Ten Films at 50th San Francisco International Film Festival Eligible for First Annual Chris Holter Humor in Film Award

$2,500 Cash Prize to Winning Filmmaker Selected by Audience Ballot

May 7, 2007

The San Francisco Film Society will present the first annual Chris Holter Humor in Film Award at the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26 – May 10). The Holter Award, honoring the life and work of the San Francisco native, teacher and filmmaker, has been established in memoriam by Holter’s partner, producer/director Ron Merk. The award, which includes a $2,500 cash prize, will be given to the filmmaker whose film (short, narrative feature or documentary in any genre or technique, including animation) paints the most humorous, heart-warming and life-affirming portrait of the human condition. The winner of the Holter Award will be determined by audience ballot and announced at the Festival’s Golden Gate Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 9.

The eligible films are:
Broken English, directed by Zoe Cassavetes, USA 2006. Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud form a cross-Atlantic indie film dream team in Cassavetes’ sparkling romantic comedy for latent depressives and the chronically lovelorn. It’s Sex and the City with a dose of Xanax and a hit of ’30s screwball charm, costarring Cassavetes’ magnificent mom, Gena Rowlands.

Bunny Chow, directed by John Barker, South Africa, 2006. Three aspiring comedians take a road trip from Johannesburg to Oppikoppi, South Africa’s largest annual rock festival, in this defiantly lo-fi comedy that takes its name from a popular sandwich.

Congorama, directed by Philippe Falardeau, Canada/Belgium/France, 2006. In this existential comedy, Belgian inventor Michel learns he is adopted and journeys to Quebec to find his biological family. His quest sets off a cosmic chain of unlikely and humorous events that will change his fortunes forever.

The Danish Poet, directed by Torill Kove, Norway/Canada, 2006. The 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short about kismet and true love features narration by Liv Ullmann.

Eagle VS Shark, directed by Taika Waititi, New Zealand, 2006. In this geek-chic comedy reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite and set in a quirky New Zealand small town, video game fanatics Lily and Jarrod stumble toward romantic bliss. Will the nerds triumph over adversity?

Emma’s Bliss, Sven Taddicken, Germany, 2006. Diagnosed with a fatal disease, Max impulsively leaves Germany to live out the brief remainder of his life on a beach in Mexico. Instead, he crashes his stolen car into a pig farm run by Emma, a wise seductress whose unique perspective on life and death helps Max achieve the ultimate liberation.

Gardens In Autumn, directed by Otar Iosseliani, France/Russia/Italy, 2006. In Iosseliani’s hilarious satire, middle-aged French minister Vincent loses his job, his apartment and his wife. Luckily, he has a rich, doting old mother (Michel Piccoli in drag), and decides to reacquaint himself with old friends, former mistresses, his passion for music and the pleasures of alcohol.

Hana, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan, 2006. A movie about a samurai from the director of After Life and Nobody Knows. Filled with Kore-eda’s characteristic moments of quiet beauty, this tale of a hapless samurai seeking vengeance but finding acceptance is a celebration of pacifism and a tribute to Japanese cinema history.

The Heavenly Kings, directed by Daniel Wu, Hong Kong, 2006. Bay Area–born Hong Kong movie star Wu’s directorial debut is a witty account of a boy band’s rise to the top and a clever, tuneful, insider’s look at the entertainment industry’s comically bizarre operations.

The Silly Age, directed by Pavel Giroud, Cuba/Spain/Venezuela. Ten-year-old Samuel crosses the “silly age” from childhood to adolescence in glamorous 1958 Havana just as Cuba itself must contend with the romantic possibilities and harsh realities of revolution.

The Chris Holter Humor in Film Award is made possible by an annual grant from the Metro Theatre Center Foundation, with funds from the Ora A. Holter Family Trust and the Chris Holter–Ron Merk Family Fund.