Facility Rental
A CONTEMPORARY SETTING
IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
Located in the heart of Chicago's bustling theatre district, the Gene Siskel Film Center is the loop's contemporary alternative for business meetings and special events. With two state-of-the-art movie theaters and a sunlight-filled Cafe/Gallery overlooking State Street, the Gene Siskel Film Center provides a sophisticated yet comfortable setting for corporate events, luncheons, presentations, screenings, and private receptions.
Facilities
Download the floorplan of our facility (PDF)
• Theater 1 seating capacity: 197
• Theater 2 seating capacity: 61
• Gallery/Café reception capacity: 200 | Café table seating capacity: 100
Availability
The Gene Siskel Film Center theaters are available for rental weekdays before 5 p.m., weekends before 2 p.m. The Gallery/Café is available both days and evenings. Since we are a movie theater open to the public seven days a week, the Gene Siskel Film Center is only occasionally available for evening rentals and must be booked 2 - 3 months in advance. All basic rental fees include projectionist, management, concession staff (for groups of 100 or more) and housekeeping personnel.
Download our Rental Rates (PDF)
For not-for-profit rental rates for organizations with 501(c)3 status or organizations with other questions, please contact: Jean de St. Aubin at 312.846.2076 or jdestaubin@saic.edu
Concessions and Catering
The Gene Siskel Film Center can provide wine, beer, water, soda, and other basic movie theater concessions. Clients may also use any licensed caterer for their food and beverage needs.
Download a list of recommended caterers (PDF)
Technical Capabilities
Our facilities are capable of projecting traditional 35mm and 16mm film in addition to a wide array of video formats.
For specific questions regarding film, video and audio, please contact Brandon Doherty at 312.846.2080 or bdoher@saic.edu
Download our Technical Capabilities Sheet (PDF)
What our clients have to say...
“We’ve been returning to the Siskel Film Center every year since 2002 to hold our seminars. Fantastic city, fantastic location, fantastic venue.”
—Louis Rosenfeld, co-author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
The Gene Siskel Film Center theater in which we screened CERTIFIABLY JONATHAN is excellent in every way. The digital projection is razor sharp and the surround sound system has great clarity and presence. The seats are comfortable and angled so that everyone has an unobstructed view of the screen. It is a tastefully decorated, welcoming theater space. The area outside the theaters was perfect for our 120-person reception. It has space for tables, a buffet, and a wet bar. The whole complex has a great vibe. It’s a new space, but you can feel a classic love of cinema in the atmosphere. I can’t wait to come back!
—Jim Pasternak, producer of CERTIFIABLY JONATHAN
“The Gene Siskel Film Center provided a perfect venue to host our press launch for Looptopia. The theater lobby proved a perfect site for our specific program that incorporated several components including a breakfast reception, a multi-media presentation in the theater and visual displays with music throughout. The Center’s state-of-the art technology and expert staff enabled us to showcase our event in a dazzling way. Everyone was a pleasure to work with--professional and accommodating at every turn!”
—Ty Tabing, Executive Director, Chicago Loop Alliance
To book your event please call the Executive Director of the Gene Siskel Film Center, Jean de St. Aubin at 312.846.2076
