUTS and KNIVES OUT (director Rian Johnson and Michael Shanon). Click here for a complete rundown of DAY EIGHT screenings and events.

In “Maternal,” the lives of three young women intersect in unexpected ways in this sensitive, insightful drama about defining motherly impulses. Novitiate Sister Paola, preparing to take her final vows, works at a Buenos Aires shelter for teen mothers. Rebellious young mother Lu desires only freedom and escape, while Fatima, pregnant with her second child, finds solace within the walls of the institution. When Paola forms a deep attachment to an abandoned infant, she must confront troubling doubts about her true vocation. Director Maura Delpero also wrote the film.

’Maternal’ at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Photo credit: ChicagoFilmFest.com

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, director Maura Delpero of “Maternal” talks about the religious framing, working with non-professional actors and the mysteries of nuns.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com