By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

The Chicago Int’l Film Festival Turns 50

Posted Thursday, June 26th, 2014 - Comments Off on The Chicago Int’l Film Festival Turns 50
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unnamedCelebrating 50 years of making Chicago an international destination for acclaimed filmmakers, bold new directors and lovers of cinema, the Chicago International Film Festival returnsOctober 9 – 23, 2014. The anniversary celebration will kick off with an Opening Night Gala presentation at the Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph St.), followed by a Golden Anniversary celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center. All other Festival screenings will be held at the AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.) Programming and ticket information will be announced at a future date.

On November 9, 1965, a 22-year-old Michael Kutza launched the Chicago International Film Festival at the Carnegie Theatre on Rush Street. A mere eight films competed in the feature category, but, even in its inaugural year, celebrated figures including King Vidor, Bette Davis and Stanley Kramer attended to support what would become North America’s oldest competitive international film festival. Fifty years later, the Festival has earned an international reputation for discovering groundbreaking directors, includingMartin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Wim Wenders, Liv Ullmann, Peter Weir, Mike Leigh, Margarethe von Trotta, and Chicago’s own William Friedkin and Joe Swanberg, who are but a few of the hundreds of world-renowned filmmakers recognized early on in their careers by the Festival.

“Since its founding, the singular goal of the Chicago International Film Festival has been to introduce Chicago and the world to new filmmakers, new stories and new perspectives,” said Founder and Artistic Director Michael Kutza. “Five decades later, the Festival has grown to become a highly respected annual event, showcasing films from more than 50 countries, with filmmakers from around the world in attendance. Each year we rigorously pursue the best in international cinema as well as the cutting-edge work of new talents in our steadfast commitment to share the most innovative and ambitious cinematic art with our audiences.”

One of the Festival’s most notable features is the vast diversity of offerings, with numerous competitive categories and several highlight programs such as Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, ReelWomen, Out-Look, After Dark, and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois.  In 2014, the Festival will shine a spotlight on Scandinavian cinema.

“As we mark this great milestone, we also celebrate the Chicago International Film Festival’s position as one of the city’s most vibrant arts organizations,” said Film Festival Managing Director Vivian Teng. “Drawing people from all walks of life from across Chicago and beyond, the Festival is a place where audiences come together in their common love of film to share in the art of visual storytelling and expand their worldview.”

The complete Festival schedule will be announced at a future date. Individual tickets ($7 – $20) and Special Event tickets ($30 – $150) will go on sale in August. Discounted parking is available at AMC River East 21(322 E. Illinois Street). For more information, visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or call 312-683-0121.

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ABOUT CINEMA/CHICAGO
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The Chicago International Film Festival is one of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards CineYouth Festival, INTERCOM Competition, International Screenings Program, and Education Outreach.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

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I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

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