Today, The Chicago Tribune reported that the eight films associated with this year's Chicago Film Festival will play at two downtown AMC theaters: the River East and the theater at 600 North Michigan Ave. According to the report, the festival's managing director, Ryan Jewell, said he decided to bring the screenings downtown because "we liked the idea of everything being in walking distance of everything else." (Last year, films played in Lakeview and Lincoln Park and guests complained about the distance between screenings).
Another draw to the AMC theaters: Each of the downtown locations will offer four auditoriums to the festival, resulting in a total of eight devoted screens (as opposed to last year's seven.) Other changes to the 2008 lineup include opening and closing night films at downtown's Harris Theater and a shift in dates: The festival will run from October 16 through October 29—a week later than last year. The new dates were chosen to avoid conflict with Yom Kippur and the Chicago Marathon, which is scheduled for October 12.
Another draw to the AMC theaters: Each of the downtown locations will offer four auditoriums to the festival, resulting in a total of eight devoted screens (as opposed to last year's seven.) Other changes to the 2008 lineup include opening and closing night films at downtown's Harris Theater and a shift in dates: The festival will run from October 16 through October 29—a week later than last year. The new dates were chosen to avoid conflict with Yom Kippur and the Chicago Marathon, which is scheduled for October 12.
