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For the tenth annual RiverRun International Film Festival, executive director Andrew Rodgers wants Triad audiences to laugh.

Having attended many film festivals around the country, Rodgers believes they are known mostly for showcasing mature, sophisticated content.

"I think there's also a bit of a reaction to that," Rodgers says. "Of people saying, 'Hey look, these are great movies, but we'd also like to see the other side of the coin.'"

The other side of the coin is the genre of indie comedies, which exploded after the surprising critical and commercial success of "Little Miss Sunshine," a not so conventional comedy about a dysfunctional family that was the hit of the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.

"Little Miss Sunshine" earned two Academy Awards, but more importantly, audiences loved it.

According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the $8 million film earned just north of $100 million worldwide.

The movie proved that audiences were ready and perhaps eager to laugh at slightly edgier fare than your basic Adam Sandler flick.

"I partially think that's the reason for success for films like 'Juno,' which is about a very serious topic, but treated in a lighthearted way," Rodgers says. "We just saw a lot of films this year that you would consider comedic, or had comedic undertones, or just serious films that have a lot of laughs in them."

RiverRun's lineup of indie or foreign comedic films include the Helen Hunt-directed "Then She Found Me," the French James Bond spoof "OSS 117," the Czech box-office smash "Empties," and the Danish film school memoir "The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche, Part 1."

But the biggest debut at this year's festival is the 2007 Sundance hit from the UK, "Son of Rambow."

Directed by Garth Jennings, this 1980s based comedy is about two young boys who attempt to create a sequel to "Rambo: First Blood" via camcorder.

"Son of Rambow" was immediately purchased by Paramount Vantage after its Sundance premier, and will be released nationally late May.

"It's fun. It's got a great spirit to it," says Rodgers, who first saw the film during its world premier. "It's not really a film for kids, even thought it's about kids."

Another UK comedy poised to make a big splash with RiverRun audiences this year is the United States premiere of "The Baker," a light-hearted flick about an assassin who poses as the new town baker in a small English village.

Gareth Lewis, who directed "The Baker," hopes the surge of indie comedies will eventually lead to a comedic film beating out a roster of serious dramas for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

"Frankly a film should be judged on its merits, regardless of genre," says Lewis via e-mail. "If it's a tearjerker that makes you weep buckets, is that somehow more of an achievement than making people weep with laughter?"

It could take a while for awards shows to respect comedies as much as dramas, and Lewis knows that should he switch to serious films, his chances of palming a golden statuette would increase significantly. That said, the filmmaker plans to stick with making people laugh for now.

"I suspect that all comedians feel underrated when it comes to awards," Lewis says, "but the reward, if not the award, is seeing a theater full of laughing people."

Joe Scott co-hosts "The Movie Show" from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday on WUAG (103.1 FM). For podcasts, trailers and additional commentaries, visit http://www.themovieshow.org. Contact him at movieshowjoe@gmail.com.

The Schedule

The 10th annual RiverRun International Film Festival has got your fix for indie and foreign comedies this year. Here's a listing of comedic feature films and show times for some of the major premieres at this year's festival. All events take place on the campus of North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem with the exception of one showing of "Then She Found Me" at the Stevens Center, 405 W. Fourth St., Winston-Salem. Tickets per screening are $8 adults, $6 students.

For more information call 721-1945 or visit riverrunfilm.com.

The Baker
(Director Gareth Lewis , U.S. Premiere )
• 11 a.m. Friday, April 25 in the Gold Theatre; 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 in the Main Theatre; and 9 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in the Babcock Theatre

Fans of cheeky British humor should enjoy this caper about an English hit man (Damian Lewis who poses as the new baker in a small English village populated by constantly feuding townspeople. The townspeople secretly discover the hit man's real profession, and think that when they hire him to bake cakes for their neighborhood enemies, he will in fact "fix" their disputes permanently. Lewis' first film has a lot of energy and at 85 minutes, it never outwears its welcome. Michael Gambon of "Harry Potter" fame has a cameo.

"Then She Found Me"
(Director Helen Hunt, North Carolina Premiere )
• 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Stevens Center; 7 p.m. Monday, April 28 in the Main Theatre

Academy Award winning actress Helen Hunt pulls double duty as both star and first-time director of this bitter-sweet dramedy. Based on the Elinor Lipman novel, Hunt plays April, a middle-aged elementary school teacher whose adoptive mother dies shortly before her husband (Matthew Broderick) decides to leave her. But things get really sticky when April falls in love with one of her students' parents (Colin Firth ) and meets her biological mother, an eccentric daytime talk show host played by Bette Midler.

Early word has it that this film showcases Midler's comeback as a serious actress. Plus Hunt should give herself a pat on the back for making her most enjoyable movie since "As Good as It Gets."

One has to wonder why a major studio didn't pick up "Then She Found Me" since it features so many stars. Perhaps film companies were antsy since the it deals with a main female character that's in her forties. At any rate, this is one film RiverRun audiences would be foolish to miss.

The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1
(Director Jacob Thuesen, U.S. Premiere)
• 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24 in the Babcock Theatre; 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 in the Gold Theatre; and 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in the Main Theatre

Anyone who's ever taken a liberal arts class in college will recognize many of the situations in this Danish comedy about the life of a young film student (Jonatan Spang) who learns the most important lessons happen outside of school. The movie is far more honest - and funnier - than Terry Zwigoff's "Art School Confidential," because it's based on the memories of real-life experimental filmmaker Lars von Trier ("Dancer in the Dark" and "Breaking the Waves"). Trier, who wrote the film under the guise of the main character's name, portrays his former teachers as cruel egomaniacs who exploit the naiveté of their students to maintain the illusion of self-importance.

"OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies"
(Director Michel Hazanavicius , North Carolina premiere)
• Playing 9 p.m. Thursday, April 24 in the Babcock Theatre; 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in the Main Theatre; and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 27 at the Main Theatre

What separates this French riff on the James Bond series form the herd of secret agent comedies a la "Austin Powers" is authenticity. "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" looks and feels like a classic James Bond film and actor Jean Dujardin makes the perfect stand-in for a young Sean Connery.

Pig-headed spy OSS 117 (Dujardin) faces off against Muslims in Egypt while searching for an arsenal of stolen weapons. The twist, however, is that the hero is kind of the bad guy in his own movie because of his gross cultural insensitivity.

Son of Rambow
(Director Garth Jennings, North Carolina Premiere)
• 9:30 p.m., Thursday April 24 at the Main Theatre and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Gold Theatre

When a pre-teen terror introduces the oldest son of a deeply religious family to his first R-rated action film, the two become unlikely friends as they set out to make a camcorder sequel to "Rambo: First Blood." Set in 1980's England, the plot might sound similar to last winter's Jack Black dud, "Be Kind Rewind," however, insider's word pegs "Son of Rambow" as the better of the two.

Paramount Vantage plans to give "Son of Rambow" a wide release sometime in May.