The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the composite eyes of early film actresses Theda Bara, Pola Negri and Mae Murray, set as repeated frames in a strip of film.^[1]

In 2010, the 46th Chicago International Film Festival presented 150 films from more than 50 countries. The Festival's program is composed of many different sections, including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Docufest, Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, and Reel Women.

Its main venue is the AMC River East 21 Theatre in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, although it has dropped that venue during the most recent festival as of 2023 (59th), instead using the AMC Newcity 14.

The International Connections Program was created in 2003 in order to raise awareness of the international film culture and diversity of Chicago, and to make the festival more appealing to audience and staff of various ethnicities. Foreign films are screened for free throughout the city weekly from July through September.

Winners are awarded Hugo Awards in eight different competition categories.^[2]

• International Feature Film Competition
  • Gold Hugo
  • Silver Hugo: Jury Prize
  • Silver Hugo: Best Director
  • Silver Hugo: Best Actor (until 2019)
  • Silver Hugo: Best Actress (until 2019)
  • Silver Hugo: Best Performance (from 2020)
  • Silver Hugo: Best Ensemble Performance
  • Silver Hugo: Best Cinematography
  • Silver Hugo: Best Screenplay
  • Silver Hugo: Best Sound
  • Silver Hugo: Best Art Direction
• New Directors Competition

• International Documentary Competition

• Out-Look Competition

• City & State Competition
  • Chicago Award
• Live Action Short Film Competition

• Documentary Short Film Competition

• Animated Short Film Competition

Winners of the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award include Steven Spielberg, Helen Hunt, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Landau, Shirley MacLaine, Lord Richard Attenborough, François Truffaut, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Williams, Manoel de Oliveira, and Clint Eastwood.^{[citation needed]}

• Bruce Dern (2013)^[45]
• Terrence Howard (2005)
• Susan Sarandon (2005)
• Shirley MacLaine (2005)
• Robert Zemeckis (2004)
• Irma P. Hall, Robert Townsend and Harry J. Lennix (2004)
• Annette Bening (2004)
• Robin Williams (2004)
• Nicolas Cage (2003)

The Television Awards started with the idea of honoring television commercials in a special event of the film festival, but over time evolved and grew into a bigger event, comprising not only commercials but also television productions, series, and online television. In 2003 a separate ceremony was launched for the TV awards, and in 2017, the event became a separate event, named the Chicago International Television Festival. Winners and runners-up for the various categories, which include Gold and Silver Hugos, are listed on the film festival website.^[46][47]

• Chicago International Children's Film Festival
• Chicago International Documentary Film Festival
• Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival
• Chicago Underground Film Festival
• List of film festivals