Roger Ebert, the 900-pound gorilla of film criticism and a source of continued inspiration to film writers ( this film movie critic included ) , is being honored this year by the 43rd Chicago International Film Festival ( CIFF ) , which runs Oct. 4-17. For his tireless efforts on behalf of the festival for decades, the opening-night gala at the Chicago Theatre is being dedicated to Ebert. The festivities will also feature the world-premiere screening of director Marc Forster's The Kite Runner. Forster ( Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland ) , who adapted the best-seller for the screen, will be in attendance.
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Jacques Nolot as Pierre in Before I Forget
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Festival Founder and Artistic Director Michael Kutza and his staff have again put together a slate of hotly anticipated films and undiscovered treasures. Star-driven movies like Michael Clayton ( George Clooney-Tilda Swinton ) , Things We Lost In the Fire ( Halle Berry-Benicio Del Toro-David Duchovny ) , The Savages ( Laura Linney-Philip Seymour Hoffman ) , Gone Baby Gone ( Casey Affleck, in a movie directed by brother Ben ) and Rails & Tiles ( Kevin Bacon-Marcia Gay Harden ) will have their first Chicago screenings at the festival.
The number of films showcased at this year's fest has increased to over 100, but only eight of those movies have specific GLBT-themed content. Though there's nothing quite as gay-friendly as last year's career overview evening with Liza Minnelli, the fest offers plenty to look forward to for both the casual and dedicated cineastes. And there will be plenty of star wattage on hand: actors Laura Linney, Casey and Ben Affleck, Malcolm McDowell, Anthony Hopkins ( who will be here to promote Slipstream, which he directed ) , and directors Ivan István Szabó ( Sunshine, Being Julia ) and Alison Eastwood ( Clint's daughter, who helmed Rails & Ties ) are among the noted film celebrities expected to be in attendance throughout the festival. Actor Jeffrey Wright ( Angels in America, Syriana, Casino Royale ) will receive a career achievement award as part of the festival's Black Perspectives program. The program will also screen director John Sayles' latest film, Honeydripper, which stars Danny Glover; Sayles will attend the screening.
Films will screen at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark; AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois; and the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. The opening-night gala takes place at the historic Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State, and the closing night at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph.
GLBT titles include:
1. Before I Forget ( Avant Que J'Oublie ) ( France ) : At 58, former gigolo Pierre has lived with HIV for almost half his life. Behind his laissez-faire attitude and dark, wry humor hides a man struggling to come to grips with his past and move forward into a more satisfying future. Rounding out director Jacques Nolot's trilogy on gay life, Before I Forget is a frank portrait of an ordinary man coping with his mortality. See my separate comprehensive review in this week's Knight at the Movies column.
2. Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs—The Untold Story ( doc ) ( UK/Austria ) : A special presentation of the documentary recognized by Roger Ebert in his 2007 Overlooked Film Festival, Freddie is the most intimate and revealing portrait of the real man behind the larger-than-life character. The director includes interviews with insiders in Freddie's closely guarded life—including his mother, sister, schoolmates, and former lovers.
3. La Léon ( Argentina/France ) : In the remote Argentine wetlands, a rift is growing between two members of a river village whose economy is being threatened by illegal loggers from Paraguay. Otheguy's debut feature is a meditative and determined narrative, meticulously presented in high-definition black and white, full of secrets and suggestions that all lead toward an inevitable and unforgettable confrontation.
4. Love Songs/Les Chansons D'Amour ( France ) : A musical transcending societal norms for relationships, love and sexuality, Love Songs chronicles the lives of Ismael and Julie, two young lovers looking to spice things up. They invite Ismael's co-worker, Alice, to join their life and their bed, but before long, Julie dies from an embolism, leaving Ismael shocked and torn.
5. Men in the Nude/Férfiakt ( Hungary ) : Middle-aged Tibor, unhappy in his marriage and career, never considered bisexuality, but a manipulative 19-year-old male prostitute pursues him and ignites a sexual passion and artistic inspiration that Tibor feared he'd lost forever.
6. Surveillance ( UK ) : Adam, a handsome, rosy-cheeked young teacher, gets into trouble after a one-night stand with the heir to a media empire. When the heir turns up dead, Adam becomes embroiled in a cover-up that stretches all the way to the royal family. Shot from the point of view of London's myriad closed-circuit cameras ( the movie's most inventive idea ) , Surveillance is a high-tech thriller with, unfortunately, a low-tech budget. Simon Callow relishes his part as a mysterious aide to the royal family who's fed up after years of covering up a ton of royal dirt. Gossipy but somewhat involving.
7. A Walk Into the Sea ( doc ) ( USA ) : Danny Williams, a promising filmmaker and lover of Andy Warhol, mysteriously disappeared in 1966. Attempting to learn more about her lost uncle, the director of the film, Esther Robinson, unearths many of Williams' films, which include the earliest footage of The Velvet Underground, glimpses of superstar Edie Sedgwick and interviews with numerous members of Warhol's Factory. We don't find out much about Williams from surviving Warhol cronies or much about Williams himself, but the found footage is spectacular and adds a patina of genuine sadness to this unusual documentary.
8. The Witnesses/Les Témoins ( France ) : Set in the late 1980s, amid the onset of AIDS and the end of the sexual revolution, this haunting drama focuses on the contrasts between sex and love; health and sickness; and friendship and romance. Newly arrived in Paris, a handsome young man begins a friendship with a couple adjusting to life as new parents, and soon an unexpected love affair upsets the tranquility of their lives. French with English subtitles. 112 min.
Aside from the GLBT offerings ( only three of which were available for screening before deadline ) , I suggest a trio of films: The Walker, a murder-mystery set among the highest corridors of power in Washington, D.C.; The Savages, which stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman; and Michael Clayton, which stars George Clooney.
Call 312-332-FILM ( 3456 ) or visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com .