Arts & Entertainment
Chicago International Film Festival 2024 Lineup Announced. Here Are the Local Stories Being Showcased This Year
“The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells,” directed by Rana Segal, will be shown at the Chicago History Museum on Oct. 27 as part of this year’s Chicago International Film Festival. (Courtesy of Chicago International Film Festival)
Movie buffs, mark your calendars.
The stories and filmmakers of Chicago and Illinois are set to take center stage at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival, which announced its full festival lineup on Monday.
The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 16-27.
Screenings and programs are set to take place at the festival’s hub theater in AMC NEWCITY 14 in addition to the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center and more.
This year’s program includes 122 feature films and 71 shorts, showcasing cinema from more than 60 countries around the world. For this year’s full festival lineup, click here.
Below are feature films with connections to Chicago and Illinois as part of the festival’s city and state program. The films are among those competing for the festival’s Chicago Award.
- “Desire Lines” directed by Jules Rosskam. A hybrid documentary about a trans man becoming immersed in an LGBTQ archive whose oral histories push against stigmas and boundaries.
- “The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells” directed by Rana Segal. Documentary follows artist Richard Hunt as he sculpts a monument to civil rights icon Ida B. Wells in a film that weaves the stories of the two Chicago pioneers.
- “Okie” directed by Kate Cobb. The story of a famous novelist returning to his rural Illinois hometown only to receive a mixed welcome.
- “A Photographic Memory” directed by Rachel Elizabeth Seed. A filmmaker pieces together a picture of her mother, a renowned Chicago-born photojournalist, attempting to close the gap between herself and the woman she never knew.
- “Time Passages” directed by Kyle Henry. A Chicago filmmaker journeys into his past during an especially challenging year in a moving, playful testament to the bond between mother and son.
The festival will also be showcasing a program of shorts by Illinois filmmakers addressing how past experiences shape the present moment called, “City & State Shorts: Now and Then.”
The short films include “Broken Flight” by directors Erika Valenciana and Mitchell Wenkus, who follow the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, a volunteer group that rescues and records birds after they collide with skyscrapers; and “Saving Superman” directed by Adam Oppenheim and Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian, which is about a 57-year-old man from Glen Ellyn who experiences the joys and challenges of living with autism spectrum disorder.
Other films with strong local connections include Evanston-born Steve Pink’s portrait of former Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger in “The Last Republican” and the world premiere of Chicago-born director Jason Park’s feature debut “Transplant” starring Korean American singer Eric Nam.
Festival passes in addition to individual tickets for the festival’s opening night are currently on sale. Tickets for individual screenings go on sale to the general public starting Friday. Pre-sale tickets for members go on sale on Tuesday.
For more information on tickets, click here.
Note: WTTW is a program partner of the Chicago International Film Festival.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
