#‘The Bikeriders’ to Close 2023 Chicago International Film Festival (Exclusive)

Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders has been selected as the closing night film for the 2023 edition of the Chicago International Film Festival.

The Bikeriders is a fictional story that follows the members of a ’60s midwestern motorcycle club. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography, the cast includes Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy, along with Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus and Michael Shannon, who is also appearing at this year’s festival with his directorial debut Eric Larue.

Writer-director Nichols will also be the recipient of an Artistic Achievement Award as part of the festival’s 59th year celebration.

“From his feature debut Shotgun Stories, which had its U.S. premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2007, to his stunning follow-ups Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special, Loving, and his latest achievement The Bikeriders, Jeff Nichols’ work is remarkable for the stunning performances he elicits from his actors (including with frequent collaborator Michael Shannon) combined with a profound understanding of the human spirit and the often overlooked corners of American life,” said Mimi Plauché, Chicago International Film Festival’s artistic director, in a statement.

Minhal Baig’s We Grown Now was previously announced as the festival’s opening night film, with Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn set as the Centerpiece selection. David Fincher’s The Killer, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall; writer-director Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest; and George C. Wolfe’s Rustin are also slated to screen.

North America’s longest-running competitive film fest, the Chicago International Film Festival is running Oct. 11-22 at venues across the city including the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Hamilton Park Cultural Center in Englewood, Harrison Park in Pilsen, the Museum of Contemporary Art and more.

The full slate of films for the festival’s 59th edition, presented by Cinema/Chicago and held both in-person and virtually, will be announced Sept. 18. Opening night tickets are currently on sale, with the rest of the festival’s presentations going on sale Sept. 22.