JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON, from left, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Potts and Ray Fisher discuss a lofty legacy item in “The Piano Lesson.”
“The Piano Lesson” opens and “Here” closes 60th Edition of North America’s longest-running competitive Festival October 16 – 27.
The Chicago International Film Festival lists its full lineup of films and programs for this year’s festival. Venues include its hub theater, AMC NEWCITY 14, as well as the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago.
Community screenings will be held at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Englewood’s Hamilton Park Cultural Center. This year’s program includes 122 feature films and 71 shorts, four World Premieres, 19 North American Premieres, and 16 U.S. Premieres, and showcases cinema from more than 60 countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, France, Nepal, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Zambia and more.
The Festival opens its 60th edition on October 16, with writer-director Malcolm Washington receiving the Breakthrough Award for his visceral and compelling feature directorial debut, and star John David Washington accepting the Festival’s Spotlight Award in recognition of the emotional complexity and power he brings to his role in “The Piano Lesson,” adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork.
This film is about a family clashing over an heirloom piano that unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.
Special Presentations include Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” in which 9-year-old George embarks on an epic journey to reunite with his family in World War II London; “Better Man,” tracking the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams from director Michael Gracey; “Conclave,” the story of a Cardinal at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the foundation of the Church during the secretive process of selecting a new Pope, by director Edward Berger; the emotional comedy “A Real Pain,” by director Jesse Eisenberg, who also stars alongside Kieran Culkin.
Also screening are Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as the world’s greatest opera singer, Maria Callas; “The Room Next Door,” Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language film starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as old friends whose relationship is put to the test; and Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5,” in which a U.S. broadcasting team quickly adapts from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
There are many other films, with a select group also covering the African American experience, including a Spotlight Presentation of the screening of “Nickel Boys,” a film about Elwood Curtis’ college dreams being shattered when he’s sentenced to Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory in the Jim Crow South. Clinging to his optimistic worldview, Elwood strikes up a friendship with Turner, a fellow Black teen who dispenses fundamental tips for survival.
“Color Book” is an intimate and affecting neorealistic drama about a devoted single father who adjusts to life after his wife’s passing while raising his son with Down Syndrome. They embark on a journey through Metro Atlanta to attend their first baseball game, only to find a series of obstacles testing him along the way. Director David Fortune is scheduled to attend both screenings on October 18 at AMC NewCity and October 19 at the Logan Center for the Arts.
In “The Knife,” an African American father confronts an intruder in his home and his actions spark a tense and confrontational investigation with far-reaching consequences. Director Nnamdi Asomugha is scheduled to attend both screenings on October 18 at the Hamilton Park Cultural Center and October 19 at the Logan Center for the Arts.
And, among others is, “The Spook Who Sat By The Door,” a 1973 story of a Black CIA agent who secretly uses his training to lead a guerrilla army against the U.S. government in a powerful tale of resistance and liberation. This screening will be held on October 20 at the Logan Center for the Arts.
For more information about other Black Perspectives program films and all other screenings, ticket prices, scheduling and special Festival presentations, visit the Festival’s website at chicagofilmfestival.com.