Film Fest Kicks off

By Andrew Ledet
Monday, October 9, 2006
Viewed 7172 times.

Dustin Hoffman and Will Ferrell were in town to kick-off the festival and promote their new film, Stranger than Fiction.

More than three thousand film enthusiasts gathered Thursday at the Chicago Theater for opening night of the 42nd Annual Chicago International Film Festival.

The stars and public filled the Chicago Theater for the presentation of the Gold Hugo award for a lifetime of achievement to Hoffman. The two-time Academy Award winner and seven-time nominee urged writers to continue being creative in their scripts. In his acceptance speech he thanked his wife and joked about the size of the award. Hoffman said the Gold Hugo is two inches taller than the Oscar and that he sympathizes.

Ferrell said while he was here for the filming of the movie he started the day by taking swims in the river to get his blood flowing. Ferrell arrived wearing a navy CTA sweater as a tribute to the city of Chicago.

Stranger than Fiction was shot in Chicago. The comedy revolves around an author trying to kill-off the main character (Ferrell) of the book. The twist is that the main character is a real person who hears the author narrating his life.

The film festival runs through October 19th featuring over 100 films. Screenings will take place at the AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.), Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark St), and Thorne Auditorium (375 E. Chicago Ave.).

Student tickets are available at a discounted rate.