The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual
film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by
Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the composite eyes of early film actresses
Theda Bara,
Pola Negri and
Mae Murray, set as repeated frames in a strip of film.[1]
In 2010, the 46th Chicago International Film Festival presented 150 films from more than 50 countries. The Festival's program is composed of many different sections, including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Docufest, Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, and Reel Women.
Its main venue is the
AMC River East 21 Theatre in the
Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, although it has dropped that venue during the most recent festival as of 2023 (59th), instead using the AMC Newcity 14.
International Connections Program
The International Connections Program was created in 2003 in order to raise awareness of the international film culture and diversity of
Chicago, and to make the festival more appealing to audience and staff of various ethnicities. Foreign films are screened for free throughout the city weekly from July through September.
Awards
Winners are awarded Hugo Awards in eight different competition categories.[2]
The Television Awards started with the idea of honoring television commercials in a special event of the film festival, but over time evolved and grew into a bigger event, comprising not only commercials but also television productions, series, and
online television. In 2003 a separate ceremony was launched for the TV awards, and in 2017, the event became a separate event, named the Chicago International Television Festival. Winners and
runners-up for the various categories, which include Gold and Silver Hugos, are listed on the film festival website.[46][47]
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual
film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by
Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the composite eyes of early film actresses
Theda Bara,
Pola Negri and
Mae Murray, set as repeated frames in a strip of film.[1]
In 2010, the 46th Chicago International Film Festival presented 150 films from more than 50 countries. The Festival's program is composed of many different sections, including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Docufest, Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, and Reel Women.
Its main venue is the
AMC River East 21 Theatre in the
Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, although it has dropped that venue during the most recent festival as of 2023 (59th), instead using the AMC Newcity 14.
International Connections Program
The International Connections Program was created in 2003 in order to raise awareness of the international film culture and diversity of
Chicago, and to make the festival more appealing to audience and staff of various ethnicities. Foreign films are screened for free throughout the city weekly from July through September.
Awards
Winners are awarded Hugo Awards in eight different competition categories.[2]
The Television Awards started with the idea of honoring television commercials in a special event of the film festival, but over time evolved and grew into a bigger event, comprising not only commercials but also television productions, series, and
online television. In 2003 a separate ceremony was launched for the TV awards, and in 2017, the event became a separate event, named the Chicago International Television Festival. Winners and
runners-up for the various categories, which include Gold and Silver Hugos, are listed on the film festival website.[46][47]