Other than the start of Daylight Savings Time, a few college basketball games, and St. Patrick's Day, the most notable thing to occur in March every year is the Siskel's European Union Film Festival. The 14th edition, which opens March 4, is enough to make us crack open our thesaurus; words like "awesome," "amazing," and "stupendous" are too banal to express our giddy anticipation. more ›

It's a festival of acronyms on this week's entry to the Chicagoist Podcast Series! First up, we spoke with Shawn Campbell, president and founder of the Chicago Independent Radio Project, aka CHIRP. Why did she want to start it? Where does it stand now? What's in the future - and does it include a low-power FM station? And what does Congress have to do to make that allowable by law? All of these questions and more are answered. more ›

The European Union Film Festival continues at the Siskel through April 2. Here are reports on two more titles. more ›

The European Union Film Festival continues at the Siskel through April 2. Here are reports on two more titles. more ›

Considering the fact that we have pretty much no rules and virtually no limitations on us, we decided to alter the scope of the 'cast this week. In this podcast - one conversation. Just the two of us. One Mr. Rob Christopher and myself, talkin' film festivals. The European Union Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center, that is. Do you find yourself asking, "What the sweet hell is the European Union Film Festival?" Yeah, me too. So we'll all find out together. Step one is Rob's original post, step two is right here. more ›

Running March 6 -- April 2 at the Siskel, the 12th Annual European Union Film Festival includes 59 feature films, all Chicago premieres. No matter what kinds of movies you like, this festival has them. We urge you to check out the full slate. Meanwhile, we'll be reporting on a few of the titles we've seen. more ›

Because of the weather it's a little hard for it sink in: spring is coming. And with spring (for us, anyway) comes an overwhelming wanderlust, not just the desire to get out of our coats and gloves but also to see somewhere new. While you could be a bachelor in Paris or take a romantic snorkel for two someplace, you could just as easily stay in town and still see 24 countries that span Europe.... more ›

This weekend’s mainstream cinema offerings are once again slim. Last week offered only the disappointing V For Vendetta while the lone film that sparks our interest this morning is Spike Lee’s Inside Man. more ›

Why do you suppose the Chicago Palestine Film Festival isn’t listed on the main page of The Gene’s website? Or in the navigation bar on their calendar page? It only appears there when you click on one of the films featured in the fest. We contacted The Gene offices and the genetleman there said he had "no idea" why it wasn't there. When we pressed further he said they probably just ran out of room--a reasonable answer. Yet there's space enough on the main page to promote the European Union Film Festival which wrapped up three weeks ago and room in the navbar for the Michael Mann tribute which has been over for two weeks. more ›

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that today is St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, Chicago has a large Irish population and its history is dominated by the contributions of one particular Irish family. But like all other cities in the U.S., today is the day when anyone who’s worn a green shirt while eating a potato and watching a Colin Farrell movie will lay claim to a little “Irish” heritage. more ›

The 8th Annual European Union Film Festival began this weekend at the Gene Siskel Film Center so expect to see more death, inappropriate sexual relationships, and circus clowns there than usual. Running through March 24th, the fest now reflects the diversity of all EU nations with entries from all 25 countries. more ›