By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com
47th CHICAGO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS: THE ARTIST
CHICAGO, October 24, 2011 – The 47th Chicago International Film Festival proudly announces the Audience Choice Awards, presented by American Airlines. A record number of audience members participated in the selection of this year’s audience choice winners, with 50% of attendees casting their vote!
Audiences received ballots at every public screening during the fifteen-day Festival 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
THE ARTIST (France), Dir. Michel Hazanavicius
A darling at this year’s 2011 Cannes Film Festival, The Artist is a black and white love song to silent cinema, and movies overall. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius (the OSS 117 films), tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin, best actor at Cannes) a very successful silent movie star who meets Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a young extra, and helps her on her way up the Hollywood ladder. But when talking pictures arrive, disaster strikes not only George’s career but also the blossoming romance between the two. A visually stunning film with arresting performances, The Artist perfectly captures the silent film era while staying relevant to today.
ALMANYA: WELCOME TO GERMANY (Germany), Dir. Yasemin Samdereli
A six-year-old in Germany confronts and questions the nature of self-identity after learning of his Turkish grandfather’s journey as a guest worker in the 1960s.The discussion leads the whole family to travel to their original home in Turkey, a trip that will prove surprising in more ways than one. This delightful comedy shows that your identity is not determined by where you live or where your parents come from, but rather what you feel inside.
Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature, presented by American Airlines
UNDEFEATED (USA), Dirs. Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin
Set in Memphis, Undefeated chronicles the Manassas Tigers’ 2009 football season as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school’s 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand. The football program began resurrecting itself and, in 2009, features the most talented team it has ever fielded.
Led by Presenting Partner, Columbia College Chicago, the 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s sponsors include: Premiere Partners – American Airlines, Lincoln; Producing Partners – AMC Theaters, DePaul University’s School of Cinema and Interactive Media, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Major Partners – Allstate, Intersites; Supporting Partners – Applitite, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Brugal Rum, Kodak, Second City Computers, WBBM, 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 Hugo Television Awards (April), CineYouth Festival (May), Intercom Competition (October) and year-round Education Outreach and Member Screenings Program.
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