Hunger Wins Top Prize at CIFF

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 26, 2008 2:37PM

The winners for this year's Chicago International Film Festival have been announced, and the top prize (known as the Gold Hugo) went to Hunger. We heartily concur. Even if we never have the occasion to see it again, this is a searing piece of cinema that we'll not forget. The film also won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actor. Michael Fassbinder's portrayal of Bobby Sands was singled out for "exemplifying the ideal of 'being' rather than acting.'"

CIFF's Grand Jury Prize went to Tokyo Sonata (which, alas, we didn't have time to see) and the Silver Hugo Award for Direction went to Henrik Ruben Genz for Terribly Happy (which frankly baffles us, but to his each his own). We're especially pleased that Wesley Willis’s Joyrides snagged The Gold Hugo for the Chicago Award. It couldn't have gone to a more engaging movie.

The good news is that you'll probably get another chance to see some of these top films on Wednesday when CIFF has their Best of the Fest screenings. The final schedule hasn't been published yet, so keep checking back at the festival site for updates.