The Chicago Film Society is excited to announce programming for the second edition of Celluloid Now: another four days of screenings, workshops, and related events showcasing the work of analog filmmakers and artists alongside archival rediscoveries and restorations. The full program can be found at https://celluloidnow.org/2023-program/

2022 marked the first ever Celluloid Now analog film showcase. We featured over 50 shorts, all on film, from some of our very favorite filmmakers, stretched across four exciting days and nights. The films ranged from the regional to international, from Chicago to Mumbai. Analog film remains an international phenomenon, ever relevant and increasingly popular. We are proud to continue receiving prints from all over the world, providing us with the ability to showcase the strength and breadth of analog filmmaking today and yesterday.

In May of 2023, Celluloid Now once again opened free submissions, receiving a bounty of films from some of our very favorite filmmakers, as well as emerging analog artists. The Chicago Film Society remains dedicated to supporting analog filmmakers in an effort to keep film a viable exhibition medium, offering a screening fee to all participating filmmakers.

This year we’re proud to present over 65 analog short films, many from right here in Chicago. For Celluloid Now’s second round, all programs will continue to be screened in 35mm, 16mm, or super 8 film. Prints are currently making their way to us from across the world, from as close to home as Chicago, and as far away as Buenos Aires. Celluloid Now features the work of filmmakers from Canada, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan, including several selections never before screened in the United States.

2023 marks 16mm’s centennial. Celluloid Now will observe this anniversary by kicking things off with a two-part program and Film Party celebrating this enduring, wondrous, and one-of-a-kind film gauge. Over 50 16mm films will be shown across the four days of festivities, programs, and technical demonstrations.

Beyond new work, Celluloid Now also features a selection of new preservation prints from some of the most dedicated organizations in wide-ranging world of analog film, including Madeline Tourtelot’s Reflections (courtesy of Chicago Film Archives), Judith Wardwell’s Plastic Blag (courtesy of Pacific Film Archives), and the Chicago Film Society’s own preservations of essential local shorts by Edward Owens and Heather McAdams.  

Celluloid Now will also feature a demonstration-based workshop on optical audio led by projectionists from the Chicago Film Society, culminating in a live performance from filmmaker Tomonari Nishikawa. Additionally, from September 19th through October 22nd, Celluloid Now will be co-presenting a new 16mm looping installation from Chicago film artist Jiayi Chen with Buddy, located inside the Chicago Cultural Center.

Celluloid Now will be hosted at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Constellation, and the Chicago Cultural Center. All Celluloid Now programs at the Cultural Center will be offered for free.