🎬 OAK PARK GOES TO THE MOVIES
Oak Park IL Film Festival 2026 Returns September 16, 19 & 20
Opening Night with Tavi Gevinson • Independent Films • Documentaries • Shorts • Animation • Filmmaker Q&As • Industry Panels
You don't have to head downtown for an independent film festival this September.
The Oak Park IL Film Festival returns for its third year September 16, 19 and 20, bringing three days of movies, filmmakers and special events to two Oak Park venues.
And this isn't just a collection of random independent films.
Every movie shown at the festival has an Oak Park connection through its cast, crew, filmmaker, subject, story or filming location.
The festival opens Wednesday night at the historic Lake Theatre before moving to Madison Street Theater for a full weekend of independent films, filmmaker Q&As, industry discussions and awards.
Here’s what’s happening.
📍 TWO VENUES — THREE DAYS
Everything kicks off Wednesday night at Lake Theatre, then the festival moves to Madison Street Theater for a full weekend of films, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels and awards.
🎬 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 — LAKE THEATRE
Opening Night • Tavi Gevinson Presentation & Interview • Enough Said
🎥 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 — MADISON STREET THEATER
Independent Film Blocks • Filmmaker Q&As • Animation Industry Presentation • Saturday After Dark
🏆 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 — MADISON STREET THEATER
Documentaries & Independent Films • Filmmaker Industry Panel • Awards Ceremony
Lake Theatre1022 Lake St., Oak Park
Madison Street Theater1010 Madison St., Oak Park
🌟 WEDNESDAY: OPENING NIGHT WITH TAVI GEVINSON
📍 Lake Theatre1022 Lake St., Oak Park
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 6:30 PM
Opening Night begins with photos and a festival welcome before a special presentation and recorded interview with Oak Park native Tavi Gevinson.
Gevinson grew up in Oak Park and attended Oak Park and River Forest High School. She first gained national attention after launching her fashion blog Style Rookie at only 11 years old and later founded Rookie Magazine at 15.
Her career has since expanded to Broadway, television and film.
Following the presentation, the festival screens the 2013 comedy-drama Enough Said, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini.
The film follows two divorced parents navigating a new relationship while simultaneously dealing with their children leaving home.
📍 TWO VENUES — THREE DAYS
Everything kicks off Wednesday night at Lake Theatre, then the festival moves to Madison Street Theater for a full weekend of films, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels and awards.
🎬 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 — LAKE THEATRE
Opening Night • Tavi Gevinson Presentation & Interview • Enough Said
🎥 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 — MADISON STREET THEATER
Independent Film Blocks • Filmmaker Q&As • Animation Industry Presentation • Saturday After Dark
🏆 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 — MADISON STREET THEATER
Documentaries & Independent Films • Filmmaker Industry Panel • Awards Ceremony
Lake Theatre1022 Lake St., Oak Park
Madison Street Theater1010 Madison St., Oak Park
🍿 OPENING NIGHT
6:30 PM — Event begins + photos
7:00 PM — Opening remarks and Tavi Gevinson presentation/interview
🎥 Screening of Enough Said
🎥 SATURDAY: INDEPENDENT FILM TAKES OVER OAK PARK
📍 Madison Street Theater
1010 Madison St., Oak Park
📅 Saturday, September 19
Saturday is the festival's biggest day, with screenings beginning in the morning and continuing into the evening.
Rather than simply running one film after another, the festival organizes its selections into themed blocks.
🔓 10:20 AM — BREAKING FREE
Characters Feeling Trapped
The first group of films explores characters trying to escape circumstances, expectations and situations holding them back.
The block includes:
BoredCall Me Speed!Space HustlerEighteenThe Knot JobHot Water
A filmmaker Q&A follows the screenings.
👩 1:30 PM — DIVINE FEMININE
Women Claiming Their Power
The afternoon shifts toward stories centered on women, identity and finding your voice.
The block includes films such as Corners of Girlhood and Sing a Black Girl Song, followed by another filmmaker Q&A.
🎨 3 PM — INSIDE THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY
Animation producer Charlie Sweitzer joins the festival for an industry presentation.
His credits include projects connected with The Mighty Nein, Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld, Pantheon, Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, Astro Boy, 9 and Curious George.
If you're interested in how animation actually gets made, this might be one of the weekend's hidden gems.
🤝 4 PM — COMMUNITY
Systems of Belief & Identity
Saturday afternoon turns toward films examining community, identity and the systems that shape the way we see ourselves and one another.
🔥 SATURDAY AFTER DARK
7:15 PM — MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
Saturday night gets considerably darker.
If thrillers, suspense and slightly twisted stories are more your speed, this is probably your block.
Among the selections:
🎥 CLOUT
A pursuit of internet attention becomes an increasingly toxic obsession.
🎥 THE HITCHHIKER
A stranded driver accepts a ride from a stranger who may not be what he seems.
🎥 HOT WATER
A corrupt judge is kidnapped and forced to confess before a pot of water boils.
Yeah.
We're intrigued too.
☀️ SUNDAY: DOCUMENTARIES, STORIES & AWARDS
📍 Madison Street Theater
📅 Sunday, September 20
The festival returns Sunday morning for another full slate of films and industry programming.
🌎 10:15 AM — LEGACY & IMPACT
Sunday begins with stories about people, communities and the impact they leave behind.
Films include:
Be the People
Belly Button Chapter 2 - Mezcal
Generating Our Future
Lou Holtz: 60 Minutes To Play and a Lifetime To Remember
Nasty
One we're especially interested in is Be the People, which follows six people from the Oak Park community working to make a positive difference.
That's about as Oak Park as an Oak Park film festival gets.
🎬 12:15 PM — SO YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOVIE?
Sunday also includes an industry panel focused on resources available to directors and filmmakers, including expertise involving performers, stunt work and distribution.
It's one of the things we like about this festival: you don't have to be a filmmaker to attend, but aspiring filmmakers can get considerably more out of the weekend than simply watching movies.
❤️ 1:45 PM — TRANSITIONS
Coping With Loss
The final film block examines transition, grief and moving forward after loss.
The festival then wraps up with:
🏆 4 PM Awards Ceremony
followed by an informal reception.
🍿 DISCOVER BERWYN PICKS
With an entire weekend of films, these are a few that caught our attention.
🎥 ABEL
A documentary about a photographer who suddenly loses his sight and reflects on how losing his vision changed the way he sees the world.
🎥 BE THE PEOPLE
Six members of the Oak Park community try to create positive change around them.
🎥 BELLY BUTTON — CHAPTER 2 MEZCAL
A short documentary exploring traditional mezcal production and the preservation of Indigenous culinary traditions.
🎥 SAHAR
A documentary portrait of first- and second-generation Muslim immigrants in Chicago.
🎥 SURVIVING ZENDIK FARM
Former members of the utopian Zendik Farm community reflect on their experiences and rebuilding their lives after leaving.
🎥 HOT WATER
A kidnapped corrupt judge. A forced confession. And a boiling pot of water.
Sometimes that's all we need to know.
🎟️ PLAN YOUR VISIT
OPENING NIGHT
📍 Lake Theatre1022 Lake St., Oak Park
📅 Wednesday, Sept. 16
⏰ 6:30–10 PM
The Lake Theatre is about two blocks from both the Harlem Green Line station and Oak Park Metra station.
WEEKEND FILM FESTIVAL
📍 Madison Street Theater1010 Madison St., Oak Park
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20
Madison Street Theater is roughly four blocks from the Harlem Green Line, Harlem Blue Line and Oak Park Metra station.
Both festival venues are accessible.
🎫 FILMS, SCHEDULE & TICKETS
Festival information and schedules can change, so check the official festival pages before heading out.
👉 Oak Park IL Film Festival:https://www.opilff.org/
👉 2026 Festival:https://www.opilff.org/2026-fest
👉 2026 Film Lineup:https://www.opilff.org/2026-films
👉 Complete Schedule:https://www.opilff.org/2026-schedule
👉 Tickets:https://www.opilff.org/tickets
🍂 LOOKING FOR MORE TO DO THIS FALL?
Film isn't the only thing happening around the western suburbs this month.
Our 2026 Fall Festival Guide has 30+ festivals, Oktoberfests, food events, live music and community celebrations happening around Berwyn, Chicago and the western suburbs.
🍺 Oktoberfests
🎸 Live music
🌮 Food festivals
🎡 Community festivals
🍂 Fall events
📬 DON'T MISS WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT
We spend the week looking for the festivals, restaurants, concerts, neighborhood events and hidden gems worth getting out of the house for.
You don't have to.
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✓ Weekend events
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