The first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "February film series" might be focused on romantic relationships, however this year at FACETS we decided to do things a bit differently. In honor of the unofficial holiday Galentine's Day, celebrated on February 13th, FACETS is hosting a weekend dedicated to films about women's friendship. Whether you're a Galentine's expert or you've never heard of the holiday until now, we guarantee our slate of films for the Galentine's Weekend film series will keep you and your friends busy and entertained February 11-13, 2022. As a companion to

Writer and director Paul Schrader's newest film, The Card Counter, is showing in-person at FACETS February 4-6, 2022. For a double feature, we suggest another film where gaming is a form of confrontation: Robert Rossen’s, The Hustler (1961). THE CARD COUNTER DIRECTED BY PAUL SCRADER Celebrated director/screenwriter Paul Schrader returns to the cinema with The Card Counter, a film exploring two subjects he fixates on in his films and social media posts alike: masculinity and poker. Oscar Isaac plays William Tell, former soldier and current card sharp, a meticulous gambler making his living off of small scores traveling between casinos. After being pushed to

For FACETS’ December programming, we have a wonderful group of films that will screen in-person in early December. For more information about the screening schedules, check FACETS’ 2021 Programing Press Release. These films are your non-traditional holiday pictures that use the holidays as more of a backdrop to their stories. These directors made fantastic character-driven films that are more complex than your average run-of-the-mill Christmas story. These films go into depth about topics unrelated to the holiday season, but ultimately feel unique when the holidays are used as their framing device. For example, some make statements about the bigger picture

This month, we have been working hard to follow-up our previous watchlist of Staff Discoveries at FACETS. To continue our new tradition of our monthly Staff Picks, we’re including 10 films from staff members. This time, these picks come from the Customer Service Team and our chosen theme for this month is: “Films that take place during the winter season.” Each employee from the Customer Service department has reflected on experiences they have had with winter season films and each has chosen one of their favorites. We hope this list will comfort you during the holiday season, and that these

A Son directed by Tunisian filmmaker Mehdi Barsaoui screens at FACETS December 10-12 & 17-19, 2021. To buy tickets and learn more about the event check out our program listing on the FACETS website. Sami Bouajila earned a Cesar award for best actor for his portrayal of the father in A Son. As a film debut, A Son by Barsaoui creates a compelling narrative about a husband and wife at odds with each other after their son’s accident. A few months after the Tunisian Revolution, the Youssef family is vacationing in the countryside and they find themselves caught in an

Isabella, directed by Matías Piñeiro is a film that deals with a theater troupe and their staging of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” The main actress, Mariel (María Villar), is conflicted in her personal life. She turns to her brother and then his lover, Luciana (Agustina Muñoz), for financial support during tough times. Luciana is a more successful actor than Mariel, so she serves as a figure that keeps Mariel doubting her ambitions throughout the film. Luciana’s constant reappearances in Mariel’s life drives her further into doubt. Piñeiro jumps around in time, from days before the crucial audition, to Mariel’s life

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

Anne at 13,000 Ft. premieres in-person at FACETS (1517 W. Fullerton Ave.) on September 17th, 2021 after an 18 month hiatus. This film explores some of what we all have come to feel through the COVID-19 pandemic, a longing for meaning after isolation. In honor of reopening and the Chicago Premiere of Canadian director Kazik Radwanski’s film, we at FACETS would like to begin by going through a brief history of the Toronto New Wave and the movement's films of past and present. Often, as film enthusiasts, when we think “New Wave” our minds jump to the Nouvelle Vague, or what