OUR HISTORY
More Than 50 Years of Cinema in Chicago
Founded in 1972 as the Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the Gene Siskel Film Center has spent more than five decades championing independent, international, documentary, and repertory cinema in Chicago. What began as a modest screening program in Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago evolved into one of the nation’s leading nonprofit cinematheques, known for introducing Chicago audiences to groundbreaking filmmakers, world cinema, restorations, artist-made media, and emerging voices from around the globe.
Across three locations — from Fullerton Hall, to Columbus Drive, to our current State Street home — the Siskel Film Center has helped shape Chicago’s art house film culture while remaining rooted in SAIC’s educational and artistic mission. Through decades of innovative programming, the Siskel introduced Chicago audiences to emerging and acclaimed filmmakers, actors, critics, and artists; launched major festivals and signature screening series; and created a space where audiences can discover new perspectives through cinema.
Renamed in honor of legendary Chicago film critic Gene Siskel in 2000, the Siskel Film Center continues to serve as both a world-class art house theater and a vital public forum for film culture in the heart of downtown Chicago.
FULLERTON HALL | 1972–1976
A New Home for World Cinema
“There are two sentences I never get tired of writing: the Film Center at the Art Institute is the single best source of quality films in Chicago; and use the Art Institute’s main, Michigan Avenue entrance.” – Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
Founding the Film Center
- The Film Center opened at its first official site in Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago after Camille Cook was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Early screenings were held on Wednesdays and Fridays with $1 admission.
Early Programming + Visiting Filmmakers
- Early retrospectives included Buster Keaton, Jean Renoir, Milos Forman, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
- The Film Center hosted its first visiting filmmaker, Kenneth Anger, in 1973 (who was so taken with the Film Center that he gifted us his SCORPIO RISING film stills for our archive).
Early Festivals
- The Film Center programmed its first film festival, Films by Women Chicago ‘74, and began presenting the major animation festival Trickfilm Chicago ‘75.
COLUMBUS DRIVE | 1976–2001
Chicago's Home for World Cinema
“Always ahead of the curve (they programmed a Jackie Chan retrospective years before most Americans had heard of him), the Film Center has earned a reputation throughout the film world as one of the most highly regarded showplaces for world cinema anywhere.” – Peter Sobczynski, Chicago Sun-Times
Expanding the Program
- The Film Center opened its new School of the Art Institute of Chicago facility on Columbus Drive in July 1976 with the series Revolutionary Films.
- Throughout the next two decades, the Film Center presented a diverse slate of repertory and international programming, including The Actress on Film (1978), Mizoguchi the Master (1981), Rediscovering French Film (1983), A Salute to Soviet Republics (1987), Young Japanese Cinema (1991), and Moving Pictures: Films by Photographers (1993).
Visiting Filmmakers + Auteurs
- The Columbus Drive location welcomed acclaimed filmmakers, actors, and auteurs including Chantal Ackerman, Wim Wenders, Michael Powell, Dennis Hopper, Toshiro Mifune, Jacques Rivette, Martin Scorsese, Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, Kenneth Branagh, and Edward Yang.
Landmark Festivals
- During this era, the Film Center established its reputation as Chicago’s home for world cinema through the founding of major annual festivals including the Festival of Films from Iran (1989), Black Harvest Film Festival (1995), Asian American Showcase (1996), and the Chicago European Union Film Festival (1997).
STATE STREET | 2001–PRESENT
A State-of-the-Art Art House
“It’s a state-of-the-art facility that can show any known format. The criteria was ‘perfect picture and perfect sound.’” – James Bond, President, Full Aperture Systems
A New Downtown Home
- Renamed in honor of film critic Gene Siskel in 2000 following his death in 1999, the Gene Siskel Film Center moved to its current State Street home in 2001.
- The new theater opened with Starring Chicago, a 24-hour marathon celebrating iconic Chicago films.
Expanded Presentation + Programming
- Designed as a purpose-built art house cinema, the new location expanded the Siskel’s ability to present repertory, international, independent, and archival cinema through high-quality projection, sound, acoustics, and multi-format screening capabilities.
- With two theaters operating seven days a week, the Siskel broadened its programming to include both new releases and repertory favorites, along with concessions and other amenities, for a fuller theatrical experience.
Guests + Renaissance Awards
- Our State Street location has welcomed acclaimed filmmakers, actors, and auteurs including: Nicole Kidman, Roger Ebert, Ray Bradbury, Steve James, Terence Davies, Lucretia Martel, Joie Lee, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Charles Burnett, Ethan Hawke, and Lily Tomlin.The Siskel also honored Renaissance Award recipients including: Robert Downey Jr., Morgan Freedman, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jamie Fox, and Reese Witherspoon.
SAIC + Signature Series
- As a public program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the Siskel Film Center also became home to SAIC’s Conversations at the Edge (CATE) and lecture-series classes, bringing artists, filmmakers, and media-makers into a public cinema setting.
- Popular series have included Settle In, Stranger Than Fiction, Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers, and retrospectives devoted to filmmakers including Abbas Kiarostami, Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, Frederick Wiseman, Agnès Varda, and Werner Herzog.
SHARE YOUR SISKEL STORY
For more than 50 years, the Siskel Film Center has been more than a movie theater. It has been a gathering place for Chicago film lovers—–filled with tales of romance, family, friendship, connections, and unforgettable moments.
What’s your Siskel story?
Do you have a favorite film, festival, or event experience? Have you seen one of your icons? Had an incredible interaction with staff? Met the love of your life? Let us know (and feel free to share more than one story). Thank you for helping us preserve and celebrate over five decades of movies, community, and memories.
Please note: Stories may be featured in future 25 Years on State Street materials, including social media, emails, and promotional assets, and may be lightly edited for clarity and length.
As we celebrate 25 years on State Street, we look forward to the next chapter of cinematic discovery in Chicago.