The Films I Never See

I must have missed a thousand film festivals since I’ve lived in the city, because they’re going on all the time. If it’s not the B-Fest—a 24-hour marathon of “B” movies—that my friend looks forward to every year, it’s the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF)—the largest festival of films for children in North America.

Actually, I attended my first ever CICFF chaperoning a field trip last October with my daughter’s fifth-grade class. One of the films we saw and loved—The Danish Poet—won this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Just last weekend, my husband and I ran into some old friends and colleagues of mine at a vintage film series held in the auditorium of a LaSalle Bank on the Northwest side. We, and a whole lot of others, decided it was a night to see a 1937 Warner Bros. film called The Great Garrick.

And last night began a four-night documentary film series on hip-hop music. Though I tried my hardest to figure out a way to make the 7pm show time (I even contemplated bringing my daughters along), it just didn’t work out. But because I have an inexplicable urge to understand the hip-hop genre and culture, I told myself I would try to catch the next three nights.

But today was the beginning of Spring Break, and we had friends over at our house after school. We were drinking cappuccino, and later, wine. After a while, we decided to order Thai food, and open another bottle of wine. I’m afraid I forgot all about the hip-hop film fest.

But I like knowing the fest was running, and that I still have two more chances to catch it.