Viggo Mortensen to walk Chicago International Film Festival red carpet on Oct. 29, 2008 for 'Good'

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U.S. Premiere of “Good” Presented at Closing Night of the 44th Chicago International Film Festival
Academy-Award® Nominee Viggo Mortensen Will Receive Career Achievement Award Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

CHICAGO, October 22, 2008 – The 44th Chicago International Film Festival Closing Night film will be the U.S. Premiere of Good featuring a star-studded red carpet arrival by Academy-Award® nominated actor Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), actor Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter films), and the film’s director Vicente Amorim (The Middle of the World) at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 7pm.

Renowned television journalist Bill Kurtis will host the evening, beginning with a selection of film highlights celebrating Mortensen’s career and the presentation of the Career Achievement Award. Following this will be the U.S. Premiere of Good.

Good, based on the acclaimed play by C.P. Taylor, stars Oscar® nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) in an extraordinary change-of-pace role as John Halder, a good, decent individual with family problems. A German literature professor in the 1930’s, Halder explores his personal circumstances in a novel advocating compassionate euthanasia.

When the book is unexpectedly enlisted by powerful political figures in support of government propaganda, Halder finds his career rising in an optimistic current of nationalism and prosperity. Yet with Halder’s change in fortune, his seemingly inconsequential decisions potentially jeopardize the people in his life with devastating effects. THINKFilm will open Good in select theaters on December 31, 2008 before a nationwide roll-out starting in January 2009.

Tickets for the Closing Night presentation are now on sale and available via http://www.ticketmaster.com/chicagofilmfestival; by calling 312-902-1500; or by calling the Chicago International Film Festival Hotline: 312-332-FILM, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30 (balcony) to $35 (floor) for Cinema/Chicago members and from $35 (balcony) to $40 (floor) for non-members.

Viggo Mortensen (John Halder) has, since his screen debut as a young Amish farmer in director Peter Weir’s Witness, enjoyed an acting career marked by a steady string of diverse performances. Critics have continually recognized his work in close to 40 films, including A History of Violence, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, A Walk on the Moon, Portrait of a Lady, La Pistola de Mi Hermano, Carlito’s Way, The Indian Runner, The Reflecting Skin, and Alatriste.

Last year, he starred in David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, which earned him his first Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor, in addition to garnering him nominations for Best Actor from the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others. Born in New York to an American mother and a Danish father, Mortensen spent the early part of his childhood in Manhattan. His family traveled extensively, and he spent several years living in Venezuela, Argentina, and Denmark.

He began acting in New York, studying with Warren Robertson, and appeared in several plays and movies before moving to Los Angeles. He is also an accomplished poet, photographer, and painter. In 2002, he founded Perceval Press, an independent publishing house specializing in art, poetry, and critical writing. Perceval’s mission is to publish texts, images and recordings that might not otherwise be presented.

Most recently, Mortensen exhibited the photographic series “The Nature of Landscape and Independent Perception” with George Gudni at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. Past shows include “Miyelo” at both the Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles and the Addison Ripley Gallery in Washington, D.C. Mortensen has also shown his work at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York City, as well as in New Zealand, Denmark, and Cuba. His books of photography and writing are available from Perceval Press.

Jason Isaacs (Maurice) is perhaps best known for his role as ‘Lucius Malfoy’ in the popular Harry Potter films and will next be seen starring in the films La Conjura de El Escorial and Green Zone. Isaacs’ numerous other film credits include Grindhouse, Friends with Money, Black Hawk Down, Windtalkers, Sweet November, The Patriot, End of the Affair, Soldier, Armageddon, Event Horizon, Dragonheart, and Dangerous Love.

He did a multiple episode arc as a war photojournalist on the acclaimed NBC series The West Wing, along with more than 20 other U.K and U.S. television shows, including starring in the acclaimed Showtime series Brotherhood. Isaacs has appeared on stage in several West End productions, including The Dumb Waiter, Force of Change, 1953 and Angels in America, and is a frequent performer at the Edinburgh Festival.

Vicente Amorim (Director) received attention for his 2003 debut feature film, The Middle of the World, which was a Top Ten grossing film in Brazil, and placed him on Screen International’s list of most promising directors worldwide. The film, which has played around the globe, was named by New York Magazine as one of the five best at the city’s New Directors/New Films festival, and has received many other awards, including kudos for star Wagner Moura at the Cartagena and Natal film festivals.

A partner in the largest production company in Brazil, Amorim has directed over 500 commercials and music videos, and several short films, including Don’t Get Charged Up, which was named Best Short at the Telluride Film Festival. His feature-length documentary, Too Much Brazil, was lauded by UNESCO. Amorim studied economics and cinema at the Federal University in Rio de Janero.

About Cinema/Chicago
Cinema/Chicago is the not for profit, tax exempt cultural and educational organization that presents the annual Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s oldest competitive international film festival, organized to encourage better understanding between cultures and its people and to make a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. Subscribers to Cinema/Chicago’s membership program form a loyal core audience for the organization and are granted access to more than 15 free film screenings and sneak previews throughout the year. Cinema/Chicago also offers year-round educational programs designed for students and the deaf and hard of hearing to provide new film experiences and offer insight into other cultures, languages, and ideas. These programs include the Educational Outreach Program, the Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the Black Perspectives Program. For up-to-date and detailed Festival information, call 312-332-FILM or visit http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com.

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Our exclusive portrait of Viggo Mortensen on this red carpet

Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen posed for a HollywoodChicago.com red-carpet portrait on Oct. 29, 2008 prior to receiving a career achievement award at the U.S. premiere of “Good” on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival. See our exclusive Mortensen portrait here!

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