By Marilyn Ferdinand
The winners of the Chicago International Film Festival competitions have been announced. Once again, I didn’t see a single film that won a Hugo Award. I’m really good at picking also-rans in films and elections.
The Gold Hugo, the best of the best, was awarded to Fireworks Wednesday (Iran). The jury said of the film, “Fireworks Wednesday [is] a totally achieved film which tells us a tale about the complexity of human relations. The creative energy of the director Asghar Farhadi sweeps us into the heart of paradoxical humanity.”
The Gold Hugo for Best Short Film was awarded to Forgetting Betty (US), directed by James Anderson and Robert Postrozny.
The Gold Hugo for Best Documentary Feature was awarded to Iraq in Fragments (US/Iraq), directed by James Longley.
The Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique (FIPRESCI) for the new directors competition went to Day Night, Day Night (US), directed by Julia Loktev.
A complete list of winners can be found here. Best of the Fest screenings will be held Thursday at both the Landmark and AMC theatre locations. A complete list of locations and show times are listed here. The list includes both award winners (indicated by the BES prefix) and additional screenings of other films.
Marilyn Ferdinand is The Beachwood Reporter‘s resident film critic, and the proprietor of Ferdy on Films. Her exclusive coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival includes:
* “Better Than Fiction,” her opening guide to the festival.
* “Corruption and Comedy,” a review of The Comedy of Power, a French New Wave film whose themes will be instantly recognizable to anyone with even the sketchiest knowledge of Chicago politics.
* “Soul in Flames,” a review of Requiem, a remarkable film about modern-day possession and exorcism.
* “A Talent for Torment,” three reviews in one (Spirit of the Soul, Ode to Joy, Steel City) from a disappointing day at the festival.
* “Deep in the Heart of Dixie,” a review of Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, the inside story of the Dixie Chicks’ political and personal journey as Southern girls ashamed of their Texan president.
* “Boot Straps and Black Boys,” a review of Shoot the Messenger, a British film that challenges standard racial notions in part by featuring a character who might best be described as a black Joe Lieberman Republican.
* “The Elusive Quality of Truthiness,” reviews of three films, including the Austrian film Slumming, La Terra from Italy and the Romanian comedy, 12:08 East of Bucharest.
Posted on October 18, 2006