Tonight, the stars will descend on Chicago for the opening night of the 43rd Annual Chicago International Film Festival. The kick-off festivities at the Chicago Theatre will include a tribute to legendary Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert as well as the US premiere of the film adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's international bestseller, The Kite Runner. Even if you can't get into this exclusive event, it should at least get you in the mood for the next two weeks, during which Second City cinemas will overflow with first-run films from all over the world. Here are our picks (one per day) for the entire fest. Don't like what you see? Check out the full schedule and make your own choices.

Friday, October 5

Trade Routes (Bulgaria/USA):  Jim Loftus directs this political thriller in which a low-level CIA officer and her disgruntled boss try to strike a deal with the Bulgarian prime minister's top political officer, who desperately needs to finance his campaign. (9:30 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Saturday, October 6

Hallam Foe (UK): Hallam loves to spy on other people, and this talent serves him well when trying to expose the true cause of his mother's death. But when conflicts with his stepmother force him to move from the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh, he's forced to take a deeper look at himself and his own desire for love. (5:15 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Sunday, October 7

The Aerial (Argentina): One family must come together to fight Mr. TV, a diabolical media magnate bent on stealing the world's words. This rich visual feast relies on a tense score and plenty of jaw-dropping action. (5:15 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Monday, October 8

I'm Through With White Girls (USA): Hipster comic book artist Jay Brooks thinks white women are his problem, but after finding a "Halfrican-Canadian" author who seems perfect for him, he's forced to face the fact that fear of commitment may be his biggest obstacle to happiness. (3 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Tuesday, October 9

A Walk Into the Sea (USA): Eager to learn more about her Warhol-obsessed uncle, Danny Williams, who mysteriously disappeared in 1996, Esther Robinson explores his films. The project brings Warhol and his contemporaries (including the Velvet Underground, who are shown here in their earliest stages) into sharp focus. (9:45 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Wednesday, October 10

I Served the King of England (Czech Republic): This black comedy follows the life of Jan Dite, an ambitious womanizer who ends up being thrown in jail for 15 years by the Communists. Nazi invasions are also involved. (9 p.m., AMC River East 21) 

Thursday, October 11

Shotgun Stories (USA): Arkansan Clearman Hayes had two sets of sons -- one when he was drunk and disorderly, and one when he had cleaned up his act. The two sets of half-brothers meet violently at their father's funeral. (7:15 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Friday, October 12

Matsugane Potshot Affair (Japan): Japanese police office Kotaro must help his slow-witted twin brother, Hikari, after Hikari is the perpetrator in a hit-and-run. The victim and her boyfriend move into the brother's grandfather's house in this black comedy. (10 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Saturday, October 13 

Meteoro (Brazil): A group of men stranded in the desert in 1960s Brazil decide to form their own utopian community based around a worship of meteorites. All goes well until the government decides to get involved. (8:15 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Sunday, October 14

Slipstream (USA): Special guest Anthony Hopkins makes an appearance for the premiere of this genre-bending film. While working on a murder mystery script and dealing with the hilariously obnoxious intrusions of the Hollywood film crew waiting on his re-writes, Felix becomes baffled when his characters start to appear in his real life, blurring the lines between dreams and reality. Christian Slater, John Turturro and Jeffrey Tambor also star. (7 p.m., Music Box Theatre)

Monday, October 15

All Invisible Things (Austria): Think Kids, but in Germany and with even less of a fixed script. (10 p.m., Music Box Theatre)

Tuesday, October 16

Opium: Diary of a Madwoman (Hungary): This film peers inside the chilling confines of an experimental institute for the mentally ill in the early 20th century. Though the medical instruments and procedures may make you want to turn away, you'll stick around to see how the relationship between a morphine-addicted doctor and a tormented patient turns out. (4:15 p.m., Landmark's Century Centre Cinema)

Wednesday, October 17

Special guests Laura Linney and director Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills) will be here for the premiere of this subtle comedy drama in which a brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and sister (Linney) must come together after years apart to care for an elderly parent. (7:30 p.m., Harris Theater)