10.13.2021 |
If you enjoy films, you may be wondering, when is the Chicago International Film Festival set to take place this year? Fortunately, the longest running competitive film festival in the United States starts today! From October 13th through October 24th, Chicago will host more than 100 films from all across the world in a marathon of teary dramas, unforgettable shorts, enlightening documentaries, daring comedies, and shocking thrillers. Keep reading to find out how to attend the event, films to out look for, and a little history behind the festival.
In an attempt to compete and provide an alternative to the mainstream Hollywood films of the 1960s, Michael Kutza inaugurated the Chicago International Film festival in 1965 at the Carnegie Theater. The festival quickly became an event renowned around the world, attracting and introducing creative directors of the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, François Truffaut, Quentin Tarantino, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Guillermo Del Toro, and more.
Screening Options
This year for the safety of attendees, the film festival will be screening movies not only in theaters but in drive-in theaters (for select movies) and online streaming as well!
Drive-In
Drive-in screenings will be shown at the ChiTown Movies Drive-In on 2343 S Throop St. The drive-in program will consist of Antlers, Encounters, The Harder They Fall, Hellbender, and The Velvet Underground. If you’re interested in attending one of these shows, tickets to the screening must be purchased in advance. The general admission is running $55 per vehicle with a max of 6 people per car.
Online Streaming
The Chicago International Film Festival is bringing back online streaming due to the success of its endeavours the previous year. Similar to the drive-in theater option, there will only be a select few films available to viewers through this alternative. Some of these include Citizen Ashe, A Cop Movie, Oscar Micheaux – The Superhero of Black Filmmaking, Petite Maman, Paris, 13th District, and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. Virtual passes can be purchased in packages or individually.
In-Person
To get the complete experience, the in-person option will give you access to the entire roster of films including Wes Anderson’s opening night film, The French Dispatch, David Gordon Green’s take on Michael Myers, Halloween Kills, C’mon C’mon starring Joaquin Phoenix, acclaimed director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, and many other epic films that can be found this full festival film list.
For those interested in attending, there will be four theaters screening the movies. These include AMC River East 21, Gene Siskel Film Center, Music Box Theatre, and Parkway Ballroom. Similar to the other options, tickets can be purchased separately or in passes. You can find more information on pricing here.
Planning Ahead
It’s pretty difficult to try and attend every show. However, with proper planning you will likely be able to attend the ones you're most excited about. Here is a schedule of all the movies that will be screening so that you can better plan your itinerary.
We hope you are able to attend and get in as many movies as possible. Let us know which ones were your favorites!
