Author Archive | Sam Flancher

Kutza’s 55 Years of Service to Chicago International Film Festival to be Celebrated at July 14 Gala at Loews Chicago Hotel

CHICAGO – Michael Kutza, Founder and CEO of Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, today announced that he will be retiring from his role at the end of 2018.

The Governing Board of Directors will pay tribute to Kutza’s remarkable career at a special gala, “Celebrating Michael,” Saturday, July 14 at Loews Chicago Hotel.  The event will be chaired by Chaz Ebert, Candace Jordan and Maria Pappas, and will include an array of appearances from film industry luminaries to honor Kutza’s passion for film and his dedication to fostering the appreciation of film in Chicago, as well as the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award.[…]

The 54th Chicago International Television Festival, a three-day festival celebrating extraordinary American and International television programming, web series and television commercials, came to a festive end on Thursday, March 22 with a ceremony honoring exceptional television commercials.

During the Festival, special presentations included WOKE TV: Chicago Made Web Series, a collection of new Chicago-based web series showing an eclectic and fun array of stories about LGBTQ individuals, women and people of color, featuring a panel discussion with series creators;  the debut of the second and third episodes of the new “Roseanne,” with actress Lecy Goranson and Executive Producer Bruce Helford in attendance; screenings of episodes from the Israeli series “Your Honor” and German mini-series “The Vanishing;” and a screening of a new episode of “Chicago Fire,” with series co-creator Derek Haas and actors Jon Seda and Kara Killmer in attendance.[…]

In partnership with WTTW11, we’ve assembled some of the most popular television commercials from around the world, and it’s up to you to pick the best! The spot with the most votes will take home the WTTW Audience Choice Award at the Chicago International Television Festival Commercial Competition on March 22.

Competing spots will screen on WTTW11 on Sunday, March 11 at 11:00pm and Tuesday, March 13th at 10:30pm.

Vote here for your favorites and a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Commercials Competition at the Television Festival![…]

The 54^th Chicago International Television Festival, presented by Cinema/Chicago, will celebrate extraordinary American and International television programming, web series and television commercials over a three-day period, March 20 –22 at the AMC River East, 322 E. Illinois.

The Television Festival will feature emerging talent from Chicago, as well as critically hailed audience favorites from the United States, Germany and Israel. The lineup includes a look at ambitious and diverse Chicago-made web series; a preview of an episode of ABC’S revival of “Roseanne” with actressLecy Goranson (Becky) and Executive Producer Bruce Helford in attendance; episodes of the award-winning Israeli series “Your Honor” and prize-winning German series “The Vanishing,” never before seen in the United States; a preview of an upcoming episode of “Chicago Fire” with the show creator and select cast members in attendance; and a celebration of the finest in international television commercial production.[…]