Big Names Are On This Year's Chicago International Film Fest Roster
By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 25, 2015 4:35PM
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel enjoy the view in promotional art for "Youth" (© 2015 Fox Searchlight Pictures).
If the 24 films included in their recently released "Sneak Peek" are any indication, it's possible that Chicago International Film Festival organizers are trying to combat the fest's reputation of too often missing out on significant films showcased at other major festivals.
Of course, there's something to be said for looking outside the festival circuit buzz as well, but this first batch of movies announced is heavy on star power—in front of and behind the camera.
Here are just a few of the films (and one special event) that caught our attention:
Carol - Director Todd Haynes has made some of the bolder American independent films of the last 25 years, including Safe, Far from Heaven and I'm Not There. His latest is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's trailblazing 1952 lesbian romance, The Price of Salt. Cate Blanchett stars as a married woman who becomes involved with a young shop clerk played by Rooney Mara. Mara won Best Actress honors at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her role.
Deephan - Speaking of Cannes, French filmmaker Jacques Audiard has made his mark there recently, winning the Grand Jury Prize for his 2009 crime epic, A Prophet, and having that film and 2012's Rust and Bone nominated for the Palme d'Or. He walked away with that top honor this year for his latest—a drama about a Sri Lankan rebel fighter trying to forge a new life under a false identity in Paris.
Hitchcock/Truffaut - A series of conversations between legendary directors Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut became essential reading for generations of movie buffs when Truffaut published them as a book in the late '60s. This documentary from esteemed critic, programmer, and archivist Kent Jones delves into that famed discussion, while also featuring the comments of famous living filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater and others.
A Perfect Day - Benicio del Toro and Tim Robbins top the cast of this saga of aid workers in Bosnia that CIFF's notes compare to the black comedy/drama style of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H. Writer-director Fernando León de Aranoa impressed us back in 2002 with Mondays in the Sun, which gave Javier Bardem one of his best roles.
Sherlock Holmes - Presumed lost for nearly a century, this 1916 silent film featuring the world's most famous detective was rediscovered in French film vaults in 2014. The movie is of special interest to Chicagoans as it was shot at Essanay Studios, a major production company of the early film biz located where St. Augustine College now stands in Uptown. A planned screening at the school this summer fell through, but the CIFF showing will finally allow a big screen homecoming for an historic movie.
Youth - Italian director Paolo Sorrentino won fans around the world (and made actor Toni Servillo a late-blooming star) with his offbeat historical drama, Il Divo (2008), and his superb Fellini homage, The Great Beauty. His latest film is an English-language feature with 82-year-old Michael Caine and 76-year-old Harvey Keitel both enjoying some of the best reviews of their long careers for their roles as an aging composer and filmmaker, respectively. The impressive cast also includes Rachel Weisz, Jane Fonda and Paul Dano.
Howard Shore Tribute - One of the greatest living film composers gets a well-deserved salute, complete with an interview with the artist and clips from many important movies he has scored. Shore won Oscars for his work on The Lord of the Rings films, but we'll make a claim for his brilliant work for David Cronenberg (16 films and counting) and Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) as his defining achievements.
The Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 15 to 29. Visit the festival website for more information as the complete schedule is unveiled, and keep checking in here for continuing Chicagoist coverage.