The Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) is a behemoth, and one of the oldest film festivals in the United States, currently celebrating its 57th year. This 2021 festival, which runs from October 13th-24th, features screenings in theaters, at a drive-in, as well as streams virtually online, showcasing over 80 films and more than 60 shorts films from around the world. While the New York Film Festival (NYFF) is two years its senior, CIFF is North America’s oldest “competitive” film festival, as NYFF posits itself as non-competitive festival dedicated to cinephiles.

But most don’t know that CIFF has a robust genre offering embedded in their programming called AFTER DARK that has been expanding steadily over the years. This year that section is about to get a major push into our consciousness, and nightmares, thanks in large measure to the series’ new programmer, to Raúl Benitez , who is proactively pushing for more visibility and who has hustled to attract more high-caliber mainstream productions and unique eerie indie gems. Look for our interview with Raúl coming later this week as LATIN HORROR kicks off a new segment called ‘MEET THE PROGRAMMER,’ that will showcase the unsung ghouls and ghouleh (or is it ghoulex these days?) who bring the frights at genre-centered film festivals.