On the last Friday of the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival, programmers, juries and filmmakers gathered in a theater at AMC River East for the annual Awards Ceremony, where top honors were […]
Chicago Film Festival: Award Winners Announced
Lisa Trifone
Film Review: In Chavela, Chronicling an Icon’s Rise and Fall and Rise Again
A decade ago, Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, Olivier Dahan’s biopic about the French chanteuse who enthralled a nation (the world?) […]
Film Review: Moscow Never Sleeps Imbues Modern Russia with a Touch of Humanity
You’d be forgiven if your only exposure to Russia these days is a headline here or an exposé there about election tampering, inappropriate political relationships, or fake ads and news stories planted […]
Screens Monthly: What to See in October
October in Chicago is a big month for movies, not least because it marks the start of the fall film season, traditionally reserved for the releases aiming for Oscar gold. Locally, it’s […]
Chicago Production Signature Move Brings a Diverse Voice to the Big Screen
When producers Brian and Jan Heiggelke, who together publish New City, and Eugene Park were looking for a Chicago movie project to back, they had one condition: it had to be directed […]
Chicago Production Could Be a ‘Hometown Hero’ Thanks to Seed & Spark
An independent filmmaker committed to seeing their movie get made will likely, at some point, turn to crowdfunding to make it happen. Services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo provide a platform to accept […]
Film Review: Women Gracefully Lead the Touching, Winning The Midwife
Catherine Deneuve has been making films since 1957 (!), and to watch her on screen is to watch a master at work. Sixty years after her debut, she continues to effortlessly own […]
Your Chicago Library Card Unlocks Hours of Free Content
There was a bit of news recently when Criterion Collection, that of the esteemed film re-issues and special editions, announced a partnership with Kanopy, the streaming service that connects public library systems […]
See The Florida Project First with Elevated Films
Next week, Chicago’s Elevated Films presents their last summer screening, and it’s a doozie. The non-profit that presents new films on rooftops around the city brings Chicago its first screening of The […]
TV Review: Narcos Finds its Footing without Escobar
The following review contains spoilers. The first two seasons of Netflix’s Narcos were defined by the storyline of a single character: Pablo Escobar, as portrayed with magnetic charisma by Wagner Moura (who […]
Screens Monthly: What to See in September
In a new monthly series in the Screens section, we’ll highlight some of the film happenings around Chicago, from major theatrical openings to arthouse screenings and independent events. This month, Darren Aronofsky’s […]
Eight Local TV Pilots Get Chicago Screening Before New York Premiere
On the first Tuesday of every month, the Midwest Independent Film Festival hosts one of the most unique film events in the city. Month after month, presenters put together programs that shine […]