Tributes and Awards
The Chicago International Film Festival honors the work of incomparable film artists from across genres and disciplines.
A Tribute to Gus Van Sant
Dead Man’s Wire screening and Visionary Award presentation
Sat, Oct 18 at 5:15pm | AMC NEWCITY 14
Gus Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His many features include Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), To Die For (1995), Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003), Paranoid Park (2007), and Restless (2011) as well as Good Will Hunting (1997), which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. Dead Man’s Wire (2025) is his latest feature.
A Tribute to Nia DaCosta
Hedda screening and Black Perspectives Artistic Achievement Award presentation
Sun, Oct 19 at 5:00pm | Music Box Theatre
One of Hollywood’s most in-demand voices, Nia DaCosta is a versatile writer and director whose latest film, Hedda, reimagines Henrik Ibsen’s famous play Hedda Gabler and stars Tessa Thompson in the title role. DaCosta directed and co-wrote 2023’s The Marvels, making her the first Black woman to direct a Marvel Studios film and the youngest person to direct a film for the company. Her additional credits include 2021’s Candyman and 2018’s Little Woods, which was an official Festival selection. She is currently in post-production on the upcoming film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Tribute to Joel Edgerton & Clint Bentley
Train Dreams screening and Artistic Achievement Awards presentation
Mon, Oct 20 at 6:30pm | Music Box Theatre
Joel Edgerton is an acclaimed Australian actor, writer, and filmmaker who has starred in films including The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior, Black Mass, Loving—for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination—and The Gift, which also marked his directorial debut. Edgerton’s versatility extends to voice work, stage performances, and co-writing Netflix’s drama The King. Most recently, he starred in the series Dark Matter and Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, which premiered at Cannes and is screening at the Festival. He stars opposite Felicity Jones in Train Dreams.
Clint Bentley is an Academy Award-nominated writer, director, and producer whose feature directorial debut, Jockey, premiered in competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. With frequent collaborator Greg Kwedar, Bentley co-wrote and produced 2023’s drama Sing Sing, earning an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay, one of three nominations the film received. Most recently, he co-wrote and directed Train Dreams, an adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name. Additionally, Bentley received a 2026 Pushcart Prize for his short story “Cairn.”
Tribute to HIKARI
Rental Family screening and Spotlight Award presentation
Tue, Oct 21 at 6:30pm | Music Box Theatre
HIKARI is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose debut feature, 37 Seconds, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won accolades globally. She’s directed episodes of the Emmy-winning series Beef, as well as Tokyo Vice and acclaimed shorts like Tsuyako. HIKARI is currently developing several projects, including Made in Utah, based on her experience as an exchange student in Utah, and an original adaptation of Jules and Jim.
An Evening With Spike Lee
Conversation and Lifetime Acheivement Award presentation
In conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Stewart
Fri, Oct 24 at 5:30pm | AMC NEWCITY 14
Join Academy Award winner Spike Lee for an illuminating conversation about his iconic body of work, which has made an indelible mark on filmmaking, television, and popular culture. His career spans over 30 years and includes such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, Girl 6, Get on the Bus, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Inside Man, Miracle at St. Anna, Red Hook Summer, Old Boy, Chi-Raq, BlacKkKlansman, and this year’s Highest 2 Lowest. Lee’s outstanding feature documentary work includes the double Emmy® Award-winning If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, a follow up to his HBO documentary film When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the Peabody Award-winning A Huey P Newton Story, and 4 Little Girls, Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary.
Tribute to Euzhan Palcy
Sugar Cane Alley screening with Black Perspectives Tribute and Career Achievement Award presentation
In conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Stewart.
Sat, Oct 25 at 5:30pm | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Pioneering filmmaker Euzhan Palcy has set the world ablaze with a decades-long body of visionary work, shattering barriers in global cinema and inspiring a generation of storytellers. This proud Martinican was shaped by her island’s rich cultural traditions that inspired many of her works including her historic 1983 debut film Sugar Cane Alley (Rue Cases Nègres). The film won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the César Award for Best First Feature, making Palcy the first Black person and first woman to win France’s top film honor for a feature. She continued to break ground in Hollywood with A Dry White Season (1989), directing Marlon Brando to his final Oscar nomination and becoming the first Black woman to direct a major U.S. studio film. Her filmography spans genre and geography: from the fantastical Simeon to the Civil Rights biopic Ruby Bridges to powerful documentaries like Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History and The Journey of the Dissidents. Her work centers truth, resistance, and the dignity of marginalized voices. Palcy received the Medal of Honor from the Society of Dramatic Arts and Composers in France and the Honorary Oscar at the 13th Governors Awards in 2022 for her significant contributions to international cinema.
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