Join 300+ fellow film professionals and fans for an exciting evening of dancing, entertainment, a unique silent auction, food by Cocina Fusion, and networking with the who's who in Chicago's film and television scene at this annual fundraiser! More exciting details to come! Dress code: Cocktail attire

Magic Hour Event Details

Date: Thursday November 30, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM CST
Venue: Wildman Boiler & Tank Co.
3022 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL

**VIP TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT**

**Tickets are not available at the door. Ticket sales end on Wednesday, November 29 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Must have a ticket to enter.**

IFA members can reserve their ticket in our IFA Member Portal

Governor JB Pritzker | Visionary Leadership Award

Governor JB Pritzker was sworn in as the 43rd Governor of Illinois on Jan. 14, 2019. Since taking office, he has accomplished one of the most ambitious and consequential policy agendas in state history.

The governor won bipartisan passage for Rebuild Illinois, the largest investment in state history to upgrade roads, bridges, rail, broadband, and schools. He overcame years of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois by proposing and passing a balanced budget every year, eliminating the state’s multi-billion dollar bill backlog, reducing the state’s pension liability, and achieving six credit upgrades from rating agencies. He took bold action to put state government back on the side of working families by creating jobs, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, protecting reproductive rights, making university and community college education more affordable, and advancing equal pay for women.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pritzker saved lives and livelihoods by prioritizing the health and safety of Illinois residents while supporting families and businesses through the COVID-induced recession. To protect hardworking families from additional hardship, one of the defining features of the governor’s response to the COVID financial crisis was launching the nation’s largest pandemic relief grant program for small businesses and the nation’s largest housing assistance program.

In 2021, Governor Pritzker proposed and signed a comprehensive clean energy bill, making Illinois a national leader on climate action and the first state in the Midwest to pass a law phasing out fossil fuels.

Before becoming governor, Pritzker founded 1871, the non-profit small business incubator in Chicago. Since its creation, Chicago has been named one of the top ten technology startup hubs in the world, and 1871 was named the best incubator in the world. As governor, he continues to expand support for new business creation throughout the state and cut taxes for hundreds of thousands of small businesses while incentivizing job creation. Since 2019, annual new business startups in Illinois have grown by nearly 70%. Illinois now has the largest growth in small business creation among the largest states in the nation, beating states like California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Governor Pritzker and his wife, MK, have been married for more than 25 years, and they are the proud parents of daughter, Teddi, and son, Don.

The Film Office and the Governor have worked in tandem to ensure Chicago remains a top choice for filmmakers to work and build a career.

Since taking office in 2018, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Film Office have brought in more than $2 billion in revenue for the state stemming from the economic activity of film and television production in Illinois. The expanded Illinois film tax credit, enacted in 2022, is among the most successful in the nation, attracting businesses from across the country while protecting and creating Illinois jobs. In addition, the film tax credit also includes a Workforce Development Fund training program to increase diversity across film industry jobs. The Illinois Film Office, headed by Peter Hawley, implements the film tax credit and assists filmmakers with location scouting and production, and is an integral part of Illinois’ workforce development program within the film production industry.

We are thrilled to announce that Minhal Baig is the recipient of this year's Breakthrough Voice Award, which is given to an individual whose work has already received professional acclaim and who demonstrates an exceptional level of quality and storytelling integrity. 

Baig grew up in Rogers Park and attended Chicago Public Schools, graduating from Northside College Prep. Her first feature film, Hala (2019), was set in Chicago and follows Pakistani American teenager Hala as she struggles to balance desire with her family, cultural and religious obligations. Her most recent film, the critically acclaimed We Grown Now, is set to be released by Sony Pictures Classics in the Spring of 2024. The film centers on two boys, best friends living in Cabrini Green circa 1992. The Hollywood Reporter said in its review that Baig's film is "A film that takes the idea of beauty seriously and works, with deceptve ease, to show us the tiny pleasures that make up life in Cabrini-Green." 

For these reasons and more, IFA Chicago is proud to celebrate Minhal Baig with its Breakthrough Voice Award!