Cinema Chicago

The 57th Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, today announced the winners of its 2021 competitions. In a virtual ceremony live-streamed via the Festival’s YouTube channel, the Festival awarded prizes in the following categories: International Feature Film Competition, New Directors Competition, International Documentary Competition, OutLook Competition, and Short Film Competitions, as well as the Chicago Award for an outstanding film in the City & State program.

The Gold Hugo in the International Competition went to MEMORIA, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s beguiling, beautiful film following a Scotswoman (Tilda Swinton) living in Bogotá haunted by a noise that only she seems to hear.[…]

German filmmaker and photo artist Franziska Stünkel’s film The Last Execution (Nahschuss) is a historical drama telling the story of Werner Teske, a scientist-turned Stasi spy who became the last person executed in East Germany. Stünkel is in Chicago for the international premiere of her gripping film — don’t miss the next screening on Thursday Oct. 21 at 5:15pm, with a special Q&A following the film.

We’re thrilled to host Stünkel in Chicago, and we sat down with her to ask her some questions about being back in the theatre and her favorite filmmakers.[…]

Filmmaker magazine named Isidore Bethel one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” last year. We’re honored to host him in Chicago this week for a special screening of his new film Acts of Love, a docu-fiction hybrid story about make sexuality he co-directed with Francis Leplay. The Hollywood Reporter called Acts of Love, which was shot in Chicago, an “exciting, genre-bending film” that “stands out in its exploration of attraction, desire, sex and intimacy.”

Get your tickets now to see this innovative film, as well as a live Q&A with Bethel and actor Ed Sanderson following the screening, on Tuesday Oct.[…]

With just a couple days to go until the 57th Chicago International Film Festival begins, we’re here to help you kick-off the Festival right with a custom itinerary that showcases all #ChiFilmFest and Chicago have to offer.

Wednesday, October 13

10pm: An After Hours Opening Night

Our official Opening Night screening of The French Dispatch may be sold out, but you can still kick off the festival right, in an albeit scarier format, at a sneak peek, late-night screening of HALLOWEEN KILLS at the Music Box Theatre in Lakeview.[…]