One of the main activities of Fool Serious is our annual balloting. You may have seen us during the final weekend distributing and collecting ballots. Every year on the final weekend of the Festival, we invite all passholders (and only passholders) to rate the films they saw, on the assumption that the best comparative data comes from people who have lots of films to compare.
167 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 69 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Emma's Bliss | 2.75 |
| Sounds of Sand | 2.40 |
| La vie en rose | 2.36 |
| Four Minutes | 2.30 |
| Getting Home | 2.19 |
| Paris je t'aime - A Collective Feature Film | 2.10 |
| Tell No One | 2.06 |
| Vitus | 2.03 |
| Prague | 2.01 |
| The Life of Reilly | 2.00 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| For The Bible Tells Me So | 2.45 |
| In the Shadow of the Moon | 2.39 |
| Ballets Russes | 2.22 |
| The Devil Came on Horseback | 2.04 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Max Havelaar | 2.66 |
| Berlin: Symphony of a City | 2.35 |
| Remains of the Day | 2.30 |
| Scaramouche | 2.09 |
The Special Category Award Winners are:
| Category | Film |
| Best Director | Tie: Zabou Breitman (The Man of My Life), Olivier Dahan (La vie en rose) |
| Best Script | Gillaume Canet and Phillippe Lefebvre (Tell No One) |
| Best Cinematographer | Zhang Li (The Banquet) |
| Best Music | Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once) |
| Best Actor | Christian Bale (Rescue Dawn) |
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose) |
| Best Guilty Pleasure | Black Sheep |
This data was gathered from around midnight Saturday 6/16/07 until very early Sunday 6/17/07.
171 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 70 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Elsa & Fred | 2.50 |
| Mother of Mine | 2.46 |
| I Am | 2.38 |
| Iberia | 2.19 |
| The Hidden Blade | 2.16 |
| Snow Cake | 2.13 |
| The Road To Guantanamo | 2.13 |
| So Close, So Far | 2.06 |
| The Cave Of The Yellow Dog | 2.05 |
| Secret Festival #2 | 2.04 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| The Power Of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear | 2.48 |
| Sentenced Home | 2.20 |
| The World According to Sesame Street | 2.20 |
| The Heart of the Game | 2.18 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Black Orpheus | 2.49 |
| Rome, Open City | 2.42 |
| The Scarlett Letter | 2.41 |
| The Window | 2.38 |
Special Category Awards were not presented this year.
This data was gathered from around midnight Saturday 6/17/06 until very early Sunday 6/18/06.
163 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 68 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Howl's Moving Castle | 2.52 |
| Banlieue 13 | 2.36 |
| The Lizard | 2.28 |
| The Ninth Day | 2.11 |
| Yes | 2.09 |
| Forgiveness | 2.05 |
| Our Own | 2.05 |
| 3-Iron | 2.00 |
| Machuca | 1.94 |
| Unconscious | 1.94 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| The Heart of the Game | 3.00 |
| The Real Dirt on Farmer John | 2.24 |
| Mad Hot Ballroom | 2.18 |
| Touch the Sound | 1.97 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| The Circus | 2.61 |
| Gorky Trilogy 2: My Apprenticeship | 1.89 |
| Gorky Trilogy 1: The Childhood of Maxim Gorky | 1.39 |
| The Peach Girl | 1.31 |
Special Category Awards were not presented this year.
This data was gathered from around midnight Saturday 6/11/05 until 3:00am Sunday 6/12/05.
193 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 69 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| The Twilight Samurai | 2.60 |
| Snow Walker | 2.48 |
| Since Otar Left | 2.46 |
| Hero | 2.36 |
| Take My Eyes | 2.34 |
| The Story of the Weeping Camel | 2.19 |
| Dear Frankie | 2.16 |
| The Best Of Youth: Part 2 | 2.15 |
| The Tulse Luper Suitcases: Part 1, The Moab Story | 2.05 |
| Untold Scandal | 2.02 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| The Corporation | 1.99 |
| Heir To an Execution | 1.70 |
| Big City Dick | 1.68 |
| Paper Clips | 1.58 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Playtime | 2.56 |
| The Man on the Train | 2.55 |
| The Widow of Saint-Pierre | 2.29 |
| The Girl on the Bridge | 2.22 |
The Special Category Award Winners are:
| Category | Film |
| Best Director | Zhang Yimou (Hero) |
| Best Script | Shane Carruth (Primer) tied with Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama (The Twilight Samurai) |
| Best Cinematographer | Christopher Doyle (Hero) |
| Best Music | Tan Dun (Hero) |
| Best Actor | Luis Tosar (Take My Eyes) |
| Best Actress | Since Otar Left |
| Best Guilty Pleasure | Danny Deckchair |
This data was gathered from around midnight Saturday 6/12/04 until 3:00am Sunday 6/13/04.
236 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 63 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Oasis | 2.70 |
| The Cuckoo | 2.68 |
| Whale Rider | 2.54 |
| Chaos | 2.46 |
| Autumn Spring | 2.26 |
| Magdalene Sisters | 2.06 |
| Together | 2.01 |
| Secret Festival #4 | 1.92 |
| A Soldier's Girl | 1.92 |
| Song For a Raggy Boy | 1.84 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| Capturing The Friedmans | 2.48 |
| Winged Migration | 2.39 |
| To Be and To Have | 2.12 |
| The Revolution Will Not Be Televised | 2.02 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| The 36th Chamber of Shaolin | 2.00 |
| Le Cercle Rouge | 1.63 |
| Jason and the Argonauts | 1.39 |
| Come Drink With Me | 1.09 |
The Special Category Award Winners are:
| Category | Film |
| Best Director | Niki Caro (Whale Rider) |
| Best Script | Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) |
| Best Cinematographer | Gergely Pohárnok (Hukkle) |
| Best Music | Zhao Lin (Together) |
| Best Actor | Seol Kyung-gu (Oasis) |
| Best Actress | Moon So-ri (Oasis) |
| Best Guilty Pleasure | So Close |
This data was gathered from around midnight Saturday 6/14/03 until 3:30am Sunday 6/15/03.
Serious Fools' Faves for SIFF 2003
214 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 62 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| The Fast Runner | 2.84 |
| Das Experiment | 2.68 |
| Elling | 2.66 |
| Minoes | 2.47 |
| Mostly Martha | 2.13 |
| Sex and Lucia | 2.05 |
| A Song for Martin | 2.02 |
| Read My Lips | 1.97 |
| Door To Door | 1.90 |
| Malunde | 1.82 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| My Voyage to Italy | 2.45 |
| Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) | 2.00 |
| Into the Fire: American Women in the Spanish Civil War | 1.93 |
| Smith Family | 1.81 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Chinatown | 3.07 |
| Joint Security Area | 2.91 |
| Days of Heaven | 2.59 |
| Sweet Smell of Success | 2.54 |
The Special Category Award Winners are:
| Category | Film |
| Best Director | Julio Medem (Sex and Lucia) |
| Best Script | Julio Medem (Sex and Lucia) |
| Best Cinematographer | Norman Cohn (Fast Runner) |
| Best Music | Liz Gallacher (24 Hour Party People) |
| Best Actor | William Macy (Door To Door) |
| Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher) |
| Best Guilty Pleasure | Happiness of the Hatakuris |
This data was gathered from around 10:00pm Saturday 6/15/02 until 2:30am Sunday 6/16/02.
241 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 63 films each.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Divided We Fall | 2.47 |
| The Road Home | 2.43 |
| Before The Storm | 2.19 |
| The New Country | 2.17 |
| Joint Security Area | 2.16 |
| Bread and Tulips | 2.07 |
| The Closet | 2.02 |
| National 7 | 1.96 |
| Together | 1.92 |
| Ali Zaoua | 1.81 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| Endurance | 2.35 |
| Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures | 1.81 |
| Scratch | 1.50 |
| Southern Comfort | 1.49 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Diva | 2.58 |
| The Bonnie Parker Story | 2.46 |
| Betty Blue L'Integral | 2.41 |
| Steamboat Bill, Jr. | 2.39 |
This data was gathered from around 11:30pm Saturday 6/16/01 until 4:30am Sunday 6/17/01.
219 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 63 films each. We made some minor changes to the rating system this year.
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| When the Rain Lifts | 3.09 |
| Shower | 2.70 |
| Under the Sun | 2.49 |
| Butterfly | 2.39 |
| I'm the One that I Want | 2.23 |
| Solas | 2.18 |
| The Five Senses | 2.14 |
| Kirikou & the Sorceress | 2.14 |
| Flowers From Another World | 1.93 |
| Girl On the Bridge | 1.85 |
The Top Documentaries (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Documentaries | Rating |
| Long Nights Journey Into Day | 2.33 |
| Sound and Fury | 2.00 |
| Dark Days | 1.73 |
| Keep the River | 1.72 |
The Top Archival Presentations (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Top Archival Presentations | Rating |
| Raging Bull | 2.93 |
| Blood Simple | 2.59 |
| The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie | 2.22 |
| Gallipoli | 2.05 |
This data was gathered from around 11:30pm Saturday 6/10/00 until 3:30am Sunday 6/11/00.
210 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 59 films each. The films were rated on a scale of: Most Favorite (+4), Top of the Heap (+3), Honorable Mention (+2), Guilty Pleasure (+1), Neutral (0), Excusable Irritant (-1), Dishonorable Mention (-2), Bottom of the Heap (-3), or Least Favorite (-4).
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite | Rating |
| Run Lola Run | 44% |
| Battleship Potemkin | 39% |
| Return With Honor | 33% |
| The Third Man | 33% |
| Limbo | 32% |
| Lovers of the Arctic Circle | 28% |
| Earth | 27% |
| Beseiged | 26% |
| Some Like It Hot | 26% |
| The Red Violin | 24% |
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Run Lola Run | 3.02 |
| Return With Honor | 2.86 |
| Some Like It Hot | 2.85 |
| Battleship Potemkin | 2.77 |
| Earth | 2.75 |
| The Third Man | 2.74 |
| Limbo | 2.70 |
| The Assault | 2.65 |
| The Interview | 2.63 |
| One False Move | 2.61 |
Finally, some links to SIFF's official Space Needle Awards:
http://www.seattlefilm.com/press/1999/6.6.99_awards.announced.html
http://www.seattle-pi.com/movies/siff07.shtml
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/entertainment/html98/siff_19990607.html
209 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 58 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite | Rating |
| Nights of Cabiria | 43% |
| Lea | 38% |
| Kingdom I | 38% |
| Gods and Monsters | 35% |
| The Hanging Garden | 28% |
| Wilde | 26% |
| Frank Lloyd Wright | 26% |
| Smoke Signals | 25% |
| Kingdom II | 25% |
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Nights of Cabiria | 3.01 |
| Kingdom I | 2.93 |
| Gods and Monsters | 2.90 |
| Lea | 2.87 |
| Frank Lloyd Wright | 2.86 |
| Perfect Circle | 2.79 |
| The Children of Heaven | 2.64 |
| God Said Ha! | 2.61 |
| Smoke Signals | 2.58 |
171 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 62 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| The Full Monty |
| Earth |
| The Pillow Book |
| Shall We Dance? |
| Comrades, Almost a Love Story |
| The Children of the Revolution |
| La Promesse |
| Love Serenade |
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Paul Monette | 3.06 |
| Shall We Dance? | 2.92 |
| The Designated Mourner | 2.67 |
| The Full Monty | 2.66 |
| Coup de Torchon | 2.58 |
| Sick: Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist | 2.53 |
| The Emperor's Shadow | 2.50 |
| The Unknown | 2.50 |
142 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 60 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| Lone Star |
| The King of the Masks |
| Trainspotting |
| The Whole Wide World |
| Angel Baby |
| Man with a Movie Camera |
| Welcome to the Dollhouse |
The Most Liked films (those with the highest weighted average vote) are:
| Most Liked | Rating |
| Lone Star | 3.23 |
| The King of the Masks | 3.12 |
| A Feast at Midnight | 2.85 |
| Umbrellas of Cherbourg | 2.84 |
| Dadetown | 2.75 |
| Margaret's Museum | 2.71 |
| Man with a Movie Camera | 2.65 |
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| The Usual Suspects |
| Smoke |
| The Postman |
| Burnt by the Sun |
| The Kingdom |
110 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 57 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |
| Eat Drink Man Woman |
| Clerks |
| Fresh |
| Love and Human Remains |
157 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 52 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| The Wedding Banquet |
| House of Angels |
| Un Coeur en Hiver |
| Orlando |
| Sofie |
93 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 56 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| Butterfly Wings |
| Secret Festival #2 |
| IP5 |
| Betty Blue l'Integrale |
| Martha and I |
92 holders of SIFF passes (full series, platinum, press and staff) rated every SIFF film they saw, averaging 60 films each.
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| Strangers in Good Company |
| La Gloire de Mon Pere |
| Le Chateau de Ma Mere |
| Secret Festival #2 |
| Halfaouine -- Boy of the Terraces |
The Most Favorite films (those rated Most Favorite by the highest percentage of those who saw it, and by at least 10 voters) are:
| Most Favorite |
| Jesus of Montreal |
| May Fools |
| Mystery Premiere |
| A Handful of Time |
| The Spider's Web |
It is probably worth mentioning the rules under which these numbers are assembled. The following rules apply to the 2007 balloting; they have been essentially unchanged for a number of years, although the early years were different.
All voters rate films on a 9-point scale, from "Absolute Best" to "Least Favorite". The average rating of a film is then converted to a scale of +4.00 (good) to -4.00 (bad). Films only qualify for Most Liked if they are rated by over 15 viewers, and are neither documentaries nor archivals. There is no minimum vote count for Top Documentaries and Top Archivals. We define archivals as film which have shown at any previous SIFF, or which were in theatrical release 5 or more years before the festival.
Passholders may choose only one film in each special category (Best Director etc). The film with the most votes wins.
All results come with the caveat that they are only as accurate as the early-AM data entry skills of passholders who have seen 100 films in the past 25 days.
All results are copyrighted in the year issued, by Jon Newman and Paul Feavel. All rights reserved. Most Favorite, Most Liked, Top, and Best ratings (those on this web page) may be reprinted or electronically posted. No other portion of these results (those on the printouts distributed by Fool Serious) may be reprinted or electronically posted without prior written permission by the copyright holders.