Cinequest 2023 ("Energized") kicks off tomorrow

The 33rd Cinequest returns tomorrow, August 15th and runs through the end of the month. It features over 300 films this year, 84 of which are US or world premiers. This has become a top-10 film festival in the US, so it's well worth checking out. My favorites are always the collections of shorts, especially the comedies.

For a short guide, head over to SJ Today. To see the full list of films and buy your passes, Cinequest.org is your best bet.

Lights, Camera, Action: Cinequest 2019

Cinequest 2019 occurs March 5^th to March 17^th in San Jose and Redwood City (Silicon Valley) where it will showcase the work of artists from 56 countries, including 132 World and U.S. premiere films and virtual reality.  One hundred works at Cinequest have been directed by women. Fifty-four celebrations, performances, and special events round out the offerings—amounting to 531 screenings, events, parties and experiences.

Some of my top flick picks and screenings I'm so excited about watching include: Freaks, Every Time I Die, The Public, Groupers, #Like, Undercover, The Edge of Success, Cut Off (Abgeschnitten), Go Back to China and Shadow to name a few!!!

Here’s a look at Bay Area films, documentaries and short films worth checking out:

·      Bring Me An Avocado

·      Lucky Fifty

·      Circles

·      The Edge of Success

·      The 17

·      Hook Up 2.0

·      Your Friend

·      49 Mile Scenic Drive

·      Bones

·      Shades

·      Swan

·      When an Egg Meets a Tomato

·      My Mother, Myself and I

·      Love for Food

·      In Our Heads

·      The Fringe Class

·      Lunch Lady

·      American Muscle

Key Cinequest 2019 highlights include:

Closing Night Screening and Celebration: Sunday, March 17, 6:00pm, California Theatre

Cinequest 2019 culminates with The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. 

Maverick Spirit Award Events:

Cinequest’s highest honor, the Maverick Spirit Award, recognizes the world’s most compelling visionary and creative forces. Cinequest 2019’s Maverick Spirit Award recipients are:

• Legendary star of screen and stage Bill Nighy
• Actor, director, writer, and activist Nandita Das
• Life of a Maverick Award Recipient, Esther Wojcicki

Television & Webisodes at Cinequest 2019:
It wasn’t that long ago when award-winning actors, directors, and producers wouldn’t dream of working in television or creating a web series. All of that has changed as the golden era of TV prevails. Cinequest is extremely proud to offer a First Look at upcoming shows, and you get to experience these dynamic stories on the big screen!!! Lineup includes:

• THE BLACKOUT (U.S. Premiere) 
• A glorious addition to the science fiction genre, The Blackout defies expectations and electrifies.
• JOE ALL ALONE 
• Joanna Nadin’s bestseller about finding optimism and adventure in deprived circumstances. Thirteen-year-old Joe Holt is left behind when his mum and unsavory boyfriend take a week-long holiday.
• M (U.S. Premiere)  
• An exhilarating horror-thriller from Argentina, M follows Diane and Tim, a young American couple who travel to Patagonia to search for Tim's father, a biologist who disappeared 10 years earlier.
• OVER WATER (U.S. Premiere) 
• Over Water is a captivating psychological drama set against the raw background of a sea port. Former television star John Beckers is given one last chance to get his life back on track.
• TABOO (U.S. Premiere) 
• Called “The comedy show you shouldn’t laugh with,” Taboo examines that which we often take for granted and forget to cherish.
• UNDERCOVER (U.S. Premiere) 
• One of the largest ecstasy producers in the world, Ferry Bouman, lives a charmed life in his villa, but things start to change when two undercover agents move into his territory.

Regular Screening Prices:

·      General Admission: $12

·      Regular screening tickets are not valid for special events. Opening and Closing Night films are special events.

·      Matinee: $8 All weekday (Monday – Friday) screenings before 5 pm.

·      Students: $6 Valid Student ID required at Box Office.

Complete lineup with ticket and pass sales information at www.cinequest.org

Cinequest doubling down on Virtual Reality

The main film festival for the most innovative place on earth absolutely needs to keep pace with technological innovations in film. That is why they are not just adding a Virtual Reality (VR) category, but they are actually renaming the whole event. Cinequest will now be know as the Cinequest Film & VR Festival. Within 24 hours of the announcement, they already received over 10 submissions.

The new name won't be the only change. Unfortunately, Cinequest may need a new venue this year as Camera 12 has shut down. I'll explain more in a separate post.

Source: SVBJ

Cinequest Film Festival starts tomorrow!

One of the highest-rated film festivals in the world will be transforming Downtown San Jose from March 1st to March 13th. 700 artists, innovators, and film-makers will be at the event and overall attendance is expected to top 100,000. Here are some of the highlights to look out for this year:

• Cinequest's Future of Film Showcase
• "My. Invincible" - the world's first film entirely show in Barco Escape, an immersive three screen format where the movie literally wraps around you [Josh: I saw the Maze Runner with this setup and it was a really neat experience].
• Virtual Reality Experiences - there will be a Virtual Reality Lounge where attendees can test out the latest VR film experiences.
• Opening Night Screening and Celebration
• Tomorrow at 7:15pm, Galvin Hood will present his new thriller called "Eye in the Sky" staring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Iain Glen, Barkhad Adbi, and Aaron Paul. The event will be at California Theater and includes both pre and post-show festivities.
• Maverick Spirit Awards
• These award bold, visionary, and creative forces. Previous recipients include J.J. Abrams, Kevin Spacey, Rosario Dawson, Harrison Ford, William H. Macy, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sir Ian McKellen, Neil Gaiman, Alec Baldwin, and Sir Ben Kingsley.
• This year's recipients are James Franco, Rita Moreno, and Robert Hawk.
• Notable Premiers and Star Performances (Cinequest features 129 World and US premiers)
• Helen Mirren (The Queen, Trumbo), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Die Hard), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) in Eye in the Sky (Opening Night)
• Geoffrey Rush (Shine), Ewen Leslie (Sleeping Beauty), Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Anna Torv (Fringe), Odessa Young (Wonderland), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) in The Daughter (Closing Night)
• Alyson Stoner (Step Up), Bill Engvall (The Bill Engvall Show) in Mr. Invincible
• Kevin Smith (Clerks), Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen), Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange), and Rob Epstein (Howl) in Film Hawk
• Rita Moreno (West Side Story) in Remember Me
• Gordon Getty (Composer and Subject) in Gordon Getty: There Will Be Music
• Clea Duvall (Argo, American Horror Story) in Heaven’s Floor
• Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds, Rush) in Colonia
• Jason Ritter (Parenthood) in Embers
• Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), and Lucy Boynton (Miss Potter) in February
• Annette O’Toole (Smallville) and John Glover (The Good Wife) in We Go On
• Comedians Dana Carvey, Bob Saget, Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams in The Comedy Club
• Sally Field (Forrest Gump), Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer) in Hello, My Name Is Doris
• Daphne Zuniga (Spaceballs), Joely Fisher (Ellen), Michelle Hurd (90210), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy), Nick Court (The Last Ship), Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Jonathan Slavin (Better Off Ted), Devon Graye (Dexter), and singing legend Connie Stevens in Search Engines
• Grant Rosenmeyer (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars) in Temps
• Aly Michalka (iZombie), AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs), and Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers) in Weepah Way for Now
• James Franco (127 Hours), Ed Harris (Pollack), Amber Heard (The Danish Girl), Jim Parrack (True Blood), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) in The Adderall Diaries
• Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Fluke) producer on The Brainwashing of My Dad
• Penelope Cruz (Volver) in Ma Ma
• Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Hairspray) and Amber Heard (The Danish Girl, Hidden Palms) in One More Time
• Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea, The House of Mirth) director of Sunset Song
• Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets), Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars), Emily Osment (Cyberbully), Kyla Kennedy (The Walking Dead), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Elisabeth Röhm (The Client List), and Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) in Love Is All You Need?
• Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Marion Cotillard (Inception), James Franco (127 Hours), Ricky Gervais (The Office), Paul Giamatti (Straight Outta Compton), Bud Cort (Pollack), Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo) in The Little Prince
• Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets) and Kerry Norton (Battlestar Galactica) in ToY
• Closing Night Screening and Celebration
• At 6pm on March 13th the film festival will culminate with the US premier of Simon Ston'es "The Daughter" featuring Geoffrey Rush, Wewn Leslie, Paul Schneider, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv, Odessa Young, and Sam Neill.

For more information, schedules, and tickets, head over to the Cinequest website.

"The Brainwashing of My Dad" World Premiere - March 5 Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, CA

THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD - Trailer from Jen Senko on Vimeo.

The widely anticipated political documentary feature film The Brainwashing of My Dad will enjoy its World Premiere at the prestigious Cinequest Film Festival on Saturday March 5, 2016 at 7:00 PM at Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S. 2nd St., San Jose.

Filmmaker Jen Senko examines the rise of right-wing media through the lens of her father, whose immersion in it radicalized him and rocked the foundation of their family. She discovers this political phenomenon recurring in living rooms everywhere, and reveals the consequences conservative media has had on families and a nation.

Says Senko, "What I mean by brainwashing is that people like my dad have become so taken over by right-wing media and its disinformation campaign, that they speak, vote and even act against their own interests - even against the very core of who they are. It is my hope that by lifting the curtain on what the right-wing media is doing to the very fabric of our country, by shedding light on both its tactics and agenda, families and the nation can begin to heal."

Beyond the emotional impact of the film, Senko historically underpins The Brainwashing of My Dad with exceptional expert interviews with Noam Chomsky, Eric Boehlert, David Brock, Jeff Cohen, George Lackoff, Reese Schonfeld and others. Acclaimed actor Matthew Modine (“Full Metal Jacket”) narrates, and Academy Award nominee Bill Plympton, with Maryam Hajouni, provides special animated sequences.

The Brainwashing of My Dad, from JSenko Productions and Cinco Dedos Peliculas, is the recipient of two distinguished film grants by Roy W. Dean and the Bertha Foundation. The film’s non-profit fiscal sponsor is Women Make Movies.

The feature length film touches such a nerve it has already won the Award of Excellence from IMPACT DOCS, and Cinequest is hosting two additional screenings, Sunday, March 6 at 11:30 AM and Wednesday, March 9 at 4:30 PM.

Please visit The Brainwashing of My Dad website at www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com

San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival Voted Best in Nation!!

A recent USA Today poll has named Cinequest as the best film festival in the country. The competition was steep with the likes of the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest Film Festival in the running as well.

Currently serving over 100,000 movie lovers, Cinequest continues to grow both its attendance and its brand year after year. The team behind the festival has already vowed to make Cinequest 26 in 2016 the best one yet!

Check out the full Top 10 US Film Festival list at USA Today.

The Cinequest Film Festival Starts Today!

One of the largest and most prominent film festivals in the world is kicking off in San Jose today, and it will bring over 100,000 people Downtown over the next two weeks. The 24th Cinequest Film Festival will run from March 4th through March 16th and feature 84 World and US premiers, daily soirees and parties, and the Maverick Awards. Films will be screened at Camera 12, the California Theater, and The Rep.

For info and to buy tickets or passes, visit the Cinequest portal over here.

DOSE OF REALITY Premiering at Cinequest

Cinequest is well underway in San Jose with an insane array of movies to chose from. I tend to prioritize the premieres since you get the very rare opportunity of watching a film before anyone else. DOSE OF REALITY is one the films kicking off their world premiere at Cinequest, and the very first showing is tomorrow. More info below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you solve the mystery at  CINEQUEST film festival?

Get your tickets for DOSE OF REALITY the movie and give it a shot.

We're proud to World Premiere at Cinequest.

DOSE OF REALITY movie

Intriguing keeps you guessing mystery thriller with dramatic performances at:

CINEQUEST Film Festival

San Jose, CA

Camera 12  theaters
201 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113

2-28-13 at 7:00 p.m
3-2-13 at 9:30 p.m.

3-5-13 at 4:00 p.m.

Read more about it

When the bar doors closed one evening, the night was far from over. After Matt, a handsome, young bartender, discovers an attractive, bloodied woman passed out on the bathroom floor, the descent into utter chaos begins. He and his arrogant manager, Tony, frantically argue about what to do when she wakes up and hysterically accuses them of attacking her. Taking matters into her own hands with irresistible charm and manipulative mind games, she discovers their deepest, innermost weaknesses. What started out as a quest to uncover the identity of her attacker quickly evolves into a scheme to reveal the secrets of everyone involved. But some secrets will remain hidden, others will identify a new victim, but one will turn everything you thought you knew upside down – Sharon Gonzales  - CINEQUEST

Film stars: Fairuza Balk award winning actress (Gas Food and lodging and The Craft), Rick Ravanello (The Cave), Ryan Merriman (Final Destination and soon to be released "42" starring Harrison Ford).

Order Tickets here:

http://payments.cinequest.org/WebSales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=6913~78899376-35a9-4153-8303-e1557be2dc32&epguid=70d8e056-fa45-4221-9cc7-b6dc88f62c98&

Girl Shaped Drug - US Premiere @ Cinequest

Today the floodgates are opening for hundreds of world-class screenings of independent and foreign movies in San Jose! Girl Shaped Love Drug is not only a film featured in Cinequest, it's having its US premiere right here. If you haven't been to a premiere screening yet, you definitely have to check it out. Immediately following the movie, you can participate in Q&A with the writer/director and several of the actors. Where else do you get an opportunity like that?

The trailer is below and for more information, just head on over here.

Cinequest Starts Today!

Get all of your Cinequest info and tickets right over here!

Phantom Galleries + Cinequest "Art Unleashed"

from Phantom Galleries by PG

Phantom Galleries is proud to be partnering with Cinequest again this year for their Cinequest 23 Film Festival! This is the 4th year that PG & CQ has worked together to bring this live painting event to the amazing audiences of this maverick film festival.


This year's artists are: André Hart, Melanie Sharr and Jeff Hemming. All three artists are highly imaginative in their concepts and excellent in their painting practice. We look forward to their interpretations of the festival's theme "UNLEASH."

Festival attendees will have the ability to observe each artist put their talent to work and thereafter vote for their favorite artist via Facebook. All sponsors, artists and paintings will be presented at the closing ceremony before announcing the winner of the "Live Art Contest!"

Stop by often to see our artists' progress. Artists will be on view in the Camera Cinemas 12 windows along the Paseo de San Antonio walk between S. 1st and S. 2nd streets during the festival February 26–March 29, 2013.

Cinequest schedule & ticket information available at www.cinequest.org

Blockbuster partnership: Cinequest to produce inspiring films for The Tech Museum’s international awards program The Tech Awards

SAN JOSE, CA – A dozen top-flight international filmmakers today were dispatched to capture stories of the people who use technology to benefit humanity around the world, marking a new partnership between The Tech Awards and international film powerhouse Cinequest.

The 90-second films will be shown as part of Silicon Valley’s foremost technology awards program, The Tech Awards, presented by Applied Materials, in association with the Center for Science, Technology, and Society. A signature program of The Tech Museum, The Tech Awards recognizes 12 brilliant innovators who are changing the world with their technologies to eliminate hunger, do away with disease and combat illiteracy, among other global challenges.

The Cinequest partnership is neatly aligned with the goals of The Tech Awards, which seeks to raise awareness about the life-changing work that affects people from Uganda to Uruguay. Over the years, the 257 laureates of The Tech Awards have worked hard to erase stubborn global problems. Thanks to the international reach of Cinequest, these gripping stories will be relayed around the world.

“As we explored different ways to introduce The Tech Awards laureates this year, Cinequest's Film Festival and its Picture the Possibilities project caught our attention—and a new idea emerged,” David Whitman, vice president The Tech Awards.  “Why not convey the compelling stories of the laureates this year through the lenses of 12 diverse, imaginative, and daring filmmakers associated with Cinequest? We pictured the possibilities. And now we're making them into a reality.”

Cinequest has paired a filmmaker with each of the 12 laureates to feature the laureates’ fieldwork and illustrate how their innovations help people most in need. The films will serve as a creative introduction for the nearly 1,500 attendees at the annual The Tech Awards gala November 15 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. After the gala, the films will be available for the laureates to share with media, potential partners and donors or those simply interested in learning more about their work. The films will also be posted on the museum’s website, along with those of past laureates. The top three will be screened during the Cinequest Film Festival, February 26 – March 10, 2013.

“Cinequest and The Tech Museum share a commitment to integrating creativity and innovation. It’s a pleasure to engage Cinequest filmmakers to honor the innovation and powerful work of this year’s laureates,” Halfdan Hussey, director and co-founder on Cinequest, said.

The inspiring work of the laureates has included designing earthquake-resistant construction technology to creating a heat-sensitive label for vaccine vials to make sure children receive potent immunizations to building a simple, low-cost, mobile phone-based device that allows remote monitoring and operation of irrigation pumps.

This year, the laureates will be honored in six categories: Intel Environment Award; Microsoft Education Award; The Swanson Foundation Young Innovator Award; Nokia Health Award; Flextronics Economic Development Award, and The Sustainable Energy Award. The James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award will be presented to Indian philanthropist N.R. Narayana Murthy, who founded tech services giant Infosys along with six colleagues and went on to become one of India’s most influential advocates for health care and rural development.
 
The following lists the filmmakers’ names and short biographies:

* Abbey Luck, Awesome + Modest
Abbey is a director and animator whose work has been featured at the Slamdance and Cinequest film festivals and in the feature film, Waiting for Superman. She produced music videos and commercials for General Electric, Gerber, Scion, Nokia, and AOL

*Lee Lanier, BeezleBug Bit
Lee is a leading animator and visual effects designer who has served as a senior animator at PDI/Dreamworks, taught at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, authored six high-end animation and visual effects books, was featured at 200+ venues worldwide, and is the executive director of the Dam Short Film Festival

*Landon Zakheim, filmmaker
Landon is a short-film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and a filmmaker whose short films, Delmer Builds A Machine and Another Bullet Dodged, have been featured at over 60 international film festivals around the world

*Mike Blum, Pipsquek Films & Blumayan Films
Mike is an Emmy-nominated and award-wining director, writer, and producer who owns and operates the Pipsquek Films animation studio and Blumayan Films. Mike’s projects include the Emmy-nominated series, The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire (Comedy Central); live-action feature, The Playback Singer; and recent series, Samurai! Daycare (SMOSH/Alloy Digital)

*Evan Mather, filmmaker
Evan is an independent filmmaker and landscape architect based in Los Angeles. His 2007 film,So What?, received the 2008 Communications Award of Honor from the American Society of Landscape Architects and he is a Graham Foundation recipient for his 2009 documentary, A Necessary Ruin

*Mary Skinner, 2B Productions
Mary directs and produces documentary films and corporate media. Her most recent project Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers, an official selection at this year’s UN Film Festival, was broadcast nationally on PBS and won the 2012 Gracie Award for outstanding documentary for, by, and about women

*Oliver Cukor, Sleeveless Productions, Inc
Oliver has combined his passions for film, music and new technologies to create stunningly visual and immersive experiences. He has produced, edited, and directed several award-winning films, two of which, Sleeveless Heart and Blue Road, have been shown at the Cinequest Film Festival

*Kavi Raz, K.R. Films Hollywood
Kavi is an award-winning actor, writer, producer, and director as well as the founder of his production company. His directorial debut film The Gold Bracelet has been screened at many prestigious film festivals and has garnered several awards

*Vijay Vanniarajan, Siren Song Creations
Vijay is a co-owner of Siren Song Creations, whose work has been featured on national television, Oprah.com, Deepak Chopra’s website, several film festivals, and has produced for companies such as Adobe, ESPN, NBC, Sentilla, Cinequest and Plug and Play. Paramount Pictures also distributed his documentary.

*Sean McCarthy, Guerilla Wanderers Films
Sean McCarthy is the founder and director of Guerilla Wanderers Films, an award-winning, full-service production company that specializes in film, commercials, corporate videos, and music videos. His short films, Superhero, Boxed Up and Raging Cyclist have received high recognition and awards at various film festivals throughout the United States

*Sidney Sherman with Cliff Schmidt
Sidney is the founder and CEO of Rosa Entertainment, an independent film/television production and management company. Sherman produced the IFC Films released Go Tigers!, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and was an Academy Award Finalist and Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature

*Thomas Mignone, filmmaker
Thomas is a leading filmmaker and music video director who has directed over 150 award-winning music videos for top industry artists and feature film, On the Doll, Thomas utilizes his electrical engineering background to fuse digital audio and video systems and technologies in his filmmaking

For learn more about The Tech Awards, click: http://thetechawards.thetech.org/

For more information about Cinequest, click: http://www.cinequest.org/indexCQ.php

About The Tech Museum
The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech Museum endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

About Cinequest
CINEQUEST is a leading organization that fuses creativity with technological
innovation to empower, improve, and transform the lives of people and communities,
through Cinequest Picture the Possibilities (PTP), Cinequest Film Festival and Cinequest Mavericks Studio.
• CINEQUEST Film Festival (CQFF): showcases premier films, renowned
and emerging artists, and breakthrough technology—empowering global
connectivity between creators and innovators.
• CINEQUEST Picture The Possibilities (PTP): a transformative leadership
movement, where empowered youth create films expressing visions of a better
tomorrow that inspire global leaders to ignite change.
• PTP World Premiere Event during CQFF: multiple, simultaneous, worldwide
connections between media, business, entertainment, and political leaders where
interaction with PTP films and each other jump-start the ultimate realization of
these youthful visions for a better tomorrow.
Cinequest’s sister company, Cinequest Mavericks Studio LLC, produces, distributes
and markets innovative and transformative motion pictures.