“Tigers Are Not Afraid” wins Latino audience choice

Issa López' "Vuelvent" (Tigers Are Not Afraid)

Issa López’ “Vuelvent” (Tigers Are Not Afraid)

Stephen King calls the Del Toro-approved fairy tale directed by Issa López, “one terrific film, both tough and touching.”

”My name is Pedro” and “Cease Game” win for best documentary and best short

 
 
(Chicago — 25 April 25) – The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago announces the winners and runner-ups of the 34th Chicago Latino Film Festival (CLFF)’s Audience Choice Awards in the Feature, Shorts and Documentary categories.

Even though CLFF is a non-competitive festival, since 1993 the public has had the opportunity to vote for their favorite film in several categories and presents them with the Audience Choice Award.
 

FEATURE FAVORITES

Winner
Tigers Are not Afraid / Vuelven (Mexico; Director: Issa López)

Stephen King tweeted “this is one terrific film, both tough and touching.” And none other than Guillermo del Toro declared it one of the ten best films of 2017. Winner of Best Director at Fantastic Fest and five awards at Screamfest (including Best Picture) and nominated this week to 10 Ariel Awards (Mexico’s equivalent to the Oscars), including Best Director and Best Original Script, Issa López’s stunning third feature tells the story of Estrella who, followed by the ghost of her mother, who was presumably killed by a local cartel, joins a gang of children, themselves orphaned by Mexico’s drug violence. Supernatural forces will come to their help when the cartel targets them.
 

Second Place
American Curious (Mexico; Director: Gabylu Lara)

Third Place
Looking for a Boyfriend…For My Wife / Se Busca Novio Para Mi Mujer (Chile; Director: Diego Rougier)
 

 
DOCUMENTARY FAVORITES

Winner
My Name is Pedro (USA; Director: Lillian LaSalle)

My Name is Pedro tells the exceptional story of Pedro Santana, one of the most influential public school teachers and administrators in the New York public school system. Charismatic and compassionate, he is unapologetic in his commitment to create change for kids, no matter the odds. He faces his biggest challenge when he is appointed Assistant Superintendent of a school district largely made of Hasidic Jewish families. Combining animation with testimonies and live action footage, Lillian LaSalle paints a compelling portrait of an educator who was an unstoppable force.
 

Second Place
Nuyorican Básquet (Puerto Rico; Directors: Ricardo Olivero Lora and Julio César Torres)

Third Place
If I Die First / Si yo muero primero (Ecuador; Director: Rodolfo Muñoz)
 

 
SHORT FAVORITES

Winner
Cease Game / Alto el juego (Uruguay; Director: Walter Tournier)

In this animated short, a boy and a dog try to protect themselves in the middle of a war.
This is a game that is not so innocent.

Second Place
The Robbery / El atraco (Spain; Director: Alfonso Díaz)

Third Place
Unlucky’s Luck / La suerte del salao (Colombia; Director: Felipe Holguin)