The 27th annual Chlotrudis Awards, the signature event of the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, held its first virtual edition this past weekend, welcoming special guest filmmakers and announcing multiple winners in several of its categories. The top winner. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS took away 3 Trudies, including two for Eliza Hittman as Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, for its intimate portrayal of two teenaged girls on an out of state journey, faced with a momentuous decision.
Coming in second place were a trio of foreign language films that each garnered two wins: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE from France’s Céline Sciamma, the Georgian ballet drama AND THEN WE DANCED, and post WWII Russia-set BEANPOLE. And finally, reflecting the breadth of members’ passion across several of the nominees, three categories including Best Actor split the love and resulted in tying wins.
In the Society’s most prestigious category, the Buried Treasure, the win was also one of those ties, split between the impressionistic GHOST TROPIC, in which a woman sleeps through her stop and must find her way home across Brussels; and LIGHT FROM LIGHT, a character driven drama about a single mom and part-time paranormal investigator asked to look into a possible haunting at a widower’s farmhouse. Thanks to being virtual, LIGHT FROM LIGHT’s writer-director Paul Harrill was able to accept his Trudy live.
In fact, attendees came from several states and countries, including the night’s Special Guests Ceyda Torun and Charlie Wupperman, the filmmakers of the documentary KEDI, about Istanbul’s cats, and Isold Uggadottir, director-writer of the Icelandic drama, AND BREATHE NORMALLY. They were joined in separate conversations with fellow filmmakers and Chlotrudis vets Cheryl Eagan Donovan (NOTHING TRUER THAN TRUE) and Wiebke von Carolsfeld (MARION BRIDGE, THE SAVER).
One of the society’s longest traditions is the musical tribute, and despite the challenges of this year, Chlotrudis member Diane Young ensured that the night would not be without a song. Her video and song about a year without movie theaters was a highlight, touching on everyone’s desire to get back to seeing films the way they should be seen.
Here is the full list of winning films:
Best Movie
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Buried Treasure – TIE
Ghost Tropic
Light from Light
Best Director
Eliza Hittman for Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Best Actress
Sidney Flanagan for the role of Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Best Actor – TIE
Riz Ahmed for the role of Ruben in Sound of Metal
Levan Gelbakhiani for the role of Merab in And Then We Danced
Best Supporting Actress
Vasilisa Perelygina for the role of Masha in Beanpole
Best Supporting Actor
Orlin Asenov for the role of Jojo in Cat in the Wall
Best Original Screenplay
Never Rarely Sometimes Always, screenplay by Eliza Hittman
Best Adapted Screenplay
Shirley screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based on the book by Susan Scarf Merrell
Best Use of Music in a Film – TIE
And Then We Danced – Zviad Mgebry, Music Supervisor
Lovers Rock – Mica Levi, Composer; Ed Bailie and Abi Leland, Music Supervisors
Best Editing
Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night
Best Cinematography
Claire Mathone, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Production Design
Sergey Ivanov, Beanpole
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Kajillionaire
Best Documentary
Time