The Chicago Critics Film Festival is curated by the Chicago Film Critics Association and is the only United States film festival programmed exclusively by critics. Founded in 1990, the Chicago Film Critics Association supports filmmaking and is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization.
For its 13th edition, the CCFF was held from May 1-7 in 2026, at the historic Music Box Theatre on Southport Avenue in Chicago, where over 20 works of art were unspooled on the big screen.
Opening night festivities began on May 1 with The Invite; the director and star of the film, Olivia Wilde, made an appearance before and after the dramedy was screened. The plot centers around two sets of modern couples who meet to have dinner and go on an unexpected journey together over the course of one evening.
On a pre-show red carpet in front of the theater, Olivia said, “My film is based on an incredible play and movie titled The People Upstairs by Spanish playwright, Cesc Gay. These extraordinary actors (Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) came on board to workshop this film and we had a great time making it.”
When questioned about LGBTQ+ themes regarding The Invite, she stated, “This film is about being authentic, so yes. It is my attempt at encouraging people to be honest with themselves and live a life that is true instead of being in a box. For many of us, that is about being joyful and authentic. I hope people will see this film and, in their own relationships, start asking for what they really want in their lives.”
Wilde has described herself as queer in a 2022 Vogue interview and she has previously portrayed bisexual characters on the big and small screen. The Invite is slated for a larger release in theaters this summer.
On May 2, it was queer double feature time with Miss Wilde as Erika Tracy in the Gregg Araki feature I Want Your Sex at 9:45 p.m., followed by Adrian Chiarella’s teenage boy ghost story Leviticus at midnight.
Ticket holders had to rise and shine the next day for an 11:30 a.m. showing of the documentary You Had to Be There, which focused on a musical made by Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Martin Short and Andrea Martin, among several others, at the beginning of their careers.
The Sunday Shorts Program 2 presented seven short works on May 3, including gay erotic film Glory/Us, directed by Jet and Homemade Gatorade, created by a trans filmmaker named Carter Amelia Davis.
Later on that afternoon at 4:15 p.m., queer director and star John Early’s critically acclaimed project Maddie’s Secret told a satirical story of a social media influencer working in a food content studio. Maddie’s Secret was originally shown in September of last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and the screening was covered at the time by Windy City Times.
Other handpicked films by the association included the Centerpiece Screening of When a Witness Recants about social justice and Chili Finger depicting blackmail at a fast food restaurant.
Celebratory screenings were highlighted throughout the course of the festival, such as the 40th anniversary of David Cronenberg’s The Fly and the 25th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.
This year’s recipients of the Chicago Film Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Program were Zo Arroyo (he/him) and Savannah Ray Hugueley (she/they). They both received $2,500 in grant money, valuable mentorship and an all-access pass to the festival.
The seven-day event ended with a closing night presentation of The Sun Never Sets on May 7. Filmmaker Joe Swanberg and star Cory Michael Smith stopped to speak with Windy City about their endeavor together in front of the step and repeat.
Set in Alaska, the complicated relationship film, now acquired by Independent Film Company, recently screened at Austin’s media festival, South by Southwest. Swanberg described the SXSW experience by saying, “I showed my first feature there, so this was a homecoming for me to be back there after 21 years of attending that festival. The world premiere was electric and I was sitting in the audience watching it. People were even talking directly to the screen behind me, so that was a fun moment.
“Dakota Fanning was enthusiastic and she brought herself into the role. She was so intuitive on set that she would quietly migrate to the right spot. She was always ready to go and she was two steps ahead of everyone else.”
Smith emphasized that point by saying, “She was a totally seasoned vet who has worked for a long time.”
As far as future projects, Swanberg, who said he lives near the Music Box Theatre, has traveled to make “a midlife crisis comedy” that he is completing soon.
Smith has an upcoming A24 horror film titled October by director Jeremy Saulnier. Smith collaborated with Toronto directors Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewisi to play an orphaned millionaire for The Temple and he said, “They are editing the film now, and we had a great time making it.”
The talented queer actor has another future A24 thriller titled Famous that is finalizing a release date.
A24 Films LLC continues to be an entertainment company to watch, being the studio behind many of the movies screened at the Chicago Critics Film Festival during this recent seven-day stretch, including The Invite and Maddie’s Secret.
Previous A24 screenings held at the CCFF with queer subject matter were covered by Windy City Times, including Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby and Jane Schoenbruh’s I Saw the TV Glow, among others.