Author name: Kasey Martin

Millions can identify the iconic logo, but few know the man behind the larger-than-life label. A chic and lively peek into the mind of Pierre Cardin and his epic design empire—from clothes to furniture to eyeglasses— House of Cardin is a globetrotting journey across the decades, examining the modernist styles he pioneered. Featuring in-depth interviews with Cardin himself, along with Jean-Paul Gaultier, Philippe Starke, and Sharon Stone, among others. We’re thrilled to welcome co-directors P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes to the Festival for its Chicago premiere this week![…]

From Finnish filmmaker Arthur Franck comes The Hypnotist, a transfixing Cold-War docu-thriller about Olavi Hakasalo, a.k.a Olliver Hawk, Finland’s most famous hypnotist, who might—or might not—have been a key political operative for the nation’s ruling powers. A wild ride, full of subtle contemporary echoes about the risks of populism and public manipulation, The Hypnotist charts both the rise and fall of a mysterious man and the murkiness of truth. Below, Franck gives us insight into how he chooses a documentary subject, and how Finnish, Cold War-era politics may have more to say about the world we live in today than you’d expect.[…]

Inspired by the famed vampire novella, director Emily Harris’ Carmilla is an 18th-century coming-of-age romance chronicling the relationship between sheltered teen Lara and a mysterious young woman who arrives at her remote estate after a carriage accident nearby. The girls share a powerful connection, but with rumors of supernatural activity overtaking the land, Lara’s devout governess eyes Carmilla with great suspicion and jealousy. We’re thrilled to welcome Harris and her seductive, candlelit fable to our city for the 55th Chicago International Film Festival.[…]

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day from all of us at the Chicago International Film Festival!

In honor of this holiday, we’re offering $3 off regular priced tickets of the Festival’s stellar selection of films exploring the lives of Indigenous people. Use promo code IPD3 at checkout to get the discount and support these incredible films! (Note: Discount does not apply to matinee screenings).

The Fever
Director: Maya Da-Rin

Justino, an indigenous man who works as a security guard in the Amazonian port city of Manaus, falls mysteriously ill just as his daughter prepares to leave for Brasilia to study medicine.[…]

The 55th Chicago International Film Festival is excited to welcome Israeli director Dror Moreh to our fair city for the premiere of his film The Human Factor this month. The Oscar®-nominated director of the The Gatekeepers (2012) joins this year’s Documentary program with an epic behind-the-scenes story of the United States’ 30-year-effort to secure peace in the Middle East. Recounted in intimate detail by the American negotiators on the frontlines, The Human Factor is what Newsweek calls “a deeply wise examination of statesmanship and leadership, or their egregious absence; a celebration of compromise as the indispensable element of diplomacy; and a stirring argument for the power of humanity.”[…]