Oscar-winning actors Rachel Weisz and Jennifer Hudson; directors Darren Aronofsky and Mike Leigh; and other film celebs will attend the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival ( CIFF ) , which begins its 44th year Thursday, Oct. 16 and runs through Wed., Oct. 29. The Brothers Bloom—a comedy from director Rian Johnson starring Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo—kicks off the festivities with a red-carpet premiere Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph, which Johnson and Weisz will attend. Hudson will be honored Oct. 18 with an Artistic Achievement Award at the Black Perspectives Tribute at Chase Auditorium, 10 S. Dearborn.
As always, the CIFF will showcase a multitude of star-driven indies receiving their Chicago premieres ( e.g., Seth Rogan in Zack and Miri Make a Porno; Philip Seymour Hoffman in Syndoche, New York; Viggo Mortensen in Good; Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler; and Jada Pinkett Smith's directorial debut, The Human Contract ) along with a wide-ranging slate of international fare. The fest will comprise 116 features, 38 shorts and student works and 18 documentaries programmed into several categories. They include 'Cinema of the Americas,' 'Restored and Rediscovered,' 'Green Screen' ( a new series highlighting films that celebrate the environment ) , 'Spotlight Illinois' and others. Chicagoan Tom Gustafson's queer-themed directorial debut, Were the World Mine ( which I'll review in next week's column ) , is part of the latter category. ( Windy City Times is co-sponsoring its Wed., Oct. 24, screening. ) Nine other films with prominent GLBT themes are included in this year's lineup. Those screening the first week of the fest include:
—Be Like Others ( Iran/France/UK ) : In Iran, homosexuality is considered a crime punishable by death but for decades a painful sex-change operation has been a legal alternative for men seeking to either live as women or have relationships with other men. This documentary follows a group of twentysomething males 'diagnosed' as transsexuals before, during and after their life-altering surgery. Screens Oct. 21, 26, 28
—Born in '68 ( France ) : An epic-length drama filled with tremendous, heartwrenching performances, the movie begins in 1968, when flower children Catherine, Yves and Herve convince several of their friends to join them in starting a commune in the countryside. Twenty years later, with the collapse of communism and the rise of AIDS, Catherine and Yves' children must deal with the fallout from the free-love generation. Screens Oct. 18, 19
—The Dead Girl's Feast ( Brazil ) : Every year, pilgrims pour into a small community in the upper Amazon to worship at the mystical shrine of a little girl who went missing 20 years ago. The faithful await her life-changing revelations, channeled through an enigmatic local known as the Saint, but the little girl's brother has grown tired of the exploitation of his sister's memory by the Saint's profiteering father. Soon, he'll uncover an astonishing secret about them both. Oct. 19, 21, 28
—Lokas ( Chile/Mexico ) : The film follows 9-year-old Pedro, his homophobic single father and what happens when they move in with Pedro's gay grandfather. Screens Oct. 21, 22, 23
—The Other Side ( Portugal ) : A gay transvestite recovering from a recent suicide attempt returns to his hometown to stay with the sister he hasn't seen in 16 years. There he's introduced to his teenage nephew, an exuberant teenager with Down's syndrome. Screens Oct. 17, 18, 21
—The films will screen at the AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois; 600 N. Michigan 9; and the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Both opening and closing nights will be at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph. Complete information on tickets, show times and special events are available by calling 312-332-FILM ( 3456 ) or online at www.chicagofilmfestival.com .
Queer writer-director Stewart Wade, last seen with the gay comedy Coffee Date, returns with another gay-themed movie, Tru Loved. The film follows the exploits of recently transplanted San Franciscan Tru—short for Gertrude ( Najarra Townsend ) —to a new conservative high school. Tru, an individualist who has two moms at home and two dads a phone call away, isn't bothered by the catcalls of the popular girls, and she quickly discerns that her potential new boyfriend Lodell ( Matthew Thompson ) is gay. But Lodell—who is a football jock secretly lusting after his best friend, Manual ( Joseph Julian Soria ) —is closeted and pleads with Tru to act as her beard, even after Tru decides to start a straight-gay alliance club at school along with Walter ( the winning Tye Olson ) . Then Tru falls hard for Trevor ( Jake Abel ) , whom everyone assumes is gay but is straight.
Further complications abound as this cross between TV's My So-Called Life and an ABC After School Special wends its way to the finish line. Wade's low-budget film is hampered by badly recorded dialogue and a script that tries to cram too many issues and characters in ( the closeted jock is also an African-American, etc. ) but Townsend, Abel and Olson are convincing teens worth rooting for and a lot of familiar faces in the cast —including Bruce Vilanch, Alec Mapa, Jane Lynch, Marcia Wallace, Nichelle Nichols and Jasmine Guy—liven the movie. It plays exclusively at Landmark's Century Centre Cinema beginning Friday, Oct. 17. See www.landmarktheatres.com .
Check out my archived reviews and Knight at Home at the Movies column for DVD recommendations at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site.
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