by

CHICAGO, IL–As FACETS celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, the iconic Chicago nonprofit art house cinema is unveiling exciting changes, including a new name, a fresh slate of programming and ambitious plans for growth. Known for its pioneering role in international cinema and its world-renowned video library, FACETS is embracing the future while staying true to its mission of delivering powerful storytelling and community engagement through cinema.  In honor of this milestone, the FACETS Board has approved an institutional name change from FACETS Multi-Media to FACETS Film Forum, renewing its commitment to fostering meaningful conversations and cultural connections through film. The two logos

by

Charles Coleman, Film Program Director of FACETS Cinema, provides us with a list of his favorite films from 2024, which are not selected in order of importance. All We Imagine As Light and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat will be shown at Facets in January, so please check the schedule for playdates and showtimes.  La Chimera Filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher (The Wonders, Happy as Lazzaro), creates a magical, humorous, and romantic adventure set in rural Italy, blending the ancient and modern, in her latest film, La Chimera. Josh O'Connor stars as Arthur, a grieving English archaeologist recently released from prison, joins a group of Italian tomb raiders (tombaroli) who profit from stolen Etruscan

by

FACETS’ Film Program Director, Charles Coleman, provides us a list of his favorite films from 2023. The list, which is not in order of importance, features Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, and Todd Haynes' May December, screening at FACETS this January & February. Fallen Leaves directed by Aki Kaurismäki Award-winning filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Shadows in Paradise, The Match Factory Girl) makes a brilliant return with Fallen Leaves, a timeless, hopeful and satisfying love story about two lonely people and their path to happiness, accompanied by the numerous hurdles they encounter along the way.   Set in contemporary Helsinki, this

by

This July, FACETS is as active as ever as we head on the road towards the 39th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, running November 4-20, 2022 and continue screening the best new independent and international films in our cinema. To celebrate the greatness that is Chicago in the summer, we asked the FACETS staff what some of their favorite films with connections to Chicago are. Whether it’s directed by a filmmaker from the Chicago area or shot/set here, we offer this curated list from our staff with a little bit about why it stands among their favorites of the

by

Two screening series are currently running at the FACETS Cinema this month, making for an opportune and coincidental pairing of two films with different perspectives on the nature of belonging. Rebecca Hall’s film Passing, part of our If We Picked the Oscars series, screens on March 18th-20th and Paris Blues is showing on the 20th as one of the films in our Tribute to Sydney Poitier. Both film series are programmed by Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director, and this is a unique chance to experience two carefully curated films in conversation with one another on the same weekend. Passing DIRECTED BY

by

For our screening for 499 (2020) directed by Rodrigo Reyes, we at FACETS see it of utmost importance to create a watchlist of films that explores the consequences of the failed colonial project of the past. 499 is a film that tackles subject matter from a unique perspective. A ghostly unnamed conquistador (Eduardo San Juan Breña) has ostensibly time traveled in his period garb to present-day. He follows the same route as Cortés took in 1521 to conquer the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, but in this modern-day setting. The film can be described as a hybrid between documentary and fiction

by

Here at FACETS, we’ve been busy renovating and are finally reopening! While we were limited in what we could offer in-person during lock-down, as things open back up again we’ve decided to use this opportunity to make our space better serve you. One particularly exciting building update we can't wait to unveil is The Café. Our beloved video rentals store has been redone to enhance the fun hangout qualities it already had and offer even more! Now, whenever you stop by FACETS to rent or watch a film, you can also sit and stay a while with comfortable seating options,

by

Savage State is currently available to watch at FACETS Virtual Cinema until January 21. For a captivating double feature, we suggest Meek’s Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt’s 2010 Western with a star studded cast who give career defining performances. Savage State Directed by David Perrault French director David Perrault’s sophomore feature takes place in 1863, St. Louis, Missouri and follows a French family, attempting to abide by Napoleon’s strict rule of neutrality in the American Civil War. When American soldiers occupy the city and new laws disrupt the family’s ability to remain impartial, they make the difficult decision to return to France. Eschewing conventional Civil War narratives that

by

Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reaching Galveston, Texas in 1865, officially ending slavery in the United States. Facets’ program director, Charles Coleman, has put together a watchlist of essential Black Cinema to celebrate with this year.  The history of African American Cinema is a timeline of racism, repression and struggle contrasted with film scenes of joy, hope and artistic spirit. The prevailing idea is that the emergence of African American cinema was a strong response to the racial representation prevalent in mainstream films.  After years of struggling to fit into roles Hollywood deemed acceptable to