Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)


The 43rd Chicago International Film Festival officially opened Thursday with the help of renowned film critic Roger Ebert.

Health problems have limited Ebert's public appearances over the past year, but the Chicago critic attended the opening night festivities at the Chicago Theater where he was also given a lifetime achievement award.

The festival opened with the U.S. premiere of "The Kite Runner," based on Khaled Hosseini's acclaimed best-seller.

Hosseini attended Thursday's showing, along with director Marc Forster and actor Khaled Abdalla. The film is set in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and centers around a man's return to the country after spending 20 years in America.

The festival, which runs until Oct. 17, will include a number of red carpet premieres and appearances by actors and directors. You can see a total of 102 feature films, 33 shorts and student films and 14 documentaries from more than 40 countries.

Log on to www.chicagofilmfestival.org for more information.