LINCOLN PARK — For film lovers and physical-media fanatics, the Criterion Closet is a holy grail, a compact room lined floor to ceiling with Blu-rays of some of the greatest films ever made.
This weekend, in partnership with the Chicago International Film Festival, local cinephiles will get the chance to step inside. Criterion’s Mobile Closet, a traveling version of the internet-famous space, will be in Lincoln Park for three days, giving Chicagoans a few precious minutes in movie heaven.
The Criterion Mobile Closet will be parked at NEWCITY Lincoln Park, 1457 N. Halsted St., Friday through Sunday. This is the Closet’s first visit to Chicago.
“We love curation,” said Vivian Teng, managing director of the Chicago International Film Festival. “Just like how we consider ourselves curators of international independent film, Criterion shares that same philosophy. We both serve cinephiles and film lovers.”
Founded in 1984, Criterion set out to preserve and celebrate the world’s greatest films, beginning with restored LaserDisc editions of “Citizen Kane” and “King Kong.” Over the decades, it has grown into a catalog of more than 1,700 titles from over 50 countries, available on Blu-ray, DVD and the Criterion Channel streaming platform.
The Criterion Collection, as The New York Times once put it, has “a catalog so synonymous with cinematic achievement that it has come to function as a kind of film Hall of Fame … the arbiter of what makes a great movie.”
The Closet itself became a cult favorite through Criterion’s long-running “Closet Picks” video series, where actors, directors and musicians are invited to pick their favorite titles and explain why they matter to them. Watching them feels like flipping through shelves at a Blockbuster video store with Josh Brolin and Cate Blanchett.
Last year, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Criterion took the Closet on the road. The Mobile Closet has since made stops in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, drawing long lines as fans waited hours for just a few minutes inside.
The Criterion Collection announced its Chicago stop by photoshopping its mobile closet into a scene from Michael Mann’s 1981 film “Thief,” starring James Caan. Credit: Criterion Collection.
The Criterion Closet’s arrival in Chicago is more than a novelty stop. It’s a meeting of two institutions that have long defined what it means to love film.
For more than six decades, the Chicago International Film Festival has championed independent and international filmmakers. Criterion, meanwhile, has built its legacy by preserving and celebrating the art form itself.
“Chicago has such a passionate audience of film lovers and filmmakers,” Teng said. “There’s an incredible appreciation for cinema here, with places like the Music Box, the Gene Siskel Film Center, and Facets. Film is such an important part of how people connect, enjoy and consume culture here.”
When Teng saw Criterion debut the Mobile Closet in New York last year, she and other organizers of CIFF put the word out that Chicago should be one of the next stops.
“We’re a film city,” she said. “We reached out, started a conversation, pitched the idea and a few months later they were really excited about it. We wanted to make sure people here had access to that experience.”
Visitors will get three minutes inside the mobile Closet, which is the same exact dimensions as the real closet at Criterion’s headquarters in New York, give or take a few inches. The closet will be stocked with more than 1,700 Blu-rays from the Criterion Collection.
Entry is first come, first served. No tickets or reservations are needed, just a plan and a little patience.
Once inside, visitors will get a tote bag and printed pocket guide for the closet. Up to five people can share a visit, and the folks at Criterion recommend making friends in line and going in as a group, something Teng said is bound to happen.
“You’re strangers in line, but you’re all united by this love of film,” Teng said. “People end up finding their people, talking about favorite directors, swapping recommendations. That’s what makes it so special.”
The closet has a built-in phone mount so visitors can film their own “Closet Picks” segment. At the end of the three minutes, visitors can buy up to three titles at 40 percent off.
Teng was able to visit the mobile closet when it made a stop in Los Angeles.
“It’s stressful,” she said. “You only have three minutes, so every second counts. I thought I knew which three films I’d pick, but once you see everything, you change your mind completely.”
Her advice? Have a strategy before going in the closet. And wear comfortable shoes.
She said the experience, even the hours spent waiting in line, becomes its own kind of film festival.
“When you’re in line that long, you make friends, you talk about film,” Teng said. “After a screening, people linger in the hallways talking about what they saw or what they’re about to see. It’s all part of the community that forms around film.”
Director Kevin Shaw chronicles the rise, fall and rise again of the Jackie Robinson West Little League team in the world premiere of “One Golden Summer.” Credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival, the nation’s longest-running competitive film festival, opened Wednesday with the world premiere of “One Golden Summer,” a documentary by South Side director Kevin Shaw chronicling the rise and fall of the Jackie Robinson West Little League team. The festival runs through Oct. 26.
The festival will screen hundreds of films from around the world alongside panels and pop-up screenings.
Teng said collaborations like the Criterion Closet experience help reinforce Chicago’s identity as a place where film lovers, and filmmakers, can thrive.
“You’re strangers in a theater, but really you’re all connected — united by a love of cinema and what you’re about to see,” Teng said. “The same thing happens in line for the Closet. You find your people, share favorites, talk about what you love. It’s all about that sense of community.”
For more information on the mobile closet’s stop in Chicago, visit Criterion’s website here.
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