47^th San Francisco International Film Festival and SKYY Vodka Present SKYY View Cinema Salon

The 47^TH San Francisco International Film Festival (April 15–29) is proud to present the SKYY Prize competition for narrative films by international filmmakers making their feature film directorial debut. A jury of film industry professionals will judge the 11 eligible films representing 14 countries, and the winning filmmaker will be announced at the Festival’s Golden Gate Awards on Wednesday, April 28. The SKYY Prize—which carries a $10,000 cash award—is sponsored by SKYY Vodka.

Executive Director Roxanne Messina Captor says, “The SKYY Prize looks for exciting and innovative features by first-time filmmakers from a variety of countries. This year’s competition is sure to be fierce, with films comprising a variety of subjects, themes, and styles. The jury is going to have a very difficult time selecting a winner.” This year, the jury will consist of three internationally known film professionals: John Anderson from Newsday magazine, screenwriter Pamela Gray and director Mark Descena.

2004 SKYY PRIZE CONTENDERS

ANA AND THE OTHERS (Celina Murga, Argentina, 2003)
A low-key drama about a 25-year-old woman who returns to her hometown after eight years of absence.

BROTHER TO BROTHER (Rodney Evans, USA, 2004)
An ambitious debut concerning an elderly Black gay writer who describes his experiences during the Harlem Renaissance to a young Black painter.

THE HANDCUFF KING (Arto Koskinen, Finland/Sweden, 2002)
A playful coming-of-age drama depicting the friendship between two young boys, one from Finland and one from Sweden.

KOKTEBEL (Boris Khlebnikov, Russia, 2003)
A spare drama detailing the journey of a father and his 11-year-old son through the Russian countryside.

MANHOLE (Daming Chen, China, 2002)
A dark comedy about an ex-con who gets involved in the heist of the rich man his ex-girlfriend has decided to marry.

THE MISSING (Lee Kang-sheng, Taiwan, 2003)
An offbeat drama detailing the search of a woman looking for her missing grandson and a boy looking for his grandfather in contemporary Taipei.

THE NEWCOMERS (Andrés Waissbluth, Chile, 2003)
A raw debut about two brothers who fall for a gangster’s moll who works in a seedy strip club.

SILENT WATERS (Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan/France/Germany, 2003)
The sunny prospects of a loving family in Pakistan are challenged when Islamic fundamentalists come to town in this visually sumptuous film.

SQUINT YOUR EYES (Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland, 2003)
A touching feature about a ten-year-old girl who runs away from home and finds shelter with a caretaker of a deserted farm.

THIS LITTLE LIFE (Sarah Gavron, England, 2003)
A compelling drama about a young woman who gives birth to a seriously premature baby boy, and the intense relationships she develops with the child, her husband and the hospital staff as he battles to survive.

THREE STEP DANCING (Salvatore Mereu, Italy, 2003)z
A visually stunning, episodic film which tells four interconnected tales about life in Sardinia.

All 11 films will be screened during the 47th San Francisco International Film Festival, April 15-29.  The winner of the SKYY Prize will be announced at the Golden Gate Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 28. Previous SKYY Prize winners have been THE MAN OF THE YEAR (Jose Henrique Fonseca, Brazil, 2003); THE WILD BEES (Bohdan Sláma, Czech Republic, 2002); THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS (Patrick Stettner, USA, 2001); EENY MEENY (Alice Nellis, Czech Republic, 2000); XIAO WU (Jia Zhang Ke, China 1999); SOMERSAULT IN A COFFIN (Dervis Zaim, Turkey, 1998).

The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 15-29, 2004 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres "The Home of the Festival," the Castro Theatre, the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley and the Century Cinema 16 Mountain View. Tickets for San Francisco Film Society members will be available on March 23 and for the general public on March 30. To purchase tickets and for ticket information log on to www.sffs.org, call 925.275.9490, or visit the Main Box Office, located in the atrium of the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres at 1881 Post Street or the Satellite Box Office at Crocker Galleria, 50 Post Street, second floor, opening on March 30. For up-to-date Festival information log on to www.sffs.org or call 415.931.FILM.

The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 15-29, 2004) is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, a nonprofit arts and educational organization dedicated to celebrating international film and the moving image.