46th Annual Chicago Film Festival Announces Awards on Saturday, October 16th, 2010

The 46th Annual Chicago Film Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at Chicago's Pump Room. Winning as Best Actress was Liana Liberato, the 15-year-old actress (profiled in my previous AC piece on the new David Schwimmer-directed film, "Trust,") portraying a 14-year-old who is seduced online and betrayed by a sexual predator misrepresenting himself as a teenager.

Other winners were: International Feature Film Competition: Russia's film "How I Ended the Summer" directed by Aleksei Popograbsky.

Special Jury Prize to "A Somewhat Gentle Man" from Norway (Hans Petter Moland).

Special Jury Prize to "We Are What We Are" from Mexico (Hammer horror as directed by Bunuel.) Jorge Michel Grau director.

Best Actor to Youssouf Djzoro for "A Screaming Man."

Best Actress to Liana Liberato for David Schwimmer's "Trust."

"Brother and Sister" from Argentina by Daniel Burman, Special Jury Prize.

Best Screenplay for "A Screaming Man" from France/Belgium/Chad directed by Mahamat Salah Haroun.

Gold Plaque to Hungary's "The Last Report on Anna" by Marta Meszaros.

"The Matchmaker" by Avi Neher.

New Directors Competition Awards went to "Shahada" from Germany by Director Birshan Qurbanl; "Norman" by Jonathan Segal (review of film will soon be posted on AC; "Norman" is a wonderful story featuring veteran character actor Richard Jenkins as a father dying of terminal cancer; "Erratum" from Poland by Marek Lechki.

In the Documentary category, documentaries earning trophies were "Beautiful Darling" by James Rasin and "The Minutemen" by Corey Wascimski, "Moving to Mars" by Mat Whitecross and "Sea Magic" from Janathan Schell and Eric Liebman.

For Short Films: "Deeper than Yesterday," Australia, by Ariel Kleiman; "The Swimmers" from Cuba by Carlos Lechuga; "Grandmothers" from Brazil by Michael Wahrmann; "The Descent" from Israel by Shai Miedzinski.

In the 60 Second Film Competition, 1st prize of $1,000 went to Sam Firth and 2nd prize of $500 went to "Bubbie and Zaydie" by Zem Franck. The Audience Choice Award has yet to be announced. The festival began on October 7th with the studio film "Stone" (Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton) and concludes on October 21st.