Cinema/Chicago News

First Look at the 57th Chicago International Film Festival

Published: September 8, 2021  |  Filed under: Festival News

The Chicago International Film Festival today announced its return to theatrical, outdoor, and virtual screens October 13 – 24, 2021 for its 57th edition. North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, the 57th Chicago International Film Festival expands throughout Chicago with presentations at venues across the city, including at AMC River East 21; the Music Box Theatre; the Gene Siskel Film Center; and special drive-in presentations at ChiTown Movies in Pilsen; as well as offering virtual screenings via the Festival’s streaming platform. Additional neighborhood pop-up screening events will be announced in the coming weeks.

This year’s Chicago International Film Festival Centerpiece, C’mon C’mon, is a powerfully resonant and hopeful portrait of our times, starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Mike Mills, the accomplished filmmaker of Beginners and 20th Century Women. Special Presentations include Belfast, with a tribute and Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Academy Award©-nominated Sir Kenneth Branagh, celebrating the acclaimed actor and director’s extraordinary body of work; and Passing, with an Artistic Achievement Award honoring actor-turned-director Rebecca Hall.

The festival’s Black Perspectives program, which showcases the excellence and diversity of films by African Americans and the African diaspora from around the world, celebrates its 25th Anniversary with presentations including Passing and Citizen Ashe, a profile of the groundbreaking tennis star and civil rights activist co-directed by Sam Pollard and Rex Miller.

Additional screenings include the Chicago premiere of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, a story about a charismatic rancher who inspires fear and awe in those around him, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee; and drive-in audiences will rock out to The Velvet Underground from director Todd Haynes.

The full program and screening schedule for the 57th Chicago International Film Festival will be announced on September 20, 2021. Early Bird pricing on Festival Passes are on sale now, with individual tickets going on sale September 21 for Cinema/Chicago members and September 24 to the general public. Purchase passes now…

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