Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival

Cinequest Film Festival

Location	San Jose, California, USA
Language	International
Website	http://www.cinequest.org

The Cinequest Film Festival is the first major annual independent film festival held after the Academy Awards. Located in San Jose, California, Cinequest has grown to be one of the largest and most influential film festivals featuring new film makers.

Cinequest, a nonprofit 501(c)3 institute, produces the Cinequest Film Festival, Cinequest Distribution Label, and Cinequest Mentoring & Education Programs. Cinequest serves Maverick film artists, movie lovers and students.

Founded by Silicon Valley innovators, business leaders and filmmakers, Cinequest’s history is of technology and discovery. Cinequest paves the revolution of digital technology and film which is now a standard in film industry today.

The Cinequest Film Festival is the first major annual film festival held after the Academy Awards. Based in the Silicon Valley Cinequest is one of the largest film festivals which celebrates new and emerging films and media technologies while empowering mavericks through discovery, innovation, connection and creation.

Cinequest Cinequest is a nonprofit 501(c)3 institute that produces the Cinequest Film Festival, Cinequest Distribution, and Cinequest Mentoring & Education Programs which includes the Picture The Possibilities program. Cinequest Maverick Studios LLC produces, markets and distributes A-list, socially conscious motion pictures and episodic television. It was created to serve the interests and needs of Mavericks who are artists, innovators, film students as well as film lovers. Cinequest was an early innovator in online film distribution. Launched in 2004, Cinequest distributed 20 feature and short films using a proprietary technology platform via (Cinequest Online). In 2006 Cinequest opened a distribution label, Cinequest Distribution, combining comprehensive DVD with Internet and Internet Television, to provide an effective distribution solution for film festival movies. Cinequest Distribution has acquired and distributed more than 84 feature length movies, including Flourish, (Leighten Meester’s feature film) and The Mighty Celt, staring Gillian Anderson.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1990-1995 1.2 1996-2000 1.3 2001-2005 1.4 2006-2008 2 Notable debuts 3 Oscar Nominees 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History [edit] 1990-1995 1990: Cinequest is founded by filmmakers Halfdan Hussey and Kathleen Powell. More than 3,000 moviegoers paid to see 60 films in the four-day event held in the Camera 3 Theatre in San Jose. 1991: Cinequest adds an additional venue at the nearby Towne Theater and 61 films are shown, including My Own Private Idaho and Antonia & Jane. 1992: After the popular success of Jurassic Park and Michael Jackson's Black or White music video, Cinequest featured new “morphing” technology with a screening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The Maverick Spirit Award is presented to Lena Stolze. 1993: Maverick Spirit Awards are presented to Paul Bartel and Carl Franklin. 1994: The festival expands to five days and attendance grows to 11,300. Maverick Spirit Awards go to Russ Meyer, Werner Herzog, and John Waters. 1995: No festival as the event moves from November to February. [edit] 1996-2000 1996: programming Director Michael Rabehl is brought on to expand the festival. The newly built UA Pavilion Theatres in downtown San Jose hosts some screenings. The Maverick Spirit Award is given to Luis Valdez. 1997: Cinequest becomes the first film festival to use streaming media technology and streams the awards ceremony live over the Internet. The Maverick Spirit Award is presented to Jennifer Jason Leigh. 1998: Cinequest adds the "DXD" (Digital by Digital) section to the festival’s competition, honoring artistic use of technology in film. Maverick Spirit Awards are given to Kevin Spacey, Elmer Bernstein, Jackie Chan, Walter Murch, John Schlesinger and Barry Sonnenfeld. 1999: Cinequest expands the DXD section to include panels on digital cinematography, including a sneak preview of the making of the film, Antz. Maverick Spirit Awards go to Gabriel Byrne and Rod Steiger. 2000: Cinequest expands to an 11-day format with 135 films in three locations throughout San Jose. Maverick Spirit Awards go to Robert M. Young, Dario Argento, Alec Baldwin, Wes Craven and Peter Fonda. [edit] 2001-2005 2001: Cinequest is named one of the 10 best film festivals by Chris Gore. The Maverick Spirit Award is given to Mia Trachinger for her first feature Bunny. Spike Lee, Ron Shelton and Richard Leacock and Billy Bob Thornton failed to appear. Nandita Das, Hank The Angry Drunken Dwarf and Doug E. Doug were also notable attendees. 2002: Attendance sets a record at 50,000. The San Jose Repertory Theatre is used for the first time to show Cinequest films. Maverick Spirit Awards go to Lalo Schifrin, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Ian McKellen, while other notable attendees included Jean-Marc Barr. The Opening Night film was The Search for John Gissing and the closing night film was 13 Moons. 2003: Maverick Spirit Awards are presented to Ralph Bakshi, Stephen Frears, Lupe Ontiveros, William H. Macy, Val Kilmer and James Woods. The opening night film was The Movie Hero starring Jeremy Sisto and the closing night film was 100 Mile Rule starring Michael McKean and Maria Bello. 2004: Attendance is an estimated 54,000 with 168 films. The Maverick Spirit Award is presented to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kurt Miller. The opening night film was the Finnish Soccer film United while the closing night film was The Conscientious Objector, a documentary about Desmond T. Doss 2005: The California Theater begins showing films and hosting events including silent films and the opening (Brazil's Manual for Love Stories) and closing night films (My Jealous Barber). The festival played at four venues within walking distance of each other, showing the scheduled 180 films. Maverick Spirit Awards were scheduled to be presented to Blanchard Ryan, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Ben Kingsley, and Jon Polito.

[edit] 2006-2008 2006: Attendance is estimated at 67,000. The festival showcases 191 films with more than 40 features having their Worldwide, North American and U.S. premieres. Maverick Spirit Award goes to Edward James Olmos. Cinequest announces the launch of its distribution label in November with 35 Maverick films under the first slate. The Cinequest Distribution Label presents a variety of films, including audience and jury award winners from the top festivals. Cinequest also launches its pilot Camp Cinequest, a 5-day summer film camp for 7th-8th graders to learn and have hands-on experience in the multifaceted filmmaking process. 2007: The festival announces record submissions competing for slots in the 17th edition of the Cinequest program. In the 12-day festival 160 films are showcased with more than 100 first-time, emerging film artists represented. More than 40 features and 40 shorts have their Worldwide, North American and U.S. premieres. Attendance rises to more than 70,000. The festival showcases the most dynamic list of Maverick Spirit Award guests include Stewart Copeland of the Police, Minnie Driver, Christine Vachon, J.J. Abrams, and Christopher McQuarrie. The Cinequest Distribution Label currently expands its collection of independent and international films to 47 titles. 2008: Centering on the year’s theme, Transform - Mind, Body and Soul, Cinequest hosted 605 artists and innovators, and a record 75,000 attendees. Maverick Spirit Award winners during this year’s festival included Danny Glover, Michael Keaton, Bobby Moresco, Michael Arndt. 2009: The 19th annual festival attracted over 79,000 attendees, with 72 World and U.S. Premieres, in addition to 1,500 elementary to college students participating in Cinequest mentoring and education programs. This year’s Maverick Spirit Award goes to Kevin Pollak, Louis Gossett Jr., and Diablo Cody. 2010: Cinequest celebrated their 20th anniversary this year, with over 81,000 attendees and launched two new growth divisions-Cinequest Maverick Studios and Picture the Possibilities youth program, which provides youth with tools and training to turn their stories into film, and spearhead change in their community. This year’s Maverick Spirit Award goes to Benjamin Bratt, Terry Zwigoff, Kathy Wolfe, and the Life of a Maverick Award goes to the influential Deepak Chopra. [edit] Notable debuts Independent films that premiered at Cinequest that went on to further distribution by a major movie studio: • 2001: Maze, The Adventures of Barry Ween • 2002: Blue Car • 2003: Hukkle, Robot Stories, Suckers, Spellbound • 2004: I.P.O., The Agronomist, The Praying Mantis, One Man Show, The Story of the Weeping Camel, Imelda • 2005 Accordion Tribe, The Civilization of Maxwell Bright • 2006 Edmond, Water, Thank You for Smoking • 2007 The Namesake, A Dog's Breakfast, Sublime • 2008 Sherman's Way, The Village Barbershop, The Sinking of Santa Isabel • 2009 Wake • 2010 The Good Heart, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

[edit] Oscar Nominees Several short films shown at Cinequest have received nominations for Academy Awards. In recent years, these have included • 2004 (A) Torzija • 2005 Ryan, Little Terrorist • 2006 Cashback, 9, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Our Time is Up [edit] References [edit] External links • Official site

Notable debuts

Independent films that premiered at Cinequest that went on to further distribution by a major movie studio:

• 2001: Maze, The Adventures of Barry Ween
• 2002: Blue Car
• 2003: Hukkle, Robot Stories, Suckers, Spellbound
• 2004: I.P.O., The Agronomist, The Praying Mantis, One Man Show, The Story of the Weeping Camel, Imelda
• 2005 Accordion Tribe, The Civilization of Maxwell Bright
• 2006 Edmond, Water, Thank You for Smoking
• 2007 The Namesake, A Dog's Breakfast, Sublime
• 2008 Sherman's Way, The Village Barbershop, The Sinking of Santa Isabel

Oscar Nominees

Several short films shown at Cinequest have received nominations for Academy Awards. In recent years, these have included

• 2004 (A) Torzija
• 2005 Ryan, ', Little Terrorist
• 2006 Cashback, 9, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Our Time is Up

External links

• Official site