Now in its 60th year, the Chicago International Film Festival has earned a reputation as a preview of the Oscar’s best international film category.
The festival, which runs Oct. 16–27 at theaters across town, has earned a reputation in the film world as a preview of the Oscar’s best international film category. Last year, three of the five finalists in the international category screened at the Chicago festival. So did half of the films nominated for the Oscar’s top honor: Best Picture.
The Chicago team makes its selections well before Academy Award nominations are announced, but it has an enviable track record. Selecting so many Oscar-bound films only adds to the festival’s gravitas, both among audiences and filmmakers.
“I think there’s an added level of excitement, and that sense of ‘I saw it first’ or ‘I saw it before it was even on anybody’s radar,’” said Mimi Plauché, the festival’s artistic director, who oversees the programming decisions.
“But also on the international scale, we get a lot of filmmakers who will come to us and say, ‘I want to be considered alongside these films that you’re known for programming.’”
For this year’s 60th anniversary festival, Plauché and her team selected 122 feature films and 71 shorts from more than 7,000 submissions, each of which were viewed by at least two people. The work comes from more than 60 countries.
Already, at least 10 films on this year’s Chicago lineup have been designated as their country’s entry for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature race. That means there’s a good possibility that Chicago audiences will once again get an Oscars preview.
But the lineup is not exclusively foreign films — there’s a fair amount of American star power on deck as well, including the opening night film The Piano Lesson. Directed by Malcolm Washington, the movie adapts August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play and stars John David Washington. The director and star are sons of Hollywood royalty Denzel Washington.
Other big draws include the film adaptation of the popular novel Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams, and the festival’s closer, Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. The latter was directed by legendary filmmaker and Chicago native Robert Zemeckis of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future fame. Not to mention, there’s also a night honoring comedic actor Mike Myers, presented with The Second City.
For Plauché, the right balance of celebrity and up-and-coming filmmakers is top of mind. She knows audiences want a mix of familiar and fresh.
“We’re equally as excited about this kind of unknown Canadian independent film that we found in our submissions as we are to present, you know, the latest Pedro Almodóvar film,” she said. “We see our mission as being fulfilled by uplifting both the celebrated as well as providing a platform for new cinema.”
Among some filmmakers, the Chicago festival also has a reputation for showcasing female directors.
Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
“There was kind of a special attention to women, which I didn’t find in other festivals,” said Italian filmmaker Maura Delpero, making her eager to return this year with her new movie, Vermiglio, which Italy will enter into the Oscars race.
The film is set in a rural Italian village during World War II. It’s a deeply personal movie which draws upon Delpero’s father’s own story. Delpero is in the thick of promoting the film in Italy, where it recently had its theatrical premiere, before hitting the U.S. film festival circuit.
“I think the audience is appreciating the fact that it tells a piece of Italian history, but also a universal story without space and time,” she said.
Vermiglio has garnered early accolades, including the Grand Jury prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Still, Delpero is anxiously waiting to see how the story resonates with an American audience.
The Chicago festival, which its organizers say attracts 45,000 people over 12 days, got its start in 1964. After attending a film festival in Europe, filmmaker Michael Kutza — who was just 22 at the time — had a vision to make Chicago a hub for international film. In its first year, the festival showed eight feature films at the original Carnegie Theatre downtown.
The festival has grown exponentially in its six decades and is now North America’s longest-running competitive film fest. But like all arts programming, it was dealt a blow by the COVID-19 pandemic. After one year online, the festival emerged with a focus on a new model: expanding its footprint in the city of Chicago. In addition to venues like AMC NEWCITY 14 and the Gene Siskel Film Center, movies are now also screened everywhere from the University of Chicago to the National Museum of Mexican Art.
“So just really thinking about: How do we best serve a broad Chicago audience? And really, how do we bring the festival experience to Chicagoans who live in all different parts of the city?” Plauché said.
But it’s also a matter of curating an experience that goes beyond an otherwise typical trip to the movie theater. Plauché said the appeal of a festival is the shared experience it presents — and the opportunity to hear about the work from the experts. That’s why she encourages people to attend screenings that include a Q&A with a filmmaker, some of whom are likely to get a nod from the Academy.
Festival standouts
Here are some highlights of the 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival, with ticket availability noted as of press time.
- The festival will open with The Piano Lesson, Malcolm Washington’s feature directorial debut. Washington will be awarded the Breakthrough Award from the festival. His brother, John David Washington, who stars in the film, will receive the Spotlight Award. Showing: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., and 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, at AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N. Clybourn Ave. Only rush tickets available.
- Angelina Jolie stars in Pablo Larrain’s Maria. Jolie portrays the renowned 20th-century soprano Maria Callas. The film, which premiered in Venice, will have its U.S. theatrical release at the end of November. Showing: 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, at Music Box. $28.
- Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams, is the festival’s centerpiece film. Director Marielle Heller will receive the Visionary Award. Showing: 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, at Music Box. $45.
- Director Steve Pink offers a look at former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — a guest speaker on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago — in The Last Republican. Showing: 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, and noon on Saturday, Oct. 19, AMC NEWCITY 14. $15–$24.
- Vermiglio is a feature film from director Maura Delpero which takes place in a rural Italian village during WWII. Showing: 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, and 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, AMC NEWCITY 14. $24.
- The festival will close with Robert Zemeckis’ film Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Zemeckis will receive the Founder’s Legacy Award. Showing: 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Music Box. $45.
- The documentary The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells tells the story of the late Chicago artist and his process making the monument of the civil rights icon. Showing: noon on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. $15.
The Last Republican follows Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger as he seeks Republican accountability in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol. The film was directed by Steve Pink, who directed one of Kinzinger’s favorite films, 2010’s Hot Tub Time Machine. Courtesy of the Chicago International Film Festival
Special events
- An evening with comedic actor Mike Myers takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. $45.
- The festival will honor actor André Holland with an Artistic Achievement Award at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. $24.
If you go: The Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 16–27, with screenings at AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum and the Logan Center for the Arts, plus pop-up locations including the Hamilton Park Cultural Center and the National Museum of Mexican Art. Festival passes range from $180 to $400. Single-showing tickets range from $15 to $45.S