CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago International Film Festival has announced its full 2020 lineup.
Organizers said the 56th Chicago International Film Festival includes seven World Premieres, 58 feature films, and nine shorts programs screening both virtually and at Pilsen's ChiTown Movies drive-in.
The Film Festival runs Oct. 14 - Oct. 25.
The previously announced Opening Night film will be the World Premiere of feature documentary Belushi, chronicling the celebrated career and
untimely death of Chicago native son and The Second City alumnus John Belushi, premiering on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The Closing Night presentation will be Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand, on Saturday, Oct. 24, showing exclusively at the drive-in.
The 56th Festival presents the World Premieres of seven films, including: Belushi, the locally made documentaries The Road Up and Mama Gloria; China’s Striding into the Wind; Switzerland’s Of Fish and Men; and Venezuela’s The Special. In addition, the unseen fifth episode of Steve James’ documentary series City So Real will make its World Premiere at the Festival. The Dutch drama Becoming Mona and the Israeli documentary ‘Til Kingdom Come make their International Premieres at the Festival.
The Festival will show a total of eight films live at ChiTown Movies drive-in theater in Pilsen. These include: the World Premiere of Belushi on Opening Night; David Byrne’s American Utopia directed by Spike Lee on Thursday, Oct. 15; The Dark and the Wicked, a new horror film co-presented with Music Box Theatre’s “31 Nights of Terror at the Drive-In” series, showing late-night on Thursday, Oct. 15; Justin Simien’s horror satire Bad Hair, on Friday, Oct. 16; Francis Lee’s passionate period piece Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, on Saturday, Oct. 17; the World Premiere of Chicago-made documentary The Road Up on Sunday, Oct. 18; the Chicago Premiere of Regina King’s directorial debut One Night in Miami on Friday, Oct. 23; and Nomadland on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Belushi, The Road Up and One Night in Miami will also be available for viewing in the virtual cinema.
Festival Passes – offering access to 10 or 20 virtual screenings – are available now to the general public at chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/tickets. Single tickets go on sale September 23-27 for Cinema/Chicago members and September 28 for the general public.