Dates set for 2018 Chicago Critics Film Festival
THE CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
presents the return of the CHICAGO CRITICS FILM FESTIVAL
MAY 4-10, 2018 at the MUSIC BOX THEATRE
November 28, 2017 — The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that has celebrated the art of film and film criticism for over 25 years, is pleased to announce the dates and location for the 6th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF). The festival will run from May 4-10, 2018, and will once again take place at Chicago's historic Music Box Theatre.
The event, runner-up for Best Film Festival in the Chicago Reader’s 2017 “Best of Chicago” poll, annually features a selection of acclaimed films chosen by members of the organization, a combination of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a variety of filmmakers, from established Oscar winners to talented newcomers. It is the only current example of a major film critics group that hosts its own festival, and it’s right here in Chicago.
For five years, the festival has given Chicagoans the opportunity to see the hottest unreleased titles on the festival circuit weeks or even months before they’ll make their theatrical debuts. The 2017 installment saw the local debuts of such acclaimed titles as A Ghost Story, Lucky, The Little Hours, The Hero and Band Aid, as well as a 10th anniversary screening of the cult classic Southland Tales and appearances from the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, John Carroll Lynch and Richard Kelly.
Further details, as well as information on the previous editions of the festival, can be found at the official CCFF website at www.chicagocriticsfilmfestival.com Follow the CFCA and the festival on Twitter at @chicagocritics and on Facebook here.
About the Chicago Film Critics Association
The CFCA has always been dedicated to supporting and celebrating quality filmmaking that has something to say about our world, our lives, and our society. In the past, while it supported and fought for the continued role of film critics in the media, the CFCA's primary public interaction was through the announcement of its annual film awards each December. In recent years, however, the CFCA moved aggressively to expand its presence on the Chicago arts scene and to promote critical thinking about cinema to a wider base. In 2012, in addition to re-launching a late-winter awards ceremony, CFCA members presented numerous film screenings at theaters like the Studio Movie Grill in Wheaton, and Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Illinois. CFCA members also team-taught a new Young People's Film Criticism Workshop at Facets Multimedia that emphasized not just film analysis and criticism, but also writing skills to middle- and high-school students, many of whom were attending the course on lower-income scholarships. With this film festival, we intend to take the next step.
About the Music Box Theatre
For more than 30 years, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films, festivals and some of the greatest cinematic events in Chicago. It currently has the largest cinema space operated full-time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned & operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD and television markets throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.musicboxtheatre.com