‘Godland,’ set in Iceland, wins top award at Chicago film festival

“Godland,” a dire tale of 19th-century Danish priest building a church in distant Iceland, won the top award Friday at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival, running through Sunday.

The International Feature Film Competition jury gave the Gold Hugo to this Denmark/ Iceland/ France/ Sweden co-production directed by Hlynur Pálmason. Sixteen films competed for kudos.

A Silver Hugo for Best Cinematography went to Maria von Hausswolff, who shot “Godland.” The film’s priest shoots glass plate photographs of people he meets on his Christianizing colonial mission.

A second-place Silver Hugo went to “Close” by Lukas Dhont, which also copped a Gold Q-Hugo from the jury in the OutLook Competition for films that “reflect the myriad perspectives and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals.”

The five international feature jurors also granted Silver Hugos for best director to Maryam Touzani for “The Blue Caftan;” best screenplay to the writers of “Saint Omer;” best performance to Vicky Krieps in “Corsage;” best ensemble cast performance to five actors in “The Beast;” and best production design for “The Kings of the World.”

The jury innovated an Award for Cinematic Bravery to bestow on Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi. His topical “No Bears” is a self-referential narrative where he plays himself making a film under the eyes of authorities.

Last July Panahi was reportedly ordered to Evin prison to serve five years for “conspiracy and collusion against national security” and one year for “propaganda against the system,” according to judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi.

This year’s New Directors Competition jury voted a Gold Hugo for “Falcon Lake” by Charlotte Le Bon, and a Silver Hugo for Ann Oren’s “Piaffe.” Two other films in this category earned the Roger Ebert Award, presented to “a filmmaker with a fresh and uncompromising vision”: “A Piece of Sky” by Michael Koch and “The Great Silence” by Katrine Brocks.

The International Documentary Competition jury recognized “Alis” (Colombia, Romania, Chile) by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolás Van Hemelryck with a Gold Hugo. A Silver Hugo went to “The Natural History of Destruction” (Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands) by Sergei Loznitsa.

The festival’s annual Chicago Award goes to “King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones.” The late Chicago legend in the title is the grandfather of Harriet Marin Jones, the film’s producer, writer and director.

Six more awards were granted to short films.

In late additions to the festival schedule, three award winners screen in “Best of the Fest” slots Sunday at AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois St.: 11:30am “King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones”; 4:45 p.m. “Close,” and 7 p.m. “Godland.” Ticket info at https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/tickets/