Legendary Director To Receive Founder’s Legacy Award October 27, 2024
For the First Time in 30 Years, HERE Reunites the Director, Writer, and Stars of FORREST GUMP
Chicago, Illinois (September 12, 2024) – The Chicago International Film Festival announced today that legendary director Robert Zemeckis’s HERE will close the 60th edition of North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, with the director set to receive the Founder’s Legacy Award, presented by Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza, at the Closing Night presentation on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at the Music Box Theatre. Miramax’s HERE is set for theatrical release via TriStar Pictures on November 1, 2024.
Reuniting the director, writer, and stars of FORREST GUMP, HERE is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the most relatable of human experiences. Robert Zemeckis (FORREST GUMP, CASTAWAY, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, CONTACT, BACK TO THE FUTURE) directs from a screenplay by Eric Roth (FORREST GUMP, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, DUNE, A STAR IS BORN) and him. Told much in the style of the acclaimed graphic novel by Richard McGuire on which it is based, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in a tale of love, loss, laughter, and life, all of which happen right HERE. The film also stars Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, and Michelle Dockery, and is produced by Zemeckis, Derek Hogue, Jack Rapke, and Bill Block.
HERE will mark Robert Zemeckis’s third time closing the Festival. He received a Career Achievement Award for his Tom Hanks starrer THE POLAR EXPRESS, which held its World Premiere as the Closing Night film in 2004. In 2012, FLIGHT, starring Denzel Washington, closed the festival with Zemeckis receiving the Founder’s Award. Zemeckis’s rich history with the Chicago International Film Festival dates back to 1970, when his short film, WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KIDS TODAY?, screened. His shorts THE LIFT (1972) and FIELD OF HONOR (1973) also played at those editions of the Festival, with the latter going on to win the Special Jury Award at the Student Academy Awards.
“The Chicago International Film Festival has had the great honor of showcasing Robert Zemeckis’s impeccably crafted, beautifully expressed films for more than 50 years,” said Chicago International Film Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “With HERE, he continues his tradition of telling deeply moving, human stories, masterfully employing cutting-edge technologies to elevate the art form while creating some of the American cinema’s most iconic movies.”
The Chicago International Film Festival runs October 16 - 27, 2024 with film screenings and programs presented at venues across the city including AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, as well as at pop-up locations in partnership with the Chicago Parks Department and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
The full slate of films for the 60th edition of North America’s longest-running competitive film festival will be announced September 23, 2024. Tickets for Opening Night are on sale now; tickets for the full slate of films presented at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival will go on sale September 27, 2024. Cinema/Chicago members’ pre-sale tickets go on sale September 24, 2024; memberships now available at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/membership.
For more information, visit the Festival’s website at https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/.
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Festival Information
Celebrating its 60th edition October 16 - 27, 2024, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive international film festival. Showcasing acclaimed and exciting new films from around the world, the 60th edition will be held in person in theaters and venues around the city, featuring a select program of films with closed captions. From dramas and thrillers to documentaries and comedies, the Festival presents a vast diversity of offerings, featuring competitive categories and programs including Black Perspectives; International Comedy; Women in Cinema; OutLook; After Dark; and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
2024 Festival Sponsors and Partners
The 60th Chicago International Film Festival's sponsors include Festival Sponsors: Adobe, Allstate, Baker Tilly, Conagra Brands, Illinois Production Alliance, Maison Perrier, Mubi, Panavision, Light Iron, Periscope Post & Audio, SAGindie, Tito’s Vodka, William Blair; Official Agency: Ogilvy; Publicity Agency: Acacia Consulting Group; Festival Supporters: Caption Consulting, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, L7 Chicago by LOTTE, Make It Better Foundation, Chicago Film Office, Illinois Film Office, Revolution Brewing; With Major Support from Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation, and Cynthia Stone Raskin. This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
About Cinema/Chicago
Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year-round nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image. Cinema/Chicago's programs include the Chicago International Film Festival, Summer Screenings Program, CineYouth Festival, and year-round Education Program. Celebrating its 60th edition October 16 - 27, 2024, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive film festival. For more information, please visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTubeand Twitter.
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