Robert Zemeckis to be honored at 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Oscar-winning director and Chicago native Robert Zemeckis will return to his hometown on October 27 to receive the Founder’s Legacy Award during the closing night of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF ). The award will be presented by CIFF founder Michael Kutza at the newly renovated Music Box Theatre. The night will include a screening of Zemeckis’ highly anticipated film “Here,” which marks his first reunion in 30 years with “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, as well as screenwriter Eric Roth. (“Here” will open in theaters Nov. 1.)

Reuniting the director, writer, and stars of Forrest Gump, “Here” is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the most relatable of human experiences. Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Castaway, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Contact, Back to the Future) directs from a screenplay co-written by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Killers of the Flower Moon, Dune, A Star Is Born). Told much in the style of Richard McGuire’s acclaimed graphic novel, upon which it is based, Hanks and Wright star in a tale of love, loss, laughter, and life, all of which happen right “Here.”

Zemeckis received a Career Achievement Award for The Polar Express, also starring Tom Hanks, which held its World Premiere as the Closing Night film in 2004. And in 2012, Flight, starring Denzel Washington, closed the festival with Zemeckis receiving the Founder’s Award.

The Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct.16-27, with screenings at AMC NewCity14 , the Music Box Theatre , the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Chicago History Museum, among other locations. Opening night will feature an adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson, with director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington in attendance. (For tickets and more info, please visit: chicagofilmfestival.com/ )

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