Our #ChiFilmFest team had a banner year in 2024, as we celebrated the 60th anniversary of North America’s longest-running competitive international film festival and expanded our programming bringing global cinema all across Chicago.
Here are some of our highlights and favorite moments from our milestone year:
The 60th Festival
Our biggest Festival yet featured a stunning lineup, opening with The Piano Lesson (with director Malcolm Washington, actor John David Washington, and screenwriter Virgil Williams in attendance) and closing with Robert Zemeckis’ Here. Other highlights included the packed Chicago premiere of The Brutalist (with director Brady Corbet in attendance), awards for directors Kore-eda Hirokazu, Marielle Heller (Nightbitch), and RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys), and standout titles from Gold Hugo-winning Vermiglio and Flow to Emilia Pérez and All We Imagine As Light.
Celebrating 60 Years
We also celebrated our diamond anniversary all year long. We celebrated our diamond anniversary with a dazzling Cinema Soirée benefit, honoring beloved Chicagoans John C. Reilly and Jennifer Reeder. In collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center, Music Box Theatre, Italian Cultural Institute, and FACETS, we brought back Festival favorites like Lady Bird, The Piano, and Mabarosi, among others, for special retrospective screenings.
CineYouth & Summer Screenings
In April, we hosted the 19th edition of CineYouth at FACETS, our festival showcasing short films from emerging filmmakers 22 years old and younger – some of which have gone on to have films selected for our landmark Festival. We also presented our annual Summer Screenings at the Chicago History Museum & Chicago Cultural Center, this year showing films entirely directed by women from our distinguished roster of Festival alums, including Justine Triet, Lili Horvát, & Lila Avilés, among others.
Community Engagement
We were proud to host even more programming this year, expanding our reach across Chicago. We brought free community screenings to Pilsen and Englewood, thanks to incredible partners at National Museum of Mexican Art, Englewood Arts Collective, and the Chicago Park District. And we continued our free Digging Deeper talks series with critic Nick Davis at the Alliance Française de Chicago.
Special Events for Members
This milestone year brought exciting growth to our network of members and film enthusiasts across Chicago who support our mission while enjoying exclusive perks like special events, Festival discounts, and more. Members attended a special screening of Sing Sing with star Colman Domingo, along with free advance screenings of Perfect Days, Janet Planet, Drive-Away Dolls, and other highly anticipated films. Join as a member today to unlock these experiences in 2025—and enjoy early access and discounts for #ChiFilmFest tickets!
Thanks to everyone who joined us all year-long and made all our work possible – our incredible team, our venue & cultural partners, sponsors, volunteers, members, supporters, & more! You helped make this a banner year as we celebrate cinema & storytelling.
Want to own a piece of history AND power our work bringing the arts to neighborhoods across Chicago? Make a tax deductible gift of $25+ and we’ll send you a special 60th Festival commemorative pin. Donate now!
Thank you for making 2024 truly unforgettable. Your support means the world to us, and we’re so excited to share even more incredible moments with you at our 2025 events. See you at the movies! ❤️
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