Podcast

CHICAGO – It’s Oscar Week, as the 95th Academy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, March 12th, 2023, on ABC-TV. Nominated for Best International Feature Film is “Close,” from Belgium and France. The writer and director of the film is Lukas Dhont, and he talked to HollywoodChicago.com.

CHICAGO – It’s been an amazing journey for actor and filmmaker Alex Heller with her directorial debut film “The Year Between.” The film premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and screened at the hometown Chicago International Film Festival last October. The film is being released through Video-On-Demand beginning March 3rd, 2023.

CHICAGO – One of the bonus elements of Chicago’s many film events is the opportunity to meet filmmakers from all around the world. The 24th Chicago Irish Film Festival (CIFF) will open on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023, with “The Sparrow,” and appearing on behalf of the film is writter/director Michael Kinirons. For ticket information, click THE SPARROW.

CHICAGO – The highly anticipated “Creed III,” opening March 3rd, continues the “Rocky Universe” story of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan, also director), son of Rocky Balboa nemesis Apollo Creed. In this latest chapter Adonis is challenged by a childhood friend named Damian (Jonathan Majors), freed from prison with a score to settle.

CHICAGO – The European Union Film Festival is an annual happening at Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center, and will take place in 2023 from March 1st-31st. Kicking off the Fest will be an appearance from actors Lena Olin and Tora Hallström.

CHICAGO – The controversial phrase “Good Guy with a Gun” is now a title for the latest feature film from John Mossman, who wrote and directed the story of a mother and son trying to rebuild their lives after losing their husband/father to gun violence. The twist is they’re rebuilding in a small town with an entrenched gun culture. The film makes its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Midwest Film Festival, on Monday February 27th, 2023, at the downtown Gene Siskel Film Center.

CHICAGO – How about a precisely done comedy of romance in time for Valentine’s Day weekend? Prime Video presents “Somebody I Used to Know,” a collaboration between a real-life married couple … director/co-writer Dave Franco (“The Rental”) and co-writer/lead actor Alison Brie (“GLOW,” “Mad Men”).

CHICAGO – When the 95th Academy Awards nominations were announced, one notable Best International Feature Film honoree was “Close,” a Belgium/Netherlands/France production that also won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The writer/director of the film is 31-year-old Lukas Dhont.

CHICAGO – On the next stop on the book tour, Chicago International Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza will talk about his book “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” at Chicago’s Union Club on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023.

CHICAGO – In November 2022, the Executive Director of Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center … Jean de St. Aubin … announced she will leave the position in February of 2023. Ms. de St. Aubin joined the Film Center in 2003, snd has overseen many transition points during her tenure, including of course the closure due to the pandemic.