School of the Art Institute of Chicago

CHICAGO – Carla Bruni is a Chicago preservationist, and had a unique idea for a Fellowship within her discipline. Her idea became “Community Glue,” a gathering of repair artists and seamstresses to … you guessed it … repair/mend broken and damaged items, instead of throwing them away.

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Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon talk about Damon’s career

CHICAGO – In an expected fun and wild back-&-forth between two movie icons, Matt Damon accepted the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award at the 50th Anniversary fundraiser for the Center … which raised $200,000. Damon did a live virtual interview moderated by Robert Downey Jr., screened at the fundraiser event on June 25th, 2022.

CHICAGO – Matt Damon, the leading man whose roles play like a character actor, is the latest recipient of the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award, part of the Center’s 50th Anniversary fundraiser (click here for details) He will do a live virtual interview moderated by Robert Downey Jr., which will be s

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Jon Favreau, recipent of the Siskel Center Renaissance Award.

CHICAGO – The annual Gene Siskel Film Center Gala – benefitting the cinema jewel of Chicago’s State Street – took place on June 15th, 2019, and packed some serious super heroism. Each year, the Center honors a special guest with their Renaissance Award, and the 2019 honor went to Jon Favreau. To interview the actor/director at the event was Robert Downey Jr., who just anchored Marvel Studios “Avengers: Endgame,” portraying Tony Stark/Iron Man.

CHICAGO – In the last seven years, the work of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has emerged internationally. His Oscar-winning film “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016) has launched his set-in-Iran films to a wider audience. The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago has been highlighting the country’s cinema for years, and they present the 28th Festival of Films from Iran through March 1st, 2018.

CHICAGO – The lights of State Street will be a bit brighter on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 as the Gene Siskel Film Center reopens after five weeks of renovations. New seating, carpeting and wiring was put into place, capping the first major upgrade since the legendary theater opened 17 years ago.

CHICAGO – What made the 1960s the petri dish for the counterculture had to do with many of that movement’s participants trying new things in the “underground.” When Sony released its first home video capability in 1968, many like-minded individuals – who wanted to use the technology to gather alternative news – set out to change the world. The result is a new documentary, “Here Comes the Videofreex.” The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago will offer a premiere screening and panel discussion on May 19th, 2016. For details, click here.