The Chicago International Reel Shorts Film Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary by turning its annual fest into more of a party. “This year we thought we’d try something different, a little less formal, so people can drink and mingle while the films are showing,” says Scott Rudolph, co-founder of the festival. The opening event, titled Chicago Night, will showcase twelve area filmmakers and will be hosted at Gold Coast pub The Original Mother’s. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and socialize with the shorts’ creators. The following ten programs, comprised of more than a hundred films, will include “Kid’s Shorts!” “‘Right On’ Shorts” and the event’s most popular, “‘Growing Up Sucks’ Shorts.” These programs and more will be hosted at Columbia College’s Film Row Cinema Friday night through Sunday afternoon. The festival closes with a reel of the festival’s most popular shorts at Mahoney’s Pub and Grill in West Town. For more info, visit projectchicago.com.
Talking Screens, October 15-21, 2021: The Best of the Chicago International Film Fest The fifty-seventh Chicago International Film Festival runs through Sunday, October 24. And, Michael Caplan's "Algren" has its Chicago theatrical run beginning this week via Music Box virtual cinema. Several movies open Friday, including David Gordon Green's "Halloween Kills," Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel," Mia Hansen-Løve's "Bergman Island" and Todd Haynes' "Velvet Underground."
