Chlotrudis Society Awards Ceremony

Published Mar 20 2009, 07:09 PM by Peter Keough

The last awards ceremony of 2008, the Chlotrudis Awards this Sunday at the Brattle Theatre, is in many ways the best. And I say that only in part because I am participating in it (I’m giving out the Best Director Award).

For 15 years now The Chlotrudis Society, a bunch of local cinephiles tired of seeing crappy movies get center stage, have given out their awards to the best films and performances of the year. These are all independent films, mind you, in other words the films that should have won Oscars if the Academy had any real taste or aesthetic standards.

To illustrate my point, the directorial nominees I’ll be announcing are Mike Leigh for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” Christian Mungiu for “Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days,” Tomas Alfredson for “Let the Right One In,” Kelly Reichardt for “Wendy and Lucy” and Guy Maddin for “My Winnipeg” (a screening of “My Winnipeg” will follow the ceremony). Average “Phoenix” rating of these films: 3.3 stars. Number of Best Director Oscar nominations: zero.

Throw in the fact that this group has nominated Jean Claude Van Damme as Best Actor and has included among its “Best Discoveries” nominations “Aleksandra,” “Water Lilies” and “Love Songs,” and you can see why this is my kind of Award ceremony. Maybe yours, too. You should join in if only because their production numbers make Hugh Jackman look like Rob Lowe dancing with Snow White. Or vice-versa. I’ll see you there.