Closing Night

CHICAGO – The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival is winding down, with the closing night film set for Thursday, October 26th, 2017 (“The Shape of Water”). But there are still many films to go until the end, and Jon Lennon Espino and Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com preview some choices for week two.

RACINE, WIS – The last of the Lawsonians has now passed on. Merle Hayden, six days after he made an appearance on Closing Night at the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF), died on June 10th, 2017, of natural causes in Racine, Wisconsin. He was 96 years old. His life was the subject of a World Premiere documentary shown at CUFF, “Manlife: The Last of the Lawsonians” on June 4th. Mr. Hayden made an appearance at that screening, lucidly participated in a Q&A and got to celebrate the achievement of his life’s work brought to a cinematic form.

CHICAGO – The 24th Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) wrapped on June 4th, 2017, and announced their award winners on June 7th. Taking the Audience Award, the top prize at CUFF, was the closing night film “Manchild: The Last of the Lawsonians.” As a bonus, the 96 year-old star of the film, Merle Lawson, got the opportunity to bask in the limelight, as he appeared on behalf of the film.

CHICAGO – All great things must inevitably end, and the 5th annual Chicago Critics Film Festival will go out with a bang, with the hottest film at the recent Sundance Film Festival, “A Ghost Story,” at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on Thursday May 18th (8pm). This will conclude a day of films, with “Lucky,” “Mr Roosevelt” and “Menashe” screen preceding the finale.

CHICAGO – On the final day of a major film festival, it’s always good to acknowledge the work of the people who make it happen… like Pepe Vargas, who is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chicago Latino Film Festival. The Fest concludes on Thursday, May 4th, 2017, at the AMC River East Theatre in Chicago, with the Venezuelan film, “Tamara.” For complete details and to purchase tickets, click here.

CHICAGO – Closing Night for Reeling2016 is Thursday, Sep. 29th, after Chicago’s LGBTQ+ International Film Festival has presented a week of cinema celebrations. The Landmark Century Centre Cinema is the scene for “King Cobra,” directed by Justin Kelly and featuring Garrett Clayton. The film is a notorious overview of the life of gay porn star Brent Corrigan. Both Clayton and the director are scheduled to appear on behalf of the film.

CHICAGO – The great benefit of the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is the exposure to the layers of outsider art within cinema and other categories. A prime example was the fest’s Opening Night film, “Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present,” directed by Tyler Hubby.

CHICAGO – It has been two weeks of films and culture for the 32nd Chicago Latino Film Festival, but all great things come to a conclusion. Thursday, April 21st, 2016, will be the final film gathering of the festival, at the Chicago History Museum, with a showing of “No Kids,” from Argentina.

CHICAGO – It’s been an amazing week for “Reeling33,” the Chicago International LBGTQ Film Festival, and on Thursday, September 24th, 2015, it concludes with the Closing Night film, “Death in Buenos Aires.” The taut thriller – directed by Natalia Meta – is set in 1980s Buenos Aires, Argentina, and involves the corruption, paranoia and secret gay lives of the wealthy elite in the city.

CHICAGO – The film festival circuit is not for the faint of heart. Two young Spanish filmmakers – Geoffrey Cowper and Jesús Lloveras – are making their way across the U.S., as they promote their film “Day Release” (Tercer Grado). The pair started out in California – with a couple of film festivals there – and then stopped in Chicago, for the 31st Chicago Latino Film Festival.