Chicago Cinema Weekend will bring indie films to local theaters March 19-21

Chicago moviegoers will have a new reason to visit the city’s independent theaters next spring. The first Chicago Cinema Weekend is scheduled for March 19-21, 2027, with screenings, special programs and giveaways organized by the Chicago Film Office and chicagoscreens.org.

Participating locations include Music Box Theatre, Gene Siskel Film Center, Facets Film Forum and the Claudia Cassidy Theater inside the Chicago Cultural Center. The lineup will span new independent films and older movies made in Chicago, with some screenings available at no charge. Individual titles and the full schedule have not yet been announced.

Local film festivals will also contribute selections. The Chicago International Film Festival, Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival and the One Earth Film Festival will present popular films from the festival season. Retrospectives are planned as another part of the weekend, offering audiences opportunities to revisit films together on a theater screen.

The event comes as participating local cinemas report growing attendance. According to the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals, which runs chicagoscreens.org, its venue members reported ticket-sales increases ranging from 45% to 95% between 2023 and 2025. Those members include Music Box, Gene Siskel Film Center and Facets. Separately, a 2025 Art House Convergence survey found that a quarter of respondents had started attending an independent cinema within the previous three years.

Executive producer Karen Cardarelli, formerly executive director of Facets Film Forum, sees that interest as a desire for shared cultural experiences. Local venues have added features such as pop-up bars, lounges and film trivia nights. She also described growing enthusiasm for retrospectives among people who first watched movies alone on laptops and now want to experience them with an audience.

For Chicago residents, the weekend will connect several theaters and festivals through one coordinated celebration of independent film. Organizers hope the collaboration can serve as an example for other cities. Additional participants are expected in the coming months, with more programming details due early in 2027.