The Chicago Critics Film Festival is Coming!

It’s kind of blowing my mind a little bit that the Chicago Critics Film Festival is now in its 13th year. Thirteen. That’s not nothing. That’s not some fly-by-night thing anymore, that’s a tradition. And I remember the beginning of this thing like it was yesterday.

Back in 2013, a bunch of my friends and colleagues from the Chicago Film Critics Association (Erik Childress, Steve Prokopy, Peter Sobczynski, Collin Souter, Brian Tallerico, and a whole crew of incredibly passionate, movie-obsessed lunatics) decided, “Hey, why don’t we put on our own damn festival?” And they did.

The very first one was out in Rosemont at the old Muvico theater, and right out of the gate they had William Friedkin in the house for a screening of Sorcerer. Friedkin. Showing up. Talking movies. That set the tone immediately: this wasn’t going to be some half-assed regional fest. This was going to be legit.

And it has been ever since.

For the past dozen years, the home of the Chicago Critics Film Festival has been the Music Box Theatre, and man, if you know me, you know that place means a hell of a lot to me.

I grew up just a few blocks away from it (on Southport, between Irving Park and Addison, walking distance from Wrigley Field) and I’ve been going there since I was a kid. I’ve seen that theater in every possible state: when it was a little rough around the edges in the ‘70s, when it flirted with closing, when it reinvented itself as a revival house, and now…now it’s one of the most vibrant, packed, beloved theaters in the entire country.

Seriously, it’s unbelievable. The Music Box is thriving. You can show just about anything there (literally anything) and people will line up around the block. I once saw a line stretch down the street for a Friday the 13th marathon, all of them, back-to-back.

That’s when it hit me: you could screen that fake movie Ass from Idiocracy (just a 90-minute shot of a naked butt) and it would probably sell out at the Music Box. That’s how popular the place has become.

And I’ve got a deep personal connection to that theater. I’ve hosted screenings there, introduced films, hung out with the owners (past and present) and watched generations of movie lovers cycle through that lobby.

These days, it’s packed with twenty-somethings, film nerds, hipsters, people who maybe don’t even know what they’re about to see but just know that going to the Music Box is the thing to do.

And you know what? I like that.

So to see my friends in the CFCA (an organization I’ve been a part of, off and on, since the late ‘80s, literally one of the founding members) take this festival and plant it firmly at the Music Box, where it now thrives every year, is incredibly gratifying.

These guys are about 10–15 years younger than me, kind of the second generation of Chicago critics, and they’ve taken the ball and run with it in a way that makes me really proud.

And what makes this festival special (really special) is that it’s programmed by critics.

That’s it. It’s the only festival in the country that does that. These are people who go to Sundance, SXSW, sometimes Venice, they see films months before the public does, and then they bring the best of the best back to Chicago.

They secure premieres, they bring in filmmakers, actors, writers, and they create this incredible, week-long celebration of cinema that feels both intimate and exciting.

I’ve seen some fantastic movies at this festival over the years, films that went on to be award winners, critical darlings, and sometimes just weird little gems that never got a proper release.

And every year, I look forward to it not just for the movies, but for the experience: sitting in that theater, walking into that lobby, and just hanging out with my friends. Talking movies. Arguing about movies. Catching up. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year.

And yeah, I plan to be there every single day this year.

So let’s talk about this year’s festival, because the 2026 lineup is stacked.

The 13th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival runs May 1 through May 7 at the Music Box Theatre, and it kicks off in a big way with The Invite, the new film from Olivia Wilde, who will actually be there in person. That’s how this thing opens. Not too shabby.

From there, you’ve got a week packed with more than 20 features and two shorts programs, many of them making their Chicago premieres.

We’re talking about highly anticipated titles like John Carney’s Power Ballad (which pairs Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas in a story about music, ego, and ambition) and John Early’s Maddie’s Secret, which sounds like a wild mix of satire and melodrama.

Sean Astin and Judy Greer in Chili Finger

There’s also Leviticus, Time and Water, and the wonderfully titled Chili Finger, whose filmmakers will be in attendance.

One of the big centerpiece events is When a Witness Recants, a powerful documentary from Dawn Porter, who will also be there to talk about the film.

And the festival closes with The Sun Never Sets, from Joe Swanberg (another Chicago favorite) with Swanberg and star Cory Michael Smith showing up for the finale.

And because the programmers love to show classics, you’ve also got some incredible anniversary screenings on 35mm. David Cronenberg’s The Fly is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

On a personal note: that body horror masterpiece was, in fact, the first movie I ever took my partner Julie to see back in 1986 - yeah...it was our first date, and we are going to relive it at the festival!

Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild also hits 40, and Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence gets a 25th anniversary screening (for those of you who actually like that film...I'll be skipping it).

Seeing films like that on 35mm in that theater?

That’s about as good as it gets.

The lineup is incredibly diverse. You’ve got documentaries like Broken English, a portrait of Marianne Faithfull; genre explorations like Black Zombie, which digs into the cultural history of the zombie myth; intimate coming-of-age stories like If I Go Will They Miss Me; and international fare like Romería.

There’s even a documentary about the Toronto Godspell production that helped launch the careers of people like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and Gilda Radner, which, if you know me, is right in my wheelhouse.

And then there are the shorts programs, which are always worth checking out. That’s where you discover the next wave of filmmakers before anyone else does. Collin Souter does a consistently remarkable job programing these shorts every year.

On top of all that, the festival continues its Emerging Critics Grant in partnership with Rotten Tomatoes, awarding Zo Arroyo and Savannah Ray Hugueley this year, giving them financial support, mentorship, and a real shot at breaking into the world of film criticism. That’s huge.

That’s how you keep this whole thing alive.

Tickets are available individually, but if you’re serious (and you should be) the festival pass is the way to go. It’s $225 for the whole week, and honestly, for what you get, that’s a steal.

All tickets available HERE: The Music Box Theatre Website

So yeah, I’m excited. Really excited. This festival means a lot to me on a personal level, it represents something really important for film culture in Chicago, and it’s just a damn good time.

Great movies, incredible guests, and the chance to hang out in one of the greatest theaters in the country with a bunch of people who love movies as much as I do.

Come out. See some films. Say hi...I’ll be the guy in the lobby, probably arguing about something, then heading back into the theater to watch another movie.

It’s the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Year thirteen.

And it’s still one of the coolest things this city does.

Thanks for reading, and please SUBSCRIBE to my weekly NEWSLETTER!