Author Archive | Kasey Martin

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Ken Nordine, a dear friend and the voice of the Chicago International Film Festival. One of the most distinctive voices in the aural landscape, Ken lent his extraordinary talent and unsurpassed creativity through his visually and sonically stimulating Festival trailers for five decades. We awarded Ken with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, recognizing his immeasurable contributions to the Chicago creative community. We will miss his generous spirit, good humor and undeniable originality.[…]

CHICAGO—National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $35,000 to Cinema/Chicago to support the 55th Chicago International Film Festival’s community engagement programs such as free screenings, panels, workshops, and master classes open to the public, as well as a series of screenings for Chicago-area public school students.[…]

Celebrating our 55th anniversary in 2019, the Chicago International Film Festival is now accepting entries for feature length, documentary, and short films!

Presented by Cinema/Chicago, we are North America’s longest-running competitive film festival. We screen films from around the world across a wide variety of competitions and programs. In 2018, the Festival showcased 175 short and feature-length films from 58 countries and hosted 200 guests from around the globe. We are an Academy Award-qualifying Festival for the winners of our Best Live Action Short and Best Documentary Short competitions.[…]

It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of Randy Crumpton, treasured board member, fearless chairman of our Black Perspectives Committee, and dear friend. Randy brought his extraordinary passion for film and boundless enthusiasm to the Festival. He was the heart and soul of our Black Perspectives program, celebrating the tremendous talents of African American filmmakers and actors.

Randy was an invaluable contributor to Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival for more than 20 years. He first joined the organization in 1999, when he became a member of the Black Perspectives Committee and of the Junior Board.[…]