The full lineup of the 55th Chicago International Film Festival will be unveiled Sept. 18. But festival artistic director Mimi Plauché announced titles for the gala and special presentation programs Wednesday.
Many recently made their world premieres at the Toronto film festival. Several premiered at the Venice festival; others got the jump on Toronto at the Telluride festival in Colorado.
“Last Jedi” writer-director Rian Johnson’s Trump-era Agatha Christie whodunit, “Knives Out,” takes the Centerpiece Gala slot. The cast includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, LaKeith Stanfield and Christopher Plummer.
Gala presentations also include Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet,” starring Cynthia Erivo; “Just Mercy,” a true-crime drama featuring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, the toast of the current Toronto festival; and screenwriter-director Scott Z. Burns’ “The Report,” starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening.
Already a festival darling, another Driver project, Noah Baumbach’s beautiful “Marriage Story,” co-stars Scarlett Johansson and will be one of the Chicago festival’s Special Presentation offerings.
Others announced Wednesday:
“The Aeronauts,” about the 19th Century daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne).
“A Hidden Life,” director Terrence Malick’s World War II story, controversial at Cannes but with many critics calling it the strongest Malick film in years.
“Honey Boy,” from director Alma Har’el, written and starring Shia LaBeouf in a semi-autobiographical saga of a young actor’s coming of age.
“Jojo Rabbit,” a black comedy from director Taika Waititi, in which Waititi plays the “idiotic imaginary friend” Adolf Hitler of a lonely German boy in World War II.
“Ordinary Love,” featuring Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson star in love story of adversity, survival and other everyday miracles.
“Seberg,” starring Kristen Stewart as the actress Jean Seberg, target of the FBI because of her affair with African-American civil rights warrior Hakim Jamal.
Other special presentations include “The Song of Names,” “The Traitor,” “The Truth” starring Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche,” “The Two Popes” with Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, and the very, very fine new Trey Edward Shults drama “Waves,” a sensation at Toronto and a fierce story of family adversity and forgiveness set in modern-day Florida.
The festival will be held at the AMC River East theaters, 322 E. Illinois St.; for more information and tickets, go to chicagofilmfestival.com.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
Twitter @phillipstribune
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