Travel/Food is pleased to welcome guest blogger Eloise Marie Valadez who will be contributing frequently to our site. Eloise is a professional journalist/writer and editor with four decades of experience covering the arts, entertainment, and culinary industries. A native of Chicago, she has a passion for the written word.
By Eloise Marie Valadez
One of the world’s esteemed film festivals is currently celebrating a monumental anniversary, The Chicago International Film Festival, marking 60 years in The Windy City, continues to Oct. 27.
The fest, which is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America, features an array of eclectic films spanning various genres.
“Our 60th Festival represents a transformational year, an opportunity for renewal and growth into the next six decades. Just like our viewers and our filmmakers, the Festival itself keeps evolving, with our eyes and our ears forever open to pressing stories of today and new images of our collective tomorrow,” said festival artistic director Mimi Plauche and managing director Vivian Teng, in a statement.
Attendees of the 2024 rendition of the festival will see everything from comedic and dramatic presentations to hard-hitting documentaries, animated contributions and engaging shorts.
On the agenda this year are 122 feature films, 71 shorts, four World Premieres, 19 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres. Films starring in the fest include international works from more than 60 countries.
Among highlights this year is the closing event featuring the screening of “Here” at The Music Box Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 27. The original film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in a story with family themes at its core. The closing night program also includes A Tribute to Robert Zemeckis and the presentation of The Founder’s Legacy Award to the director.
Other films on the fest agenda include “Happy Holidays,” “Slice of Life: The American Dream,” “A Photographic Memory,” “Pavements,” “Flow,” “Ghost Trail,” “The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells” and others.
Film festival screenings will take place at AMC Newcity 14, Music Box Theatre, Hamilton Park Cultural Center, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago History Museum and Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at The University of Chicago.
For more information on the fest and the remaining schedule, visit chicagofilmfestival.com.
