The second film that Foster directed was '' Home for the Holidays '' , released in 1995 . It starred Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. and was described as a black comedy " set around a nightmarish Thanksgiving " . Released in November 1995 , it received mixed critical response and was a commercial failure . The following year , Foster received two honorary awards : the Crystal Award , awarded annually for women in the entertainment industry , and the Berlinale Camera at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival . After '' Nell '' in 1994 , Foster did not act in any new projects until 1997 , aside from voicing characters in episodes of '' Frasier '' in 1996 and '' The X-Files '' in early 1997 . She was in talks to star in David Fincher 's thriller '' The Game '' , but its production company , Polygram , dropped her from the project after disagreements over her role . Foster sued the company , saying that she had an oral agreement with them to star in the film and had as a result taken " herself off the market " and lost out on other film projects . The case was later settled out of court . Foster finally made her return to the big screen in '' Contact '' ( 1997 ) , a science fiction film based on a novel by Carl Sagan and directed by Robert Zemeckis . She starred as a scientist searching for extraterrestrial life in the SETI project . Due to the special effects , many of the scenes were filmed with a bluescreen ; this was Foster 's first experience with the technology . She commented , " Blue walls , blue roof . It was just blue , blue , blue . And I was rotated on a lazy Susan with the camera moving on a computerized arm . It was really tough . " The film was a commercial success and earned Foster a Saturn Award and a nomination for a Golden Globe . She also had an asteroid , 17744 Jodiefoster , named in her honor in 1998
46th Berlin International Film Festival
46th Berlin International Film Festival
Jodie Foster