The Chicago International Film Festival reflected a rainbow of representation in 2026

The Chicago International Film Festival, now in its 62nd year, showed no signs of retiring anytime soon in 2026. In fact, the organization continued to thrive and grow thanks to vital relationships in the Midwest region, including sponsorships. From Oct. 14-25, 46 features and 57 shorts were presented on the big screen across the Windy City.

Over the course of 12 days, projected viewings bounced back and forth between the main venues of the Music Box Theater and AMC NEWCITY 14, with several additional showings at the Chicago History Museum and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, among other cinematic spots.

Founded by a gay filmmaker named Michael Kutza in 1964, the Chicago International Film Festival often features queer content from around the world. The OutLook section at CIFF narrows down the selections marked by rainbow graphics and highlights the LGBTQ+ offerings at the festival each season. This year CIFF's OutLook content was once again curated by queer programmer Sophie Gordon.

Opening night sold out at the Music Box, where out and proud director, writer and star Jordan Firstman attended in person to promote his powerful project Club Kid. The story of a New York City club nightlife manager Peter's relationship with a 10-year-old orphan named Arlo has already moved moviegoers to tears in a short time.

Other queercentric films shown at the festival included the erotic thriller Corpus set in New York and vampire romance No Rest for the Wicked set in the Faroe Islands. Attendees were transported from the Brazilian city of Recife in Riverbank to a Nepalese village in Elephants in the Fog. One special HIV themed movie, Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building, brought Mexico, Brazil and Denmark together to co-produce the endeavor.

Compelling true stories with protagonists battling HIV were woven throughout the festival; for example, Elsinore featured gay actor Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson in a riveting performance onscreen and Chocolate Babies covered HIV activists in the '90s.

A standout in 1986, Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman with Black, queer subject matter was revisited with the director in attendance on Oct. 16 and the black-and-white animated feature Tangles demanded attention for two days on the 24th and 25th. Voiced by queer performers Abbi Jacobson, Beanie Feldstein, Bowen Yang and Wanda Sykes, Tangles tells a sapphic story of a mother's journey with Alzheimer's disease.

CIFF's centerpiece Mouse was attended with much fanfare at the Music Box on the evening of Oct. 21. The directors Kelly O' Sullivan and Alex Thompson, as well as star Sophie Okonedo, attended in support of Mouse. Two days later, actress Carrie Coon was given the Artistic Achievement Award and she worked with the duo for their follow-up to Mouse. “Kelly and I were coming up in Chicago at the same time as actors. She has turned into such an amazing writer and she has found a creative partner. They are extraordinary together,” she gushed.

Coon was exuberant on the carpet in front of the theater on Southport Avenue and explained her feelings, “I always have a good time and I try not to take it all too seriously.”

She was showcasing her involvement in The Liberation as Rita Cooper, who becomes involved with a cult leader played by Lily James. Coon said, “There's a suggestion that there is a physical relationship between them and it's a love story.”

Coon's husband, Tracy Letts, is also in The Liberation, along with non-binary performer Bella Ramsey.

Director Guy Nattiv described The Liberation as “a personal story about a woman in her late forties who is at a junction in her life. I was inspired by my grandmother's story and all the things I discovered as a grandchild.”

Chicago's Black Perspectives program celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026 and on Oct. 24 the talented Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor received the Tour de Force Award for her body work, including her portrayal of Elizabeth Baxter in Liz Here Now.

On the red carpet, she complimented the director, saying, “I loved working with Sterling and since he's an actor as well, it made this experience different for me.”

Born in Moline, Illinois, Sterling Macer Jr. said, “Coming back to Illinois is surreal in many ways for a kid who spent time in the Quad Cities. Returning for the Chicago International Film Festival is a dream and a full-circle moment for me.

Liz Here Now encapsulates all the things movie lovers enjoy and Macer stated, “It is entertaining on all levels and it has everything that a film should have. It is challenging and entertaining in some respects, with heart, laughs and suspense.”

Also spotted on the step and repeat were author Todd Connor, Caisey Cole, who plays Elizabeth's daughter Debra Baxter and Ryan Wesley Gilreath, who plays Frank Connor. Gilreath described Liz Here Now as “an underdog story in a broken society fighting for what is right.”

Walking down the carpet, actor Allen Middleton confessed, “I play the bad guy in the film. As a human being, that is difficult, particularly in today's environment; I feel that very intensely. It was my job to tell a story and I did the best I could.”

One of the last stories to be told cinematically at the festival on Oct. 25 was the massive music endeavor Behemoth! starring the popular Pedro Pascal and queer filmmaker Eva Victor.

On that note, the 62nd edition of the Chicago International Film Festival came to a close. The longest-running competitive film fest is already making plans for season 63 and queer fans are eager to see what's next for OutLook programming in the future.

Stay tuned to chicagofilmfestival.com for further information, including year-round screenings.