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Chicago – With the 51st Chicago International Film Festival now history, photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com has collected his portrait highlights. Opening Night – October 15th, 2015 – was a Red-Carpet Extravaganza, with many notable personalities of the Festival making their way through the gauntlet of press and photographers. HollywoodChicago.com was also there, to collect some voices behind the images.

Filmmaker AGNÉS Varda

Agnés Varda is a living legend, an influencer on the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s (“Cléo from 5 to 7”) and a social and feminist commentator through her film, photography and art installation.

HollywoodChicago.com: Where does the origin of film as an art form reside in your mind and perspective?

Agnés Varda: Look around you, it is a feast of cinema here. [Pointing to the Chicago International Film Festival logo] I would like to go back there and meet again the eyes of Theda Bara,...

Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) receives a call from a woman asking for a 'Detectiv...errico' as there's an intruder in the house. Her gun is missing. Taylor (Robert Gossett) wants the names of all detectives handling stalker cases, leading to a Det Verico, (Jon Seda) she mixed his name up, and when attempting to call him dialled the wrong number and got through to Gabriel instead. Ross was shot and killed. Pope (Jk Simmons) sets up 'Operation Swift Justice' coordinating with other forces. As Ross (Jossie Thacker) was on the parole board, Medina (Rolando Molina) was a prisoner who could have hired someone to kill Danielle Ross as he did with his wife. Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) refuses to interview him as she doesn't know anything about him. Visiting Ross' s house they find security bars everywhere and she was being stalked, but there's no gun anywhere and in her bedroom they...

ABC's Sunday night soap lineup is back this week with new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Here's a preview:

Desperate Housewives "Then I Really Got Scared" - Paul begins to suspect that Susan is responsible for his rapidly declining health; Lynette and Tom butt heads over where to go on their family vacation, as well as which one of them will set it up; Gaby shows Juanita a horror movie and has to pay the price when her daughter becomes too scared to sleep in her own bed; and Bree runs into some trust issues when she goes out on a date with a detective, on Desperate Housewives, Sunday, May (9:00-10:01 p.m., Et) on the ABC Television Network.

"Desperate Housewives" stars Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge, Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis, Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry,...

We’ve profiled Tina Mabry’s moving and exceptional drama feature Mississippi Damned several times previously on S & A and now come news from her producer partner Morgan Stiff that the film is now available on DVD.

The film, which made the rounds during the film festival circuit last year winning several awards including the Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the 2009 Chicago Film Festival, Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the 2009 American Black Film Festival, and the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature at the 2009 Outfest Film Festival. According to Ms. Stiff after several unsuccessful attempts to find a fair and equitable DVD deal, she and Ms. Mabry decided to sell the DVD of the film themselves which looks to be a possible future outlet for other independent filmmakers.

The DVD includes several great special features with in addition a 5.1 surround soundtrack with Spanish and English subtitles,...

2009 Chicago Film Festival Awards 2009 Chicago Film Festival: Oct. 8-22, 2009 Tina Mabry’s Mississippi Damned depicts the issues faced by the children of a poor and highly dysfunctional family in rural Mississippi. Earlier this year, the film was given the top prize at Outfest in Los Angeles. International Feature Film Competition Gold Hugo for Best Film: Mississippi Damned (Us) Silver Hugo for Special Jury Award: Fish Tank (UK) Silver Hugo for Best Director: Marco Bellocchio for Vincere (Italy) Silver Hugo for Best Actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno of Vincere (Italy) Silver Hugo for Best Actor: Filippo Timi of Vincere (Italy) Gold Plaque for Best Supporting Actress: Jossie Harris Thacker in Mississippi Damned (Us) Gold Plaque for Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank (UK) [...]...

Tina Mabry's "Mississippi Damned," an independent American production, won the Gold Hugo as the best film in the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival, and added Gold Plaques for best supporting actress (Jossie Thacker) and best screenplay (Mabry). It tells the harrowing story of three black children growing up in rural Mississippi in circumstances of violence and addiction. The film's trailer and an interview with Mabry are linked at the bottom.

Kylee Russell in "Mississippi Damned"

The win came over a crowed field of competitors from all over the world, many of them with much larger budgets. The other big winner at the Pump Room of the Ambassador East awards ceremony Saturday evening was by veteran master Marco Bellocchio of Italy, who won the Silver Hugo as best director for "Vincere," the story of Mussolini's younger brother. Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi won Silver Hugos as best actress and actor,...

Chicago – As the 45th Chicago International Film Festival comes to a close, this year’s award-winning and most popular films are being screened one more time. All of the screenings will be held at the AMC River East 21 theater at 322 E. Illinois St.

Mississippi Damned (USA), Director: Tina Mabry

Winner Gold Hugo: Best Film, Best Screenplay - Tina Mabry, Best Supporting Actress - Jossie Harris Thacker

7:30Pm

They weren’t the first to dream of escaping their small Mississippi town, but—raised among their family’s vicious cycle of abuse, addiction, and lies—three young black children learn the hard way that their dreams will never be enough. Based on a true story, Mississippi Damned is the brutally honest tale of what happens when a family’s haven is also its prison.

‘Mississippi Damned,’ Winner of the Gold Hugo for Best Film at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Photo...

The winners are here for the 2009 45th Chicago International Film Festival.

It only seems like there are too many to count.

There were 145 films from 45 countries this year.

Competitions were held in the International Feature Film, New Directors, Documentary and Short Film categories, along with a special Chicago Award for a local filmmaker. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named after the mythological God of Discovery.

Award Winners:

International Feature Film Competition

Gold Hugo for Best Film to Mississippi Damned (Us) for its powerful and uncompromising portrait of the compounding frailties and difficulties of a struggling black community.

Silver Hugo for Special Jury Award to Fish Tank (UK) for its aesthetic boldness in taking us into a grim public-housing environment and showing us the transcendent spirit of a young girl that struggles to overcome the adult lies that engulf her.

Silver Hugo for Best Director to Marco Bellocchio (Vincere,...

Tina Mabry's "Mississippi Damned" took home the top prize, the Gold Hugo for best film, at 45th annual Chicago International Film Festival on Saturday. The film's Tina Mabry claimed the best screenplay prize.

The Silvo Hugo for special jury award went to Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," while Marco Bellocchio was awarded the Silver Hugo for best director for "Vincere," which also resulted in best actress and best actor awards for Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi, respectively, and a best cinematography citation for Daniele Cipri.

The best supporting actress prize went to Jossie Harris Thacker for "Mississippi," while Michael Fassbender was named best supporting actor for "Fish."

The Russian film "Hipsters" was honored for art direction, while the Mexican film "Backyard" earned a Silver Plaque for its expose of crimes against women in Juarez, Mexico.

Martin Landau received a Lifetime Achievement Award; Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe and Patrice Chereau...

Chicago – The winners for films in competition at the 45th Chicago International Film Festival were announced in a ceremony on Saturday night at the famed Pump Room at the Ambassador East Hotel. Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Mimi Plauche, Head of Programming, and Jesse Berkowitz, Documentary and Short Film Programmer, proudly announced the winners.

Major trophies went to “Mississippi Damned,” “Fish Tank,” “Vincere,” “Hipsters,” “Backyard,” “Cooking History,” “Racing Dreams,” “Wet,” and more.

Mississippi Damned filmmakers and cast members celebrate Gold Hugo win at Chicago International Film Festival Awards Ceremony on Saturday October 18th. Photographed from left to right - Morgan Stiff (producer), Tina Mabry (writer/director), Jossie Thacker (Actress), Chastity Hammitte (actress).

Photo credit: Chicago Film Festival

There were competions held in International Feature Film, New Directors, Documentary, and Short Film Categories, along with a special Chicago Award for a local filmmaker.

The biggest prize at the fest,...

Chicago – Backed by industry giants Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the new film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” had a red carpet premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 14th.

Walking the red carpet was the transcendent star of Precious, Gabby Sidibe, who portrays the title character. Accompanying her was the director Lee Daniels, an extraordinary creative force of nature.

Also partaking of the film and walking the carpet, the exceptional Chicago character actress Irma P. Hall (”Soul Food,” “The Ladykillers”) and the star of another festival film, the radiant Jossie Thacker.

HollywoodChicago was there, and elicited the following interplay from the participants.

Gabby Sidibe, star of “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”

‘Precious’ Star: Gabby Sidibe at the Chicago International Film Festival, October 14, 2009.

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

HollywoodChicago: Your character often dreamed of a better life. What was your...

Mississippi Damned is a rare, exceptional film, one that covers enormous amounts of emotional territory and manages to impart sadness and hope in equal measures.

Written and directed by Tina Mabry, who penned the hilarious Itty Bitty Titty Committee, the movie dives deep into the heart of the American south, with an unflinching eye towards racism and poverty. Based on true events, the drama is achingly, refreshingly real.

The film kicks off in 1986, and centers on the lives of two African American families and their closest friends, barely scraping by in a rural Mississippi town.

Our protagonist, Kari (played as a young girl by Kylee Russell and later by Tessa Thompson), who acts as our eyes and ears throughout the film.

She has a lesbian sister, Leigh (Chasity Kershal Hammitte), and a cousin Sammy (Malcolm David Kelley), who is a young basketball star.

Their parents and close friends are all struggling — with money,...