58th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Full Line-Up, Premieres, Special Guests and More

The Chicago International Film Festival—the longest running competitive film fest in North America, mind you—just announced its full line-up for this year's 58th edition. The opening night selection is Steve James' "A Compassionate Spy," and the closing film will be Noah Baumbach's dark comedy "White Noise." A long list of exciting titles will play in between during the event's run from October 12 - 23, including 148 feature films from 53 countries (20 documentary features, and 72 narrative features). 

The festival will also be hosting some exciting talent, with scheduled tributes to Kathryn Hahn, Anna Diop, and Masterclass talks with "The Whale" director Darren Aronofsky, "Moonlight" writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, and composers Mychael Danna and Kris Bowers. 

For those Midwestern movie-lovers unable to attend in person, 87 features will be available online through the festival's streaming platform, and accessible to viewers in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The fest's Shorts program will be available nationwide for streaming. 

Below is the festival's press release in full. For information about tickets and showtimes, click here. 

The 58th Chicago International Film Festival opens at the Music Box Theatre with renowned Chicago filmmaker Steve James’s A COMPASSIONATE SPY, following the remarkable story of University of Chicago graduate Theodore Hall’s involvement in the Manhattan Project, and his passing of crucial military secrets to Soviet intelligence in hopes of saving the world. In a Festival first, Opening Night will be celebrated with the ChiFilmFest Opening Night Block Party encompassing Southport Avenue between Grace and Waveland running from 5 - 10 p.m. and featuring live music, vendor booths, film photo opportunities, and a selection of food trucks offering a variety of cuisine.

Festival Centerpiece GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY from Rian Johnson sees the return of Detective Benoit Blanc as he travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a cast of colorful characters including Kathryn Hahn, who will be on hand to accept a Career Achievement Award. The Festival’s Closing Night presentation is WHITE NOISE, Noah Baumbach’s at once hilarious and horrifying, lyrical and absurd, ordinary and apocalyptic dramatization of a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world. 

Additional Special Presentations and Spotlight Chicago premieres include Stephen Frears’ THE LOST KING, an inspiring tale of empowerment and British history, starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan; RAYMOND AND RAY, an affecting darkly comic portrait of two brothers, played by Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor; Michael Grandage’s MY POLICEMAN, starring Harry Styles; 2022 Cannes Film Festival top winners DECISION TO LEAVE, directed by Park Chan-Wook and CLOSE, directed by Lukas Dhont; and this year’s Venice Golden Lion winner, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras’ portrait of photographer Nan Goldin, ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED. These films join previously announced highlights including EMPIRE OF LIGHT from director Sam Mendes, Martin McDonagh’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN; and THE WHALE, starring Brendan Fraser as a reclusive man living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter, with special guest Oscar-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky participating in a Master Class before the screening and a public Q&A after the film.

Tributes and Honors
The Chicago International Film Festival continues its proud tradition of recognizing the work of some of the most talented filmmakers and actors in the industry. This year’s Festival presents a Career Achievement Award to Festival Centerpiece GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY’s Kathryn Hahn and an Artistic Achievement Award to Jonathan Majors, star of JD Dillard’s DEVOTION, an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name, which tells the harrowing true story of two elite U.S. Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War and screening as part of the Festival’s Black Perspectives program. Anna Diop will receive the Festival’s Rising Star Award for her work in Nikyatu Jusu’s NANNY, the story of a Senegalese nanny increasingly haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind.

Local Stories
The Chicago and Illinois community takes center stage in the 58th Chicago International Film Festival’s City & State program, featuring ART AND PEP, Mercedes Kane’s heartfelt tribute to activists Art Johnson & Pepe Peña, whose celebrated gay bar Sidetrack has fueled movements and created community on Chicago’s Halsted Street for decades; SAINT FRANCIS director Alex Thompson’s latest drama, the psychological thriller ROUNDING; and the World Premiere of KING OF KINGS: CHASING EDWARD JONES, Harriet Marin Jones’ explosive portrait of her grandfather, a gambling entrepeneur who was one of the most powerful and richest Black men in America in the 1930s and ‘40s who went head-to-head with the Chicago mob. 

International Competitions
The Chicago International Film Festival is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America, and its 58th edition continues the proud tradition of introducing U.S. audiences to global cinema. Films vie for the Gold Hugo in five categories: International Feature, New Directors, International Documentary, OutLook (LGBTQ+), and Short Film Competitions. This year’s competition titles include awards season contenders ONE FINE MORNING from Mia Hansen-Løve; Swiss Best International Feature Academy Award submission A PIECE OF SKY, directed by Michael Koch; CORSAGE, Austria’s Academy Awards submission directed by Marie Kreutzer; and Elegance Bratton’s THE INSPECTION.

Virtual Screenings and Programs
The Chicago International Film Festival proudly offers a selection of 20 feature titles and nine short film programs virtually to audiences across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana via the Festival’s online streaming platform and Festival apps for Roku and Apple TV. Virtual screenings are ticketed, and streaming films will be viewable in the comfort of one’s home beginning Thursday, October 13 at noon CT through 11:59pm on Sunday, October 23, 2022.

Ticketing
Festival passes are on sale now, with individual tickets going on sale September 20 for Cinema/Chicago Members and September 23, 2022 to Non-Members. Passes and tickets can be purchased at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/tickets.

About the Chicago International Film Festival
Celebrating its 58th edition October 12 - 23, 2022, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive international film festival. Showcasing the best in international and independent films from around the world, the 58th edition will be held in person and virtually. From dramas and thrillers to documentaries and comedies, the Festival presents a vast diversity of offerings, featuring competitive categories and programs including Black Perspectives; Cinemas of the Americas; International Comedy; Women in Cinema; OutLook; After Dark; and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois.