60th Chicago International Film Festival

North America’s longest-running competitive film festival returns this year with over 120 feature films and 70 shorts films from around the world, including a notable selection of Spanish films and co-productions.
Founded in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza, the festival aimed to offer an alternative to the mainstream Hollywood films dominating the city’s theaters. The inaugural festival took place in 1965 at the Carnegie Theater, where notable figures such as King Vidor, Bette Davis, and Stanley Kramer were honored for their contributions to American cinema. Over the years, the festival has evolved into a prestigious annual event, celebrating international icons like François Truffaut, Orson Welles, Sophia Loren, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Satyajit Ray, Howard Hawks, George Cukor, Spike Lee, Luchino Visconti, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Sidney Poitier, Patrice Chéreau, Ron Howard, J.A. Bayona, Viola Davis, Bruce Dern, and Kevin Kline.
Running October 16–27, the festival is dedicated to showcasing exceptional international cinema. It provides a platform for new talents and introduces audiences to films that may not otherwise be available in Chicago. Over the years, it has highlighted the work of emerging directors like Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Bertrand Tavernier, Margarethe von Trotta, and Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Rita
- On Thursday, October 17 at 5:45 pm.
- On Friday, October 18 at 3 pm.
- Directed by Paz Vega, Spain, 2024, 94 minutes.
- In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.
Seville, summer 1984. Seven-year-old Rita lives in a humble working-class neighborhood with her parents and little brother. Through the sensorial experience of the textures of everyday life, Rita experiences the world around her: the oppressive heat, the tense air in the apartment, her father’s anger, a crash from the next room, her mother’s hushed phone calls in the kitchen, the strange purple marks around her mother’s eye. As Rita begins to sense the rising danger at home, she retreats farther into her imagination — until she is forced to awaken from her innocence.
Hard Truths
- On Thursday, October 24 at 5 pm.
- On Sunday, October 27 at 12 pm.
- Directed by Mike Leigh, United Kingdom / Spain, 2024, 97 minutes.
- In English. Watch trailer.
For his 23rd film, British filmmaker Mike Leigh returns to the stark domestic dramas he’s known for, like his 1971 feature debut Bleak Moments (a ChicagoIFF Gold Hugo winner) and his Cannes-winning 1993 breakthrough Naked. Reunited with Leigh for the first time since his 1996 multiple Oscar nominee Secrets and Lies, Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way. In stark contrast, Pansy’s easygoing younger sister Michele is a single mother whose family life and hair salon are brimming with warmth.
The room next door
- On Thursday, October 24, 8:30 pm.
- On Saturday, October 26, 3:15 pm.
- Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2024, 107 minutes.
- Original title: La habitación de al lado.
- Winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
- In English with subtitles. Watch trailer.
Bestselling author Ingrid (Julianne Moore) is shocked to discover that her old friend Martha (Tilda Swinton, reuniting with Almodóvar following The Human Voice) has been diagnosed with cancer. Having drifted apart in recent years, the women reconnect when Martha is stuck receiving treatment in the hospital. With her life hanging in the balance, Martha exposes harsh truths about her past as both a mother and war correspondent while Ingrid provides support as best as she can, her fear of death challenging her resolve. But one final ask might push Ingrid past her limit.
The other way around
- On Friday, October 25 at 7:45 pm.
- On Saturday, October 26 at 12:15 pm.
- With actor Vito Sanz in attendance on both days.
- Directed by Jonás Trueba, Spain, 2024, 113 minutes.
- Original title: Volveréis.
- In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.
After 15 years together, Ale and Alex decide it’s time to part ways amicably. Inspired by Ale’s father’s philosophy that separations, rather than unions, should be celebrated, they plan a party to commemorate their breakup. When they share this idea with close friends and family, they encounter worry and skepticism about the seemingly absurd concept. Despite their insistence that this is a joyful occasion, as the preparations progress and the party approaches, they start to question whether their breakup is truly worthy of celebration. Is this idea something that could only happen in the movies?