The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.
 | |
| Location | 212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1965 |
| Most recent | 60th Chicago International Film Festival |
| Hosted by | Cinema/Chicago |
| Language | International |
| Website | chicagofilmfestival |
The Festival has a rich history of discovering and showcasing ground-breaking directors including Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Ava DuVernay, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, and more.
In 2025, the Festival featured 150+ films from more than 50 countries over 12 days. Each year, the Festival welcomes more than 40,000 filmmakers and film lovers for 12 days of international and independent cinema.
Festival programming includes the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary, Black Perspectives, After Dark, City & State, Shorts, and more. It is also an Academy Awards qualifying Festival in the categories of Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Animated Short.
The Festival’s main venue is AMC NEWCITY 14. The Festival also hosts screenings across Chicago, including at Music Box Theatre, the Chicago History Museum, Gene Siskel Film Center, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Kennedy-King College, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Black Perspectives Program
editThe Chicago International Film Festival’s Black Perspectives Program was founded in 1997 in collaboration with Spike Lee to highlight the excellence and diversity of African American cinema and films by the African diaspora from around the world. In addition to showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers, the program also features an annual tribute, with past honorees that include Viola Davis, Sidney Poitier, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Steve McQueen, and more.
Awards
editWinners are awarded Hugo Awards (named after a mythological god of discovery "of shadowy origin"[1][2]; not to be confused with the literary Hugo awards) in eight different competition categories.[3]
- International Feature Film Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo: Jury Prize
- Silver Hugo: Best Director
- Silver Hugo: Best Actor (until 2019)
- Silver Hugo: Best Actress (until 2019)
- Silver Hugo: Best Performance (from 2020)
- Silver Hugo: Best Ensemble Performance
- Silver Hugo: Best Cinematography
- Silver Hugo: Best Screenplay
- Silver Hugo: Best Sound
- Silver Hugo: Best Art Direction
- New Directors Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo
- Roger Ebert Award
- International Documentary Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo
- Out-Look Competition
- Gold Q-Hugo
- Silver Hugo
- City & State Competition
- Chicago Award
- Live Action Short Film Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo
- Documentary Short Film Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo
- Animated Short Film Competition
- Gold Hugo
- Silver Hugo
Gold Hugo
edit
Silver Hugo
editJury Award
edit- 2025 – The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France)
- 2024 – All We Imagine as Light, dir. Payal Kapadia (India)
- 2023 – The Delinquents, dir. Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina)
- 2022 – Close, dir. Lukas Dhont (Belgium)
- 2021 – Drive My Car, dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
- 2020 – Careless Crime, dir. Shahram Mokri (Iran)
- 2019 – Vitalina Varela, dir. Pedro Costa (Portugal)
Best Director
edit- 2025 – Mascha Schilinski (Germany) for Sound of Falling
- 2024 – Miguel Gomes (Portugal) for Grand Tour
- 2023 – Aki Kaurismäki (Finland) for Fallen Leaves
- 2022 – Maryam Touzani (Morocco) for The Blue Caftan
- 2021 – Peter Kerekes (Slovakia) for 107 Mothers
- 2020 – Andrei Konchalovsky (Russia) for Dear Comrades!
- 2019 – Maya Da-Rin (Brazil) for The Fever
Best Actor
edit- 2025 – Wagner Moura (Brazil) for The Secret Agent
- 2024 – Benjamin Voisin (France) for The Quiet Son
- 2021 – Bouli Lanners (Belgium) for Nobody Has to Know
- 2019 – Bartosz Bielenia (Poland) for Corpus Christi[36]
- 2018 – Jesper Christensen (Denmark) for Before the Frost[35]
- 2017 – Aleksandr Yatsenko (Russia) for Arrhythmia[34]
- 2016 – Adrian Titieni (Romania) for Graduation[33]
- 2015 – Alexi Mathieu and Jules Gauzelin (France) for A Childhood[32]
- 2014 – Anton Yelchin (USA) for Rudderless[31]
- 2013 – Robert Wieckiewicz (Poland) for Walesa: Man of Hope
- 2012 – Denis Lavant (France) for Holy Motors
- 2011 – Maged El Kedwany (Egypt) for 678
- 2010 – Youssouf Djaoro (Chad) for A Screaming Man
- 2009 – Filippo Timi (Italy) for Vincere
- 2008 – Michael Fassbender (Ireland) for Hunger
- 2007 – Sam Riley (United Kingdom) for Control
- 2006 – Jürgen Vogel (Germany) for The Free Will
- 1989 – Jörg Gudzuhn (GDR) for Fallada, letztes Kapitel
- 1987 – Avtandil Makharadze (Georgia) for Monanieba
- 1972 – José Luis López Vázquez (Spain) for My Dearest Senorita[41]
- 1971 – José Luis López Vázquez (Spain) for The Ancines Woods[42]
Best Actress
edit- 2025 – Eszter Tompa (Romania) for Kontinental '25
- 2024 – Elín Hall (Iceland) for When the Light Breaks
- 2021 – Michelle Fairley (Ireland) for Nobody Has to Know
- 2019 – Debbie Honeywood (UK) for Sorry We Missed You[36]
- 2018 – Zhao Tao (China) for Ash Is Purest White[35]
- 2017 – Jowita Budnik (Poland) and Eliane Umuhire (Rwanda) for Birds Are Singing in Kigali[34]
- 2016 – Rebecca Hall (UK) for Christine[33]
- 2015 – Lizzie Brocheré (France) for Full Contact[32]
- 2014 – Geraldine Chaplin (United States) for Sand Dollars[31]
- 2013 – Nadeshda Brennicke (Germany) for Banklady
- 2012 – Ulla Skoog (Sweden) for The Last Sentence
- 2011 – Olivia Colman (UK) for Tyrannosaur
- 2010 – Liana Liberato (USA) for Trust
- 2009 – Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Italy) for Vincere
- 2008 – Preity Zinta (India) for Heaven on Earth
- 2007 – Yu Nan (China) for Tuya's Marriage
- 2006 – Viktoriya Isakova, Darya Moroz, Anna Ukolova (Russia) for The Spot
- 2005 – Inka Friedrich, Nadja Uhl (Germany) for Summer in Berlin
- 2003 – Ludivine Sagnier (France) for Little Lili
Best Performance
edit- 2023 – Ilinca Manolache (Romania) for Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
- 2022 – Vicky Krieps (Luxembourg) for Corsage
- 2020 – Yakusho Koji (Japan) for Under the Open Sky
Best Screenplay
edit- 2025 – Paolo Sorrentino (Italy) for La grazia
- 2024 – Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran) for The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- 2023 – Gábor Reisz and Éva Schulze (Hungary) for Explanation for Everything
- 2022 – Alice Diop, Amrita David, and Marie NDiaye (France) for Saint Omer
- 2021 – Alexandre Koberidze (Georgia) for What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
- 2020 – Christos Nikou and Stavros Raptis (Greece) for Apples
- 2019 – Pema Tseden (China) for Balloon
Best Editing
edit- 2024 – Telmo Churro and Pedro Filipe Marques (Portugal) for Grand Tour
Best Cinematography
edit- 2025 – Gergely Pálos (Hungary) for Silent Friend
- 2023 – Hélène Louvart (France) for La Chimera
- 2022 – Maria von Hausswolff (Iceland) for Godland
- 2021 – Kasper Tuxen (Denmark) for The Worst Person in the World
- 2020 – Tobie Marier Robitaille (Canada) for Night of the Kings
- 2019 – Vladimír Smutný (Czech Republic) for The Painted Bird
Best Sound
edit- 2025 – Sound of Falling (Germany)
Best Art Direction
edit- 2022 – Marcela Gómez and Daniel Rincon (Colombia) for The Kings of the World
- 2021 – Sergey Fevralev (Russia) for Captain Volkonogov Escaped
- 2020 – Jagna Dobesz (Poland) for Sweat
Best New Director
edit- 2023 – Ena Sendijarević (Netherlands) for Sweet Dreams
- 2022 – Ann Oren (Germany) for Piaffe
Special Mention
edit- 2025 – My Father's Shadow
- 2024 – Ensemble Performance for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Lifetime Achievement Awards
editWinners of the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award include Steven Spielberg, Helen Hunt, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Landau, Shirley MacLaine, Lord Richard Attenborough, François Truffaut, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Williams, Manoel de Oliveira, and Clint Eastwood.[citation needed]
Career Achievement Awards
edit- Bruce Dern (2013)[43]
- Terrence Howard (2005)
- Susan Sarandon (2005)
- Shirley MacLaine (2005)
- Robert Zemeckis (2004)
- Irma P. Hall, Robert Townsend and Harry J. Lennix (2004)
- Annette Bening (2004)
- Robin Williams (2004)
- Nicolas Cage (2003)
Television awards
editThe Television Awards started with the idea of honoring television commercials in a special event of the film festival, but over time evolved and grew into a bigger event, comprising not only commercials but also television productions, series, and online television. In 2003, a separate ceremony was launched for the TV awards, and in 2017, the event became a separate event, named the Chicago International Television Festival. Winners and runners-up for the various categories, which include Gold and Silver Hugos, are listed on the film festival website.[44][45]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ https://thescorecardreview.com/tsr/news/2009/10/19/chicago-international-film-festival-winners/6008
- ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/10/22/rule-romania-sieranevada-graduation-win-big-at-chicago-film-fest/
- 1 2 "Festival Award Winners". Cinema/Chicago.
- ↑ "1965 — 1st Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "1966 — 2nd Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ Award section at Svenskfilmdatabas.se (in Swedish) Swedish Film Institute
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "50 Years of Memories: Highlights from the History of the Chicago International Film Festival" (PDF). chicagofilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "1969 — 5th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "Juraj Herz Double Bill: The Cremator + Morgiana". Czech Centre. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "1977 — 13th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "A Year in the Artsl". Chicago Tribune. 28 December 1986. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "Chicago Fest Winners". Variety. November 9, 1988. p. 14.
- ↑ "1994 — 30th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "1995 — 31st Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "1996 — 32nd Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "1997 — 33rd Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "1998 — 34th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "1999 — 35th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2000— 36th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2001— 37th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2002— 38th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2003— 39th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2004— 40th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2005— 41st Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2006— 42nd Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2007— 43rd Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2008— 44th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2009— 45th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2010— 46th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "2011— 47th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Highest Standards of Filmmaking Celebrated at the 50th Chicago International Film Festival's Awards Night". chicagofilmfestival.com. October 17, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Byrge, Duane (October 24, 2015). "'A Childhood' won the dramatic competition; 'Volta A Terra' prevailed in the documentary competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Phillips, Michael (October 22, 2016). "Rule, Romania: 'Sieranevada,' 'Graduation' win big at Chicago Film Fest". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "53rd Festival Award-Winning Films". Chicago International Film Festival. October 25, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- 1 2 3 "54th Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners". Chicago International Film Festival. October 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- 1 2 3 "55th Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners". Chicago International Film Festival. October 27, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ↑ "58th Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners". Chicago International Film Festival. October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ Phillips, Michael (20 October 2023). "Chicago International Film Fest winners are announced, and there's an explanation for everything". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ↑ "Chicago International Film Festival Awards Top Prizes to 'Vermiglio,' 'All We Imagine as Light'". IndieWire. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ↑ "Thrilled to announce the award winners in the International Features Competition at the 61st #ChiFilmFest!". Instagram. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ↑ "50 years of memories: Highlights form the history of the Chicago International Film Festival" (PDF). Chicago International Film Festival.
- ↑ "50 years of memories: Highlights form the history of the Chicago International Film Festival" (PDF). Chicago International Film Festival.
- ↑ Chicago International Film Festival - News & Events - Bruce Dern Comes Home to Chicago for the Centerpiece Presentation of Alexander Payne's "Nebraska". Chicagofilmfestival.com (2013-08-27). Retrieved on 2014-05-25. Archived October 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Chicago International Television Festival History". Cinema / Chicago. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ↑ "Cinema/Chicago Television Awards: 2010 Award Winners". Cinema/Chicago. Retrieved 24 November 2021.