Aurora’s 2nd Annual City of Lights Film Festival opens tonight at 6:30pm with the Aurora premiere of the family dramedy All Happy Families, shot and set in Chicago, at Two Brothers Roundhouse in downtown Aurora.
Cast and crew from the film will join festival goers in the Tavern Room during the festival’s opening night—which will feature a cocktail hour, community panel with local film organizations, and a Q&A with the talent behind All Happy Families.
Day two of the festival will start at 11am on Saturday as independent films will screen across three different venues in downtown Aurora. Documentaries, features, and short films will be shown alongside the festival’s newest entry, music videos.
Films selected for entry include the 2024 Sundance Official Selection, Good One, and the Spanish-language documentary Brimstone & Glory, which centers on the community of Tultepec, Mexico—home of the National Pyrotechnic Festival, which celebrates San Juan de Dios, patron saint of firework makers.
Saturday night will close the festival at The Venue (21 S Broadway), where Cole Bennett—founder of music video production company, Lyrical Lemonade—will be on-site to speak about his history directing artists in Chicago, building a brand, and media production at large.
Tickets to the festival are available now at www.aurora-il.org/FilmFestival. Patrons can join the City of Lights Film Festival on Friday night, for Saturday screenings, Saturday night—or all three. Popcorn provided by Garrett Popcorn Shops.