Gene Siskel Film Center
.jpg) (2021) | |
| Formation | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)3 |
| Purpose | Cinema |
| Location(s) |
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| Coordinates | 41°53′06″N 87°37′41″W / 41.884933°N 87.628180°W |
Parent organization | School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
The Gene Siskel Film Center, formerly The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and commonly referred to as The Film Center or The Gene Siskel, is the cinematheque attached to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is named after popular film critic Gene Siskel.[1][2]
Along with Doc Films at the University of Chicago and the Block Museum of Northwestern University, the Film Center is one of Chicago's key revival houses, and hosts at least one major retrospective per month. Unlike Doc or Block, the Film Center also serves as a venue for first runs of foreign and independent films and is not student-run. Amongst other things, this means the Film Center maintains a year-round staff and does not cease operation when The School of the Art Institute closes for semester breaks.
The Film Center reportedly averages 1,500 screenings a year.[3]
History
The Film Center grew from a monthly cinema series curated by Camille Cook and was established as The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1972.[4] With support from a National Endowment for the Arts grant awarded to Cook, it began screenings in Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago and moved to a new SAIC facility on Columbus Drive in July 1976. Renamed for film critic Gene Siskel in 2000, it moved to its current State Street location in 2001.[5] The current location is directly across the street from the Chicago Theatre and directly south of the ABC Building (itself formerly the Balaban and Katz-ran State–Lake Theater), where Siskel & Ebert and successor series Ebert & Roeper recorded weekly from 1996 until 2008.
In September 1974, the center hosted Films by Women/Chicago '74. Organized by an all-woman collective with support from the Chicago Tribune, the festival presented more than 70 films from around the world and was the most comprehensive survey of women's cinema held in the United States to that point.[6]
The center suspended in-person screenings in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and shifted to virtual programming. It reopened on August 6, 2021, after a 17-month hiatus.[7] In May 2023, Emily Long succeeded Jean de St. Aubin as executive director.[8]
Its current facilities, which consist of two theaters capable of projecting most formats, are considered state-of-the-art.
References
- ↑ Wilmington, Michael (June 11, 2000). "Film Center names new facility for Siskel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Petrakis, John (June 7, 2000). "Ambitious Tarkovsky retrospective opens Gene Siskel Film Center". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Gene Siskel Film Center
- ↑ Emerick, Laura (December 29, 2020). "Film Center's Barbara Scharres closes out a career of bringing the world to Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Our History". Gene Siskel Film Center. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "The Block Museum and Gene Siskel Film Center celebrate 50th anniversary of 'Films by Women/Chicago '74' festival". Northwestern University. September 12, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Gene Siskel Film Center reopens after more than year long hibernation". Chicago Loop Alliance. June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ Phillips, Michael (July 17, 2023). "Siskel Film Center executive director Emily Long: 'How do we overcome the convenience that exists on the couch?'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via Inkl.