As Chicago’s premier art house cinema, the Gene Siskel Film Center is proud to support Cinema Femme’s unique coverage of the Sundance Film Festival. We believe the film industry is better when it includes a wide range of perspectives from filmmakers as well as journalists, and look forward to reading Cinema Femme’s unique take on this year’s edition of Sundance.

–Emily Long, Executive Director of The Gene Siskel Film Center

This is our fourth year covering Sundance and second year covering Slamdance. We are so happy to have the Gene Siskel Film Center as a sponsor for our coverage two years in a row! We’ve had a relationship with the Siskel ever since the beginning of Cinema Femme. They were one of our strongest supporters in the Chicago film community. I love how this relationship continues to grow and evolve over the years.

The Gene Siskel Film Center is really one of the only art house cinemas left in Chicago, and Rebecca Fons does an amazing job with their programming. During the pandemic, Rebecca stepped in to fill Barbara Scharres’ “45 tenure” shoes as the Director of Programming. The new Executive Director, Emily Long, has followed in the footsteps of Jean de St. Aubin as a supporter of our work. Emily started her tenure as ED last year. And Karen Durham, previous Associate Director of Public Relations and Marketing, was so great about connecting us with filmmakers who were screening at the Film Center over the years. Lori Hile does the same and has followed in Karen’s footsteps. I just love seeing the generations of women who lead that organization. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

Our Sundance and Slamdance 2024 coverage is sponsored by the Gene Siskel Film Center. One of the last arthouse theaters in Chicago, they present a curated collection of international, independent, and classic cinema reflective of Chicago’s diverse community. Learn more.

Emily Long – Executive Director

Emily Long is the Executive Director of the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to joining the Siskel, Emily was the Director of Development at Kartemquin Films, a nonprofit documentary production company based in Chicago, and also served as the Assistant Director of Development at Film at Lincoln Center, home of the New York Film Festival. Emily holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University, and a B.F.A. in Theater from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Rebecca Fons – Director of Programming

Rebecca Fons is Director of Programming at the Gene Siskel Film Center, a public program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and serves as the Development and Programming Director for the historic Iowa Theater in her hometown of Winterset, IA. Rebecca previously served as Programming Director for FilmScene in Iowa City, IA; Director of Film at the John and Nancy Hughes Theater in Lake Forest, IL; and as Education Director for The Chicago International Film Festival for nearly a decade. Rebecca received her MA from Columbia College Chicago and BA from the University of Iowa. She is co-founder of the Chicago event series Destroy Your Art, and has proudly served on screening committees and juries for festivals across the country, including True/False, SXSW, the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Hawaii International Film Festival. 

Lori Hile – Associate Director of Marketing and Communications 

Lori Hile is the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for the Gene Siskel Film Center. Lori joined the Film Center in 2014, after serving  as the Publicity Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival and a District Marketing Manager and Community Relations Manager with Borders Books & Music. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a double-major in English Literature and Philosophy. She is pursuing her MFA in Writing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and holds a two-year graduate certificate in Creative Nonfiction Writing from the University of Chicago. Lori is also a writer who has published 12 non-fiction books for young adults as well as numerous magazine articles.