Film News: Award Honorees at 52nd Chicago International Film Festival

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CHICAGO – The recently completed 52nd Chicago International Film Festival offered a world perspective on cinema, and honors the films that will influence the arts culture for years to come. Their Awards Night was October 21st, 2016, and was hosted by Richard Roeper, film critic of the Chicago Sun Times. The recipient of the top prize of the fest, the Gold Hugo, was “Sieranevada” (Romania), directed by Cristi Puiu.

The 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was Oct. 21, 2016
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The awards event took place at the AMC River East Theatre. Presenters included Programming Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members – which included Geraldine Chapman (actress and daughter of Charlie Chaplin), who presided over the International Feature Film Competition Jury. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com sat on the Animation Shorts jury. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.

International Feature Film Competition

“Sieranevada,” Directed by Cristi Puiu
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo for Best Film: “Sieranevada” (Romania), directed by Cristi Puiu 

The Silver Hugo – Special Jury Prize: “The Salesman” (Iran), directed by Asghar Farhadi

The Silver Hugo – Best Director: Cristi Puiu of “Sieranevada”

The Silver Hugo – Best Actor: Adrian Titieni of “Graduation” (Romania/France)

The Silver Hugo – Best Actress: Rebecca Hall of “Christine” (USA)

The Silver Plaque – Best Cinematography: Kacper Fertacz for “The Last Family” (Poland)

The Silver Plaque – Best Screenplay: Cristian Mungiu for “Graduation”

The Silver Plaque – Best Art Direction: Jagna Janicka for “The Last Family”

New Directors Competition

“The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” Directed by Juho Kuosmanen
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo: Director Juho Kuosmanen of “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” (Finland)

The Silver Hugo Director Jonas Rothlaender of “Fado” (Germany)

The Roger Ebert Award for New Directors Director Atilla Till of “Kills on Wheels” (Hungary)

Documentary Competition

“Samuel in the Clouds,” Directed by Pieter van Eecke
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo: “Samuel in the Clouds” (Belgium/Netherlands), directed by Pieter van Eecke

The Silver Hugo: “Where We’re Meant to Be” (United Kingdom), directed by Paul Fegan

Gold Q Award (LBGTQ Films)

“Heartstone,” Directed by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo: “Heartstone” (Iceland), directed by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson

The Silver Hugo: “Paris 05:59” (France), directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau

Short Film Competition

“Moms on Fire,” Directed by Joanna Rytel
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo – Live Action: “Madre” (Sweden), directed by Simón Mesa Soto

The Silver Hugo – Live Action: “Rhapsody” (France), directed by Constance Meyer

Gold Plaque – Documentary: “Moriom” (Switzerland), directed by Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa

The Silver Hugo – Documentary: “Home of the Brave” (Sweden), directed by Gustav Hugosson and Andreas Nilsson.

The Silver Hugo – Animated: “Moms on Fire” (Sweden), directed by Joanna Rytel
The Animation Jury was Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Artist Kera MacKenzie and DePaul University Asst. Professor Steve Socki: “This is an animated short which uses stop motion claymation and creates a audacious and authentic commentary on pregnancy, family values, isolation and everyday mendacity. Using ordinary settings, intricately detailed art, unique character design, and a hilarious screenplay, the filmmaker constructs an evolved sensibility for a familiar animated format. Sex, marshmallows and Jamaica will never be the same, and for this we award the Silver Hugo to Moms on Fire by Joanna Rytel.”

Gold Plaque – Animated: “Blind Vaysha” (Russia), directed by Theodore Ushev
“This animated short is presented through a compelling woodcut style to tell a simple fable of vision and blindness, through a character who can only see the past in one eye and future in the other. The sumptuous expression of the animation has a fluid beauty which culminates in a vital and necessary philosophy. For evoking the importance of staying in focus, in an unforgettable visual journey, we award a gold plaque to Blind Vaysha by Theodore Ushev.”

Honorable Distinction – Animated: “I, Destini” (USA), directed by Destini Riley and Nicholas Pilarski
“This use of the short animated platform, with hypnotic design and illustration, demonstrates the African American experience through the plights and anguish of one family, as they maintain their will to survive while one of their own is incarcerated. For expressing a commonality between all humans, during the current climate of profiling and misunderstanding in race relations, we award a Special Mention to I, Destini by Destini Riley and Nicholas Pilarski.”

The Founder’s Award

The Founder’s Award: “Paradise” (Germany/Russia), directed by Andrei Konchalovsky

By PATRICK McDONALD Editorial Coordinator, Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com