The 58th Chicago International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday night with a red carpet and two screenings at Music Box Theatre. An entire block on Southport Avenue was blocked off for the opening night party, which was free and open to the public. Vendors, improv performers, food trucks and more covered the street to build excitement for the start of the film festival.

Two very different films had their Chicago premieres to open the festival: a documentary called “A Compassionate Spy” about a University of Chicago student who worked on The Manhattan Project. Once he realized what he was working on, he became a spy for the Soviet Union. The second movie was a slasher called “Sick” set in the early days of the Coronavirus quarantine.

“A Compassionate Spy” is directed by Steve James, a documentary filmmaker who is best known for the award-winning “Hoop Dreams.” His documentaries focus on emotional stories of humanity, most of which take place in Chicago. James was in attendance for opening night. He was interviewed on the red carpet, introduced his film and held a question-and-answer session with his cast and crew after the screening. 

“I’ve been in Chicago for 37 years now and this is the first time I’ve had a film open the Chicago International Film Festival,” James said. “I’ve had some films in this festival over the years, which has been great, but this is really special.”

Many of James’ movies have a connection to Chicago, but that is not what drew him to make “A Compassionate Spy.” 

“It wasn’t the Chicago connection that made me want to tell this story,” James said. “It was Ted’s story and Joan’s story, this love story between these two very young people and this very brash thing he did at the age of 19. I just think when I was 19, I was slobbering into my beer at a party, which is very different from what Ted Hall was doing.”

The large crowd that had gathered for the opening night block party excited James. 

“I just hope they’ll all see the movie,” James joked. “I think the block party is a fantastic idea. This festival has come to embrace the whole Chicago community instead of just a festival that shows movies downtown at the AMC. It has really expanded its reach into the community and that is great.”

James also offered advice to the aspiring filmmakers at DePaul. 

“It is good to have a skill that people will hire you to do,” James said. “Be an editor, be a shooter, be a producer, do production design. Have a skill that people will hire you to do…It is good to know how to make a living while working in the business instead of making ends meet with other things as you pursue your passion.”

James was not the only person on the red carpet with advice for rising filmmakers at DePaul. Mickey O’Sullivan plays an FBI agent who investigated Ted Hall for espionage in “A Compassionate Spy.” 

“Stick with it,” O’Sullivan said. “Work begets work. If you want to work, be sure to offer up your services. Make sure to keep learning and growing. Take on all sorts of different jobs. There is a reason the credits roll for a really long time at the end of a movie. The more that you know about different positions in this industry, the more useful you are as a problem solver.”

Mimi Plauche is the artistic director for the Chicago International Film Festival who thinks highly of DePaul’s film program. 

“We see a lot of good film coming out of DePaul,” Plauche said. “The students in the program are always very impressive. We are always impressed by the quality of work coming out of the program.”

Plauche offered advice for film students when submitting films to festivals. 

“When you are submitting… just think about what your film is and what kind of festival it fits into,” Plauche said. “Having awareness to what kind of film you are making and who your target audience is is just as important as the quality of work.”

The Chicago International Film Festival runs from Oct. 12 through Oct. 23. Most of the screenings are at AMC River East, with a handful at the Gene Siskel Film Center and special events at Music Box Theatre.