Now in its 50th year, the celebrated Chicago International Film Festival offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and experiences of other cultures on the big screen and the chance to hear and maybe even meet some of the artists behind them. For two weeks, you can see films from more than 55 countries at AMC River East 21, located in Streeterville. The 50th Chicago International Film Festival will take place October 9-23, 2014.
The anniversary celebration will kick off with an Opening Night Gala presentation at the Harris Theater, followed by a Golden Anniversary celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center.
One of the Festival’s most notable features is the vast diversity of offerings, with numerous competitive categories and several highlight programs such as Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, ReelWomen, Out-Look, After Dark, and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois. In 2014, the Festival will shine a spotlight on Scandinavian cinema.
International Feature Competition
- 1001 Grams Norway (Director: Bent Hamer)
- Black Coal, Thin IceChina/Hong Kong (Director: Diao Yinan)
- The Fool Russia (Director: Yury Bykov)
- Force Majeure Sweden/Denmark/France/Norway (Director: Ruben Östlund)
- Free Fall Hungary (Director: György Pálfi)
- Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Israel/France/Germany (Directors: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz)
- Human Capital Italy (Director: Paolo Virzì)
- The Owners Kazakhstan (Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov)
- The President Georgia/France/UK/Germany (Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
- Red Rose Iran/France/Greece (Director: Sepideh Farsi)
- Refugiado Argentina/Colombia/France/Poland/Germany (Director: Diego Lerman)
- Rudderless USA (Director: William H. Macy)
- Sand Dollars Dominican Republic/Argentina/Mexico (Directors: Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas)
- Speed Walking Denmark (Director: Niels Arden Oplev)
- Timbuktu Mauritania/France (Director: Abderrahmane Sissako)
- The Word Poland/Denmark (Director: Anna Kazejak)
Cinema/Chicago is the non-profit presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s oldest competitive international film festival.
The Chicago International Film Festival was started in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza to provide an alternative to the commercial Hollywood movies that dominated the city’s theaters. The Festival is dedicated to fostering better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. Seeking out the best in international cinema, the Festival has opened windows to a world of film previously or otherwise unavailable in Chicago. In addition, at more than half of the screenings each year, filmgoers have the rare and exciting chance to meet directors, producers, writers and cast members who introduce their films and hold discussion sessions after the screenings.
The Festival has a rich history of discovering hundreds of ground-breaking directors including Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Taylor Hackford, Susan Seidelman, Victor Nunez; Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Bertrand Tavernier; Peter Weir; Dariush Mehrjui; Mike Leigh, Alan Parker, Michael Apted, Peter Greenaway; Vincent Ward; Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Zanussi; Dusan Makavejev; Victor Erice; Jan Troell; and Maria Louisa Bemberg.
Since 1964, the Chicago International Film Festival has brought you thousands of groundbreaking, highly acclaimed and thought-provoking films from around the globe.
In 2014, our mission remains the same: to bring Chicago the unique opportunity to see world-class cinema, from new discoveries to international prizewinners, and hear directly from the talented people who’ve brought them to us. This year is no different, with filmmakers from Scandinavia to Mexico and Hollywood to our backyard, joining us for what is Chicago’s most thrilling movie event of the year. To all of our guests, past, present and future—we thank you for continued support, excitement, and most importantly, your love for movies!
