Get ready for the Bicycle Film Festival in Chicago!

Starting next Thursday, all Chicagoland residents are invited to participate in the eighth annual Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) in Chicago. Attendees will get a chance to enjoy a slate of bicycle-focused films that will be screened throughout the weekend at the Logan Theater.

There will also be rides, events and parties to make the festival even more of a celebration. The event runs from Thursday, Nov. 21 until Sunday, Nov. 24.

The films featured are mostly shorts and encompass all genres — romantic comedy to documentary and everything in between — made by filmmakers from all over the world. On Friday, they’ll be running two different short programs, while on Saturday they’re screening a feature length film followed by two screenings of a third short program.

The feature length presentation is the Mexican film “Ciclo,” which follows two brothers as they travel from their hometown in central Mexico to Toronto.

For those of you who’d like to do some bike riding along with your film-viewing, rides to the films will be hosted by Heritage Bike Shop and the Chainlink.

The BFF began after Brendt Barbur, the Founding Festival Director, was hit by a bus riding his bike in New York City. He was determined to turn his crash into something positive and came up with the idea of the festival to bring together and motivate the cycling community.

Now the BFF spans over 20 cities and serves as a platform to celebrate the bicycle through art, music and film. The festival organizers feel that the urban bike movement is one of the most powerful and culturally relevant developments of the last decade, and they want to keep the momentum going through the BFF.

Other notable events at the upcoming BFF Chicago are the annual Cranksgiving ride (scheduled for Saturday) that raises money to provide meals for homeless people on Thanksgiving. On Sunday there will be a BMX event at the Logan Boulevard Skate Park. Learn more.