By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
“ANY DAY NOW” AND “QUARTET” SHARE CHICAGO INT’L AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
“The Central Park Five” receives Audience Choice for Best Documentary Feature
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO (October 25, 2012) – The 48th Chicago International Film Festival proudly announces the Audience Choice Awards, presented by American Airlines. Overall, the films in the Festival were warmly received by audiences, receiving an average of 4.1/5 rating on ballots, with the three Audience Choice Award winners standing out from the others as overwhelming favorites.
Audiences received ballots at every public screening during the two-week event and ranked films on a five-point scale. Votes were tallied and averaged, so each film had an equal opportunity to win the award.
Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature, presented by American Airlines
ANY DAY NOW (USA), Director: Travis Fine
In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple – a drag performer (Alan Cumming) and a closeted attorney (Garret Diallahunt) – takes him in and becomes the family he’s never had. But, once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight a biased legal system to adopt the child they have come to care for as their own in this gripping testament to love and family.
QUARTET (USA), Director: Dustin Hoffman
Beecham House is abuzz: the home for retired musicians is soon to welcome a new, and possibly famous, resident. Reginald (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred (Billy Connolly) and Cecily (Pauline Collins) receive a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be their estranged former singing partner, Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Can the passage of time heal old wounds? And will the famous quartet be able to patch up their differences in time for Beecham House’s gala concert? “Quartet” is actor Dustin Hoffman’s directing debut.
Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature, presented by American Airlines
THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE (USA), Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park. Each spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before the actual criminal’s confession led to their exonerations. This powerful documentary from the great Ken Burns (“The Civil War”) explores this horrific crime and the appalling, racially-fraught miscarriage of justice that followed in its wake.
Festival Sponsors
Led by Presenting Partner, Columbia College Chicago, the 48th Chicago International Film Festival’s sponsors include: Official Airline – American Airlines; Producing Partners: AMC Theaters, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Major Partner: Intersites; Supporting Partners: DePaul University School of Cinema and Interactive Media, Stella Artois, Chris Pagano – Realtor, Land Rover, WBBM NEWSRADIO 780 AND 105.9FM, ShutterBox Photobooth, Cultivate Studios; Participating Partners: iN Demand, EC Charro Tequila, Brugal Rum, Creative America, Gibsons Restaurant Group, Second City Computers, Optimus; and the Festival’s Headquarters Hotel, JW Marriott Chicago.
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About Cinema/Chicago
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit cultural and educational organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The Chicago International Film Festival is part of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the International Screenings Program (May-September), the Chicago International Television Competition (April), CineYouth Festival (May), Intercom Competition (October) and year-round Education Outreach and Member Screenings Program.
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