( Chicago, IL ) Reeling is pleased to announce the winners of the 38th annual Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. The festival was held virtually this year from September 24 to October 7. The event included 39 programs including films from 21 countries. The festival featured 31 Q&As with filmmakers which have been recorded and can be viewed here. We would like to congratulate the audience and jury award winners!
JURY AWARDS
AARP Silver Image Awards
LA AMANTE/THE MISTRESS, directed by Pati Cruz, Puerto Rico.
ACUITZERAMO, directed by Miguel Angel Caballero, USA/Mexico.
Best Documentary Jury Award
TOUTES LES VIES DE KOJIN/THE MANY LIVES OF KOJIN, directed by Diako Yazdani, France.
Best Narrative Feature Film Jury Award
GOODBYE MOTHER, directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh, Vietnam.
Best Narrative Short Film Jury Awards
WINGS, directed by Jamie Weston, UK.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Best Narrative Feature: SUBLET, directed by Eytan Fox, Israel.
Runner Up: BREAKING FAST, directed by Mike Mosallam, USA.
Best Documentary Feature: AHEAD OF THE CURVE, directed by Jen Rainin, USA.
Runner Up: THE MANY LIVES OF KOJIN, directed by Diako Yazdani, France.
Best Narrative Short: HOME, directed by Tyle Aaron, USA.
Runner Up: ENCOUNTER, directed by Ivan Lowenberg, Mexico.
Best Documentary Short: PERFECTLY FRANK, directed by Dan Hunt, USA.
Runner Up: NAOMI REPLANSKY AT 100, directed by Megan Rossman, USA.
MEET THE JURORS
Documentary Jurors:
Richard Knight, Jr. is a filmmaker and musician. He served as Reeling features programming director for six years and spent 12 1/2 years as a film critic before that for Windy City Times. He has also written extensively on film for the Chicago Tribune, New City and the Los Angeles Times.
Andrea Krauss's professional background in television, film and video with a concentration on independent film spans more than two decades. Producing credits include short film SECRETS & TOYS, GROWN THIS WAY, and COCK N' BULL2, directed by Nathan Adloff, and the docu-series CINEMA CONVERSATIONS WITH STEPHEN P. JARCHOW. Andrea Krauss currently resides in O'ahu, Hawaii and curates the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival.
Ronit Bezalel is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker living in Jerusalem, Israel and Chicago, Illinois. She directed the documentary WHEN SHIRLEY MET FLORENCE, as well as two award-winning films about the demolition of Chicago's public housing, VOICES OF CABRINI: REMAKING CHICAGO'S PUBLIC HOUSING and 70 ACRES IN CHICAGO. Her most recent film series, QUARANTINE IS A STATE OF MIND, consists of seven short stop motion pieces created while in quarantine in Jerusalem. Bezalel's work can be seen at ronitfilms.com .
Raul Benitez is the lead programmer for Full Spectrum's annual shorts program, Chicagoland Shorts. He also currently programs for Comfort Film at Comfort Station Logan Square and at The Nightingale Cinema, while working as a screener for The Chicago Underground Film Festival, The Twisted Oyster Film Festival, and CIMMfest. Raul was named on the Jury for the Cortadito Shorts Film Showcase at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
Narrative Jurors:
Nathan Adloff is a Screenwriter/Director/Actor based in Los Angeles. His most recent feature is MILES ( co-wrote/directed ), and his feature film debut was NATE & MARGARET. He acted in Joe Swanberg's early films and the IFC series, YOUNG AMERICAN BODIES, in addition to making a handful of award-winning short films. Nathan is in development on an original horror television series with the producers of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
Morgan Jon Fox has written & directed four feature films as well as FERAL, an eight episode TV series. His early micro-budget feature films BLUE CITRUS HEARTS and OMG/HAHAHA were film festival hits and gained international distribution. His documentary, THIS IS WHAT LOVE IN ACTION LOOKS LIKE, gained praised and received national attention. His latest project is the short film THE ONE YOU NEVER FORGET, which won the award for best short film at Reeling 2019.
Rob Williams is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, and co-owner of Guest House Films. With an impressive five movies under his belt ( LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP, BACK SOON, 3-DAY WEEKEND, MAKE THE YULETIDE GAY, and ROLE/PLAY ), Rob is a determined professional within the gay film industry.
About Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, founded in 1981, is the second longest-running film festival of its kind, and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBTQ+ films and videos each year. From award-winning international feature films to social documentaries to experimental shorts, Reeling has always presented a range of genres that demonstrate the rich diversity of work being produced. Not only has Reeling become one of the most important cultural events for Chicagoans, it also attracts LGBTQ+ people from throughout the Midwest who consider the festival to be the highlight of their cinematic year.
About the Presenting Organization, Chicago Filmmakers
Chicago Filmmakers is a not-for-profit media arts organization that nurtures the development of aspiring filmmakers of all ages by offering classes, workshops, and summer camps; empowers artists to create new work through production grants, equipment access, fiscal sponsorship, and other services and resources; and encourages the professional advancement of media artists through seminars, panel discussions, lectures, rough-cut and open screenings, as well as networking events and other opportunities for artistic exchange. Chicago Filmmakers serves diverse audiences through its year-round weekly film exhibition programs and its two annual film festivals, Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival and The Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival.
