Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France) by director Céline Sciamma, hailed by the jury as a portrayal of the all-consuming nature of love and the beauty of women’s solidarity, took home the top prize in the International Feature Film Competition at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival.
The Silver Hugo Jury Award was presented to Vitalina Varela (Portugal) directed by Pedro Costa, while the Silver Hugo for Best Director was awarded to Maya Da-Rin for her film The Fever (Brazil/France/Germany).
Director Franco Lolli took home top honors in the New Directors Competition with a Gold Hugo for Litigante (France/Colombia) and the Silver Hugo in this competition was shared by Gitanjali Rao for Bombay Rose (India/UK/Qatar/France) and director César Díaz for Our Mothers (Guatemala/Belgium/France). The Roger Ebert Award, presented to an emerging filmmaker with an innovative and forwardlooking perspective, went to director Maryam Touzani for Adam (Morocco/France/Belgium).
In the Documentary Competition, the Gold Hugo was awarded to director Eva Mulvad’s Love Child (Denmark) for its intimate look at the global refugee crisis, and the Silver Hugo was presented to André Hörmann’s Ringside (Germany/U.S.), with an honorable mention to Waiting for the Carnival (Brazil), directed by Marcelo Gomes.
The Founder’s Award, selected by Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza and given to one film across all categories that captures the spirit of the Chicago International Film Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of the moving image, was presented to Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, marking Scorsese’s first award from the Festival, which launched his career with the premiere of 1967’s I Call First, later retitled to Who’s That Knocking at My Door? The Chicago Award, presented to a film from the Festival’s City/State section, went to Ed Flynn for his short film Tour Manager.
55th Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners
International Feature Film Competition
Gold Hugo
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Dir. Céline Sciamma
France
Silver Hugo: Jury Award
Vitalina Varela
Dir. Pedro Costa
Portugal
Silver Hugo: Best Director
Maya Da-Rin
The Fever
Brazil/France/Germany
Silver Hugo: Best Actress
Debbie Honeywood
Sorry We Missed You
UK/France/Belgium
Silver Hugo: Best Actor
Bartosz Bielenia
Corpus Christi
Poland/France
Best Screenplay
Pema Tseden
Balloon
China
Best Cinematography
Vladimir Smutny
The Painted Bird
Czech Republic/Ukraine/Slovak Republic
Best Sound Design
Fire Will Come
Spain/France/Luxembourg
New Directors Competition
Gold Hugo
Litigante
Dir. Franco Lolli
France/Colombia
Silver Hugo, Ex Aequo
Bombay Rose
Dir. Gitanjali Rao
India/UK/Qatar/France
Silver Hugo, Ex Aequo
Our Mothers
Dir. César Díaz
Guatemala/Belgium/France
Roger Ebert Award
Adam
Dir. Maryam Touzani
Morocco/France/Belgium
Documentary Competition
Gold Hugo
Love Child
Dir. Eva Mulvad
Denmark
Silver Hugo
Ringside
Dir. André Hörmann
Germany/U.S.
Special Mention
Waiting for the Carnival
Dir. Marcelo Gomes
Brazil
Out-Look Competition
Gold Q-Hugo
And Then We Danced
Dir. Levan Akin
Georgia/Sweden/France
Silver Q-Hugo
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma
France
Special Mention
Knives and Skin
Dir. Jennifer Reeder
U.S
Live Action Short Film Competition
Gold Hugo
Liberty
Dir. Faren Humes
USA
Silver Hugo
Aziza
Dir. Soudade Kaadan
Syria/Lebanon
Documentary Short Film Competition
Gold Hugo
Easter Snap
Dir. RaMell Ross
U.S.
Silver Hugo
The Furniture Maker
Dir. David Avilés
Cuba
Animated Short Film Competition
Gold Hugo
And Then the Bear
Dir. Agnès Patron
France
Silver Hugo
I Bleed
Dir. Tiago Minamisawa, Bruno H Castro, Guto BR
Brazil
Chicago Award
Chicago Award
Tour Manager
Dir. Ed Flynn
U.S.
Founder’s Award
Founder’s Award
Director Martin Scorsese and his film The Irishman.
This award marks the first presented to Martin Scorsese from the Chicago International Film Festival. The Festival, which launched Scorsese’s film career in 1967, was also where the late Roger Ebert first saw his film – a pivotal moment for them both.
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