50th Chicago International Film Festival Announces the Audience Choice Awards, Presented by Wintrust Community Banks

CHICAGO (October 27, 2014) – The 50th Chicago International Film Festival proudly announces the winners of the Audience Choice Awards, presented by Wintrust Community Banks. Each member of the audience received a ballot at every public screening during the two-week Festival, so each film had an equal opportunity to win. Audiences ranked films on a five-point scale, votes were tallied and averaged, and the films that received the highest averages were declared the winners.

And the winners are:

Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative English-Language Feature:
THE IMITATION GAME (UK/USA), Director: Morten Tyldum
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who led the charge to crack the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Turing went on to assist with the development of computers at the University of Manchester after the war, but was prosecuted in 1952 by the UK government for homosexual acts which the country deemed illegal at the time.

Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Foreign-Language Feature:
THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED (SWEDEN), Director: Felix Herngren
Hilarity ensues when an elderly man discovers a suitcase full of money and embarks on a fantastic adventure, involving a frozen corpse, a circus elephant, and a biker gang. Meanwhile, episodes from his past reveal his decades-long proclivity for changing the course of history. Based on the bestselling novel by Jonas Jonasson, this crowd-pleasing Swedish take on “Forrest Gump” combines sidesplitting comedy with genuine tenderness.

Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature:
RED ARMY (USA), Director: Gabe Polsky
From Emmy award-winning Chicago filmmaker Gabe Polsky, “Red Army” is a documentary about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history: the Red Army hockey team. Told from the perspective of its captain Slava Fetisov, the story portrays his transformation from national hero to political enemy. An inspiring Cold War drama played out on the ice rink, “Red Army” follows a man who stood up to a powerful system and paved the way for change.

Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film:
ON BEAUTY (USA), Director: Joanna Rudnick
From Emmy-nominated filmmaker Joanna Rudnick (“In the Family”), “On Beauty” follows former fashion photographer Rick Guidotti as he focuses his lens on people who are often excluded or misrepresented in popular media. Highlighting vibrant individuals with genetic conditions, Rick’s work challenges conventional visions and helps redefine notions of beauty.

Festival Sponsors
Led by Tourism Partner Illinois Office of Tourism and Presenting Partners Columbia College Chicago, the 50th Chicago International Film Festival’s sponsors include Official Airline: American Airlines; Headquarters Hotel: JW Marriott Chicago; Major Partner: Intersites, Wintrust Community Banks; Participating Partners: AARP, Allstate, Bloomberg, Casale del Giglio, Cultivate Studios, Netrix, Stella Artois; Platinum Media Sponsors: NCM Media Networks, Ingage Media, JC Decaux, Michigan Avenue Magazine.

# # #

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 Chicago International Television Competition (April), CineYouth Festival (May), Intercom Competition (October) and year-round Education Outreach and Member Screenings Program.