Documentary

CHICAGO – It has almost become a sure fact of life that film documentaries have become a focused way to receive vital news/information. Documentarian Lauren Greenfield (“Generation Wealth”) exposes a revelation in “The Kingmaker” … that the Marcos family, once part of a dictatorship, is coming back to power in the Philippines.

CHICAGO – Closing Night of the 55th Chicago International Film Festival was a celebration of a great one, the legendary Blues Man Buddy Guy, who came to Chicago in 1957 and made his mark on music from then on and forever. Filmmaker Jim Farrell captures it all in “The Torch,” the Closing Night documentary.

CHICAGO – The Chicago International Film Festival is competitive, and the 55th edition presented its awards on October 25th, 2019, at CHEZ venue in Chicago. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best International Film was “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France), directed by Céline Sclamma.

CHICAGO – The Windy City’s greatest annual cinema celebration is upon us, and the 55th Chicago International Film Festival is about to crank up the projection machines for 11 days of amazing cinema treats, from October 16th through the 27th, 2019. How does a film buff or curious participant navigate the waters of the festival? HollywoodChicago.com is here to guide you.

CHICAGO – This week, the new documentary “Mike Wallace is Here” will release in Chicago, so who better to get a perspective on the CBS News and “60 Minutes” interviewer and reporter than Bruce DuMont, a Chicago broadcasting icon who has covered the scene since the late 1960s.

CHICAGO – In the pantheon of firsts, there are so many of them that fly under our radar. For every Rosa Parks, there are a number of women who take the challenge to make social change. In 1989, British-born Tracy Edwards became the first female skipper, guiding an all-female crew and sailboat in the prestigious Whitbread Around the World Race. Her story is told in “Maiden.”

CHICAGO – One of the exciting weekend film festivals in Chicago is DOC 10, a celebration of non-fiction filmmaking at its highest level. And no one knows that more than Steve Cohen, the co-founder – with Paula Froehle – of the festival. Cohen and Froehle not only help facilitate and curate DOC 10, but also produce documentaries through their Chicago Media Project. The Closing Night Film of DOC 10, on April 14th, 2019, is “Biggest Little Farm.” For more information and tickets, click here.

CHICAGO – One of the great predictors of Oscar worthy films is Chicago’s DOC 10 festival. The Chicago Media Project presents its fourth annual documentary fest, a weekend of 10 prominent documentaries that end up either making a national statement or nominated for awards (last year’s fest included Oscar nominees “Minding the Gap” and “RBG”). It all takes place at the Davis Theatre in the Lincoln Square neighborhood from April 11th-14th, 2019, and opens with “Knock Down the House.” For more information and tickets, click here.

CHICAGO – One of the more pleasant surprises of the 2018 film year was the rise of the connectively expressive film “Roma,” written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Not only is it nominated for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director at the 91st Academy Awards, but the two lead actresses – Yalitza Aparicio and Maria de Tavira – are nominated for Best Actress and Supporting Actress. Jon Lennon Espino, contributor at HollywoodChicago.com, interviewed both actresses last October at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival.

CHICAGO – The film ”Boy Erased” was released in November, a star-studded “based on real events” memoir film about the topic of “gay conversion therapy” (the rejected-by-the-medical-world notion of using techniques to convert a gay individual to straight). Director Richard Yeagley has produced a documentary on the same subject, “The Sunday Sessions,” which has more authenticity because it’s completely real. One more screening of the film will take place on January 16th, 2019, part of Gene Siskel Film Center’s “Stranger Than Fiction” series. Click here for tickets and details.