SINCE MICHAEL KUTZA began the Chicago International Film Festival as the first competitive film festival in North America in 1964, the local festival scene has steadily grown in size of submissions and attendance to emphasize the importance of these annual events.
Now dozens of festivals span the calendar, catering to a spectrum of audiences, ethnicities and interest groups, even as some local events like Indiefest have closed.
Chicago International remains the biggest and most prestigious local fest, playing 160 films from 44 countries last year. Chicago has no market festival and distribution deals that are cut here, but CIFF enjoys an enormous loyal audience and a global critical reputation.
The festival typically only offers a handful of coveted spots to local selections ? there were no local narrative features in 2007. This year’s fest is Oct. 16-29.
A NUMBER OF BRAND-NEW FESTIVALS are launching or about to launch. Bitter Jester and Amdur Productions’ Port Clinton Film Festival runs Aug. 21-24 at Landmark Renaissance Place in Highland Park, coinciding with the Port Clinton Art Festival and Taste of Highland Park.
Bitter Jester and Amdur are funding the under-$20,000 budget. Port Clinton programmed 85 shorts from 225 submissions, including “about a dozen” local films screening from some 40 submissions.
“One of our goals for 2009 is to solicit many more local submissions,” said co-executive director Nicolas DeGrazia. They’re also showing Highland Park-shot films “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off,” “Risky Business,” and “Ordinary People.”
NICK ANGOTTI OF THE NEW THOUGHT CHURCH OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCE launched the new Peace on Earth Film Festival, Aug. 29-31 at the Biograph Theatre, “to celebrate and encourage the work of independent films from around the world on the themes of peace and nonviolence,” according to spokesperson Danielle Garniere.
Thirty-eight films, including five locals, are screening from over 210 submissions. Highlight is the local premiere of “Dalai Lama Renaissance,” narrated by Harrison Ford. Festival will run again next spring.
