The Chicago International Film Festival dimmed its lights for its 61st annual event, which began on Oct. 15. Organized by Cinema/Chicago, the event spread across several venues, including Wrigleyville’s historic Music Box Theatre and the Gene Siskel Film Center. Over 100 feature films and 60 short films will be screened throughout the event’s 11 days.
Among the many films being screened are the latest from notable directors like Chloé Zhao and Nia DaCosta. Superstar director Spike Lee is set to make an appearance at AMC NEWCITY 14 on Friday to unpack his new thriller “Highest 2 Lowest.”
Even with all the A-List programming, the bread and butter of the event is its ever-expanding roster of diverse international films.
Programmer Sophie Gordon (Communication ’17) headed “OutLook,” a lineup of LGBTQ+ focused narratives from around the world.
“Don’t be dismayed if you weren’t able to get a ticket to Spike Lee because it sold out in five minutes,” Gordon said. “There are other amazing opportunities for engagement with this festival.”
She said she was most excited to present “Two Times João Liberada,” a Portuguese drama about a transgender actress who clashes with her director over how to portray a historical figure. The film tied into a recurring theme of ghosts among the OutLook lineup, with “João Liberada” featuring “a very sassy historical ghost.”
Gordon especially encouraged RTVF students to give films like “João Liberada” a chance.
“This is a film that I think is a really awesome film to see as a student because this is really a film about filmmaking,” Gordon said.
Other than the movies themselves, the festival featured a host of meet-and-greet opportunities for up-and-coming student filmmakers.
Industry Days, the festival’s networking division, was responsible for running a variety of panels, mixers and masterclasses peppered throughout the festival.
Industry Days organizer Kayla Myers said the event brings in crowds from many Chicago schools like Northwestern and Columbia College Chicago.
“I think for students, Industry Days would be their first big space where they’re meeting people who work in the industry and getting connected in that way,” Myers said.
Communication sophomore Samuel Wong attended three Industry Days panels on Oct. 18, including one hosted by “Good Will Hunting” director Gus Van Sant.
Wong especially appreciated a workshop called “Directing the Actor” because of the different directorial styles it showcased.
The panel was set up in such a way that a pair of directors would direct two pairs of actors in an improvised scene, before the floor was opened up to audience questions.
“It’s just really refreshing and inspiring to see different approaches to the same subject,” Wong said.
All in all, many programmers emphasized the unique opportunity of being a student enjoying the festival.
“I started going to the film festival when I was a student at Northwestern,” Gordon said. “I loved being able to have the opportunity to take the train down to the city and see something that I never would have seen before.”
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