Cinequest Celebrates the Real Revolutionaries, the Mavericks

In the past year, our country increased its national debt by $1.9 trillion, including $245 billion in bailout funds as part of a greater effort to create change. Conversely, Cinequest, a company that has stayed in the black since inception, spent less than $2 million to create change by empowering the artistic revolutionaries of our time: the Mavericks, those who astound, electrify, inspire, laugh, pioneer—and in turn create rippling effects throughout the world. The 20th Anniversary Cinequest Film Festival (CQFF20), Feb. 23 – March 7, 2010, celebrates the vision of Cinequest’s founding artists and innovators: Mavericks.

mav-er-ick

1. An unbranded calf, apart from the herd

2. An original who takes the path less traveled

Highlights include:

• A record 76 U.S., North American, and World Premieres.
• Directors of global impact including Mika Kaurismäki (The House of Branching Love, The Sound of Rio: Brasileirinho, Moro No Brasil), Alain Resnais (Wild Grass, Hiroshima mon amour), Joon-ho Bong (Mother, The Host), Dagur Kari (The Good Heart, Noi the Albino)
• Forty-five countries represented in global film program including: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tibet, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.
• Artist & Innovator Forums including 3D and Mastering the Art of Maverick Filmmaking with the Olson Brothers.
• Maverick Spirit Award winner Benjamin Bratt with a special screening of La MISSION.
• Superb state-of-the-art venues (palatial California Theatre, Camera 12 Cinemas, Camera 3 Cinemas, and the San Jose Repertory Theatre) and added screens equipped with digital servers, digital and 35mm projection, as well as select 3D all within a four block radius.
• Enhanced customer service with pioneering Cinequest Interactive Scheduler and Application for the iPhone, Blackberry and Cinequest web site.
• Expansion of Soiree events, connecting artists, innovators, media and film lovers to occur nightly.
• Encore Day screenings of this year’s Cinequest Award Winners.
• Films starring Brian Cox (The Good Heart, Troy), Pierce Brosnan (The Greatest, The Thomas Crown Affair), Susan Sarandon (The Greatest, Dead Man Walking), Carey Mulligan (The Greatest, An Education), Patrick Warburton (The Action Hero's Guide to Saving Lives, Seinfeld), Tabrett Bethell (Anyone You Want, The Legend of the Seeker), Laura Silverman (Cummings Farm, Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic), Paprika Steen (Applause, The Substitute, Adam's Apples), Paul Dano (The Good Heart, Little Miss Sunshine), Zoe Kazan (The Exploding Girl, It's Complicated), Benjamin Bratt (La Mission, Miss Congeniality), Zach Galifianakis (Little Fish Strange Pond, The Hangover), Matthew Modine (Little Fish Strange Pond, Weeds), Callum Blue (Little Fish Strange Pond, The Tudors), Robin Tunney (Passenger Side, The Mentalist), Adam Scott (Passenger Side, Step Brothers), Ravi Kapoor (Raspberry Magic, Heroes), James Franco (The Feast of Stephen (filmmaker), Spider-Man), Adam Baldwin (Little Fish Strange Pond, Chuck), Paul Adelstein (Little Fish Strange Pond, Private Practice), Liza Weil (Little Fish Strange Pond, Gilmore Girls), Nancy Kwan (To Whom It May Concern The Flower Drum Song), Joan Chen (To Whom It May Concern, Lust, Caution), France Nuyen (To Whom It May Concern, South Pacific), Vivian Wu (To Whom It May Concern, The Last Emperor), Michelle Forbes (Diplomacy, True Blood), Lewis Black (Ollie and the Baked Halibut, Unaccompanied Minors,), Lena Headey (The Devil's Wedding, 300)

Electrify—events and parties

Cinequest kicks off the 20th Anniversary celebration with electrifying cinema. Emmy Award winning and Golden Globe nominated powerhouse Brian Cox (Match Point, The Bourne Identity, Troy) and emerging master Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Where the Wild Things Are) star in the opening night film, The Good Heart, making its US premiere at CQFF20. Jacques (Cox) takes homeless Lucas (Dano) into his bar and home to teach him the ins and outs of his trade. Though on the surface this pair makes a truly odd couple, something emerges that fosters a mutual respect and reliance on each other. Director Dagur Kári (Noi the Albino) directs nurturing flawless performances from Cox and Dano, while delivering a spectacular cinematic experience. At its core, The Good Heart resonates with quirks and jabs that pack considerable punch. Post screening party, with star actors and filmmakers, occurs at E&O Trading Company.

Cinequest closes a milestone program with Mother (Madeo), directed by Joon-ho Bong (director of the hit film The Host). There are many forces of nature. Perhaps the most organic and committed force is that of a mother for her child. And this power and experience of motherhood carry a universal understanding, respect and community. What would you do if your child were accused of a brutal crime? Mother delivers a breathtaking and hugely entertaining mystery, delving into the realms of truth within the shadow side of humanity. Post screening party, with star actors and filmmakers, occurs at South First Billiards, with beats by dr. dre music.

In between Opening and Closing parties, Maverick innovators, artists, film lovers and media will connect and share ideas and inspirations each evening at Cinequest – Intel VIP Soirees: Get Inside. Occurring 5-7 p.m. nightly for VIP All Access pass holders, food and drinks will be provided by top festival dining sponsors.

Twelve days just weren’t enough. Cinequest expands the festivities with an Encore Day on Sunday, March 7. The festival, now 13 days, gives pass holders and top volunteers what they have long requested: one last opportunity to experience the CQFF award-winning films. Encore Day will culminate with Mavericks Academy Awards Party with hors d'oeuvres, drinks and television viewing of awards held at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Electrify—screenings

Electrifying screenings include The Greatest, a powerful story of renewal starring Oscar winning actress Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, The Lovely Bones); Golden Globe nominee Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, The Thomas Crown Affair); and Golden Globe nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education, Public Enemies); and Wild Grass (Les herbes folles), directed by the legendary Alain Resnais (Hiroshima mon amour), a tale of a middle-aged married man whose obsession with another woman leads to unexpected and often bizarre circumstances.

Inspire—events and screenings

Bay Area native Benjamin Bratt (Miss Congeniality, Piñero) receives Cinequest's highest honor, the Maverick Spirit Award on March 4 at San Jose’s California Theatre after a special screening of La MISSION. For more than 20 years, Bratt’s career has successfully spanned film and television. Multi-talented and charismatic, Bratt embodies the Maverick spirit with his continual pursuit to push the envelope and his unique ability to transcend genre. His distinguished film career includes the critically acclaimed films Piñero, Traffic and The Woodsman. Television audiences recognize Bratt from Law & Order. A veteran of over 25 films, his most recent project, La MISSION, delivers a powerful film in which he starred and produced with his brother Peter Bratt. The story brilliantly portrays a clash between traditional and contemporary Latino culture in the Mission district of San Francisco. It examines the conflicts of being gay in a Latino family as well as the fine line between machismo strength and violence. Peter Bratt (writer/director/producer) will introduce this film. After the screening, a dynamic conversation with Benjamin Bratt will ensue, followed by the presentation of the Maverick Spirit Award.

This year’s complete lineup of Maverick Spirit Award winners and events will be made available online at www.cinequest.org by February 14th. Past recipients have included: Kevin Spacey, Gus Van Sant, William H. Macy, John Schlesinger, Alec Baldwin, Minnie Driver, James Woods, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Waters, Michael Keaton, Jackie Chan, Diablo Cody and Spike Lee.

Far from dry presentations of history, the CQFF20 documentary selection inspires film lovers via explorations of compelling artists, benevolent humanitarians and triumphant survivors. This begins with director Peter Kerekes’ heartfelt film Cooking History, a portrait of the cooks who serve the men and women who serve their countries; The Desert of Forbidden Art, the depiction of a time when fear and oppression tried to silence artists during the Soviet Union, narrated by past Maverick Spirit Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley, the outstanding Sally Field and the legendary Ed Asner; No Tomorrow, a gut-wrenching film that challenges viewers to reflect on their beliefs on capital punishment; The Tijuana Project, a film produced by Brian Knighten and John Sheedy that shares a portrait of six children who despite all odds overcome the obstacles of poverty, while maintaining amazing spirit and enthusiasm; and To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen’s Journey, a rousing and intimate look at the life of Nancy Kwan (The World of Suzie Wong, The Flower Drum Song), once one of the most coveted young stars in Hollywood and an immediate sex symbol.

Pioneer—screenings and forums

The World premiere of The Real Revolutionaries details how pioneer William Shockley recruited a group of brilliant young men and moved them to the Santa Clara Valley to begin his quest to re-invent the American Dream: "Technology for the greater good." The Real Revolutionaries creatively tells the story of Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore and the "Fairchild Eight" as they build Silicon Valley from the ground up. These men slowly helped restructure the contemporary world and became the driving force behind the Digital Age. Whereas a revolution is traditionally viewed as radically riotous, these men are quietly brilliant, yet boldly innovative. Director Paul Crowder (Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who) peels back the layers of the last 40 years to exemplify how the struggles of the past are mirrored by the struggles of the present. Narration is by John Lithgow (Dexter, Shrek, The World According to Garp) and Ron Livingston (Office Space, Sex and the City). A special post-screening discussion will occur with Silicon Valley revolutionaries.

“You find the future of film at Cinequest,” Chris Gore (Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide)

Cinequest’s Artist & Innovator Forums offer dynamic and interactive presentations. The forums kick off with an all-star panel of Hollywood experts in Theatrical, DVD and international film sales, and pioneers of Internet distribution and Internet TV. These experts will focus on the evolution of distribution and new opportunities for audiences and artists on Friday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m., at the San Jose Repertory Theatre.

Intel presents a timely forum on 3D cinema on Saturday, Feb. 27, 1:30 p.m., at Camera 12 Cinemas. Presenters will demonstrate visually and via discussion the successes and new opportunities for film lovers, film producers and artists in today and tomorrow’s three-dimensional spaces. They will explore theatrical, television and stereo gaming 3D. The discussion and demos will focus on how opportunities can foster better storytelling and overall audience experience.

Cinequest pioneers with a 3D showcase for the first time at CQFF, presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Cinequest’s 3D Showcase will educate and inspire artists and audiences through 3D film screenings, 3D forums and the Action 3D Experience.

Cinequest and Adobe bring The Olson Brothers of DV3 Productions who will share their insights and creativity as they take audience members step-by-step through the entire workflow of making a film in the new tapeless 4K DCI compatible era. This vibrant presentation takes place on Saturday, March 6, 1:30 p.m., at Camera 12 Cinemas.

Astound—screenings and cell movies

The World premiere of Becoming Bert Stern brings the career of legendary photographer Bert Stern to life. Stern’s model and muse, Shannah Laumeister, turns her camera on Golden Age “Mad Man” for a shockingly intimate portrait of the man who has photographed some of the most famous and infamous women including Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Lindsay Lohan, Elizabeth Taylor, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Kylie Minogue; the highly anticipated film The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor), based on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel, will astound and leave audiences cheering; Life in One Day (Het leven uit een dag) puts human existence on fast forward as an entire life is lived in merely 24 hours in this alternate world. Intensity grows as one couple bends the rules when they fall in love and commit the ultimate crime just to be together; and The Pit depicts one of the most primitive, yet highly ritualized arenas of the financial world, The New York Board of Trade floor. Director Johanna Lee shows how the Pit has quickly become a casualty in the technology race, as electronic trading has come to dominate the market.

Cinequest and SanDisk take filmmaking to a new level at this year’s festival as SanDisk presents the Cinequest Phone Flick Contest & Voter Sweepstakes. Twenty filmmakers from CQFF20 were chosen to compete for a Grand Prize of $5,000 based on films made with a video-capable mobile phone. The public and Cinequest audiences are encouraged to vote for their favorite film on the SanDisk YouTube site from Jan. 26 – Feb. 16, and via text during the festival, to help choose the winner and for a shot at sweepstakes prizes including a Motorola Smart phone and SanDisk® 8GB microSDHC™ Mobile Memory Cards..

Laugh—DOW and screenings

Shining a spotlight on the art of comedy, CQFF20 presents the Day of the Writer (DOW) featuring animated tête-à-têtes with screenwriting gurus and award-winning writers. Legendary industry experts Lew Hunter, Richard Walter and Hal Ackerman have passed down their Maverick genius and moved millions, as they taught and mentored those behind hits such as National Treasure, War of the Worlds, Gossip Girl and The Office. DOW Part I offers writers and students of writing a chance to learn from these masters on Friday, March 5, 10 a.m., at the San Jose State University Theatre. Part II, 1 p.m., features a dynamic conversation on writing with comedy luminaries Marly Sims (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch; Home Improvement) and Fred Rubin (Different Strokes, Family Matters, Night Court, Step by Step).

CQFF20 screenings that will tickle the soul with laughter include Cummings Farm which tells the story of three couples who attempt to rekindle the romance in their relationships by participating in an orgy; Argentinean comedy Green Waters (Aguas verdes)unveils a brilliantly conceived and audaciously executed black comedy of discomfort, psychological impotence and paranoia; Hell is Other People makes its World premiere at CQFF20, a mumblecore film full of uncomfortable, dry wit and intelligent comedy; Mika Kaurismaki’s The House of Branching Love (Haarautuvan rakkauden talo), an edgy romantic comedy that takes viewers on a wild ride through domestic dysfunction; serial killer comedy Little Fish, Strange Pond stars Zach Galifinakas (The Hangover), Matthew Modine (Married to the Mob, Weeds) and Callum Blue (The Tudors, Smallville); and a test screening of locally produced Super Hero Party Clown, calls on all comic book fans to rejoice.

More Newsworthy Premieres

Audiences will experience chills with Applause (Applaus), Martin Pieter Zandvliet’s debut film with an emotionally driven performance by Paprika Steen; The Exploding Girl, a love affair starring Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road, It’s Complicated); The Robbers (Wode tangchao xiongdi), a comedy that Variety says is “More ironic than knockabout in its humor….”; Slovenian Girl (Slovenka), a thriller that revolves around one of the most sought after call girls in Ljubljana; and the Costa Rican/Chilean production Third World (Tercer mundo)a film that brings together an eclipse and a search for love.

Soul-stirring screenings include a family drama that explores the delicate nature of human relationships in Raspberry Magic; Road to Sangam, featuring quietly restrained performances by Paresh Rawal and Indian film icon Om Puri in a gentle film that evokes Gandhi’s philosophy of tolerance, justice, honor and nonviolent persistence; and Director Siddharth Anand Kumar’s portrait of a journey across the Himalayas in Semshook.

Celebrating its World premiere, Babnik, directed by Bay Area virtuoso Alejandro Adams, reveals a provocative picture about a Russian underground sex ring; the US premiere of the thriller The Bone Man (Knochenmann) will have audiences squealing as they wonder: “where did that finger next to the meat grinder come from?”; Paulista (Quanto dura o amor?)is vibrant with color and character revealing the highs and lows that are all part of understanding love, life and sexuality; Strigoi rejects the typical Hollywood portrayal of the vampire as director Faye Jackson breathes new life and intelligence into the bloodsucker genre; and the taut Australian thriller The Square vibrantly depicts the story of two lovers, a botched crime and a lot of pain.

Additional funny films include the World premiere of Kill the Habit where “three hot chicks must dispose of the body”; Passenger Side is a quirky and poignant comedy starring Robin Tunney (The Mentalist, Empire Records) and Adam Scott (Step Brothers); the World premiere of Peepers where mild-mannered office workers by day are the people who look through your windows by night; and the US premiere of Puck Hogs, which looks at the sport of hockey through the eyes of one of the world’s worst teams.

Sponsors

The following sponsors enable Cinequest’s services: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) , Panasonic (NYSE: PC), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), Applied Materials (NYSE: AMAT), Peet’s Coffee & Tea (PEET), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK), Camera Cinemas, Fry’s Electronics, Metro Newspapers, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hearst Foundations, Castellano Family Foundation, City of San Jose, Omneon, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), NBC, Telemundo, San Jose Mercury News and Clear Channel.

Ticket, event and schedule information:

• Complete lineup and schedule at www.cinequest.org.
• Tickets and passes may be purchased by phone (408) 295-FEST (3378) or online at www.cinequest.org.
• Sophisticated Blackberry and iPhone applications at www.cinequest.org/mobile or simply by logging onto www.cinequest.org via your mobile device.
• Press releases and media guides at www.cinequest.org/press_room.php.

Empowering the Maverick www.cinequest.org

Cinequest empowers Maverick discovery, innovation, education and production via:

• Cinequest Mavericks Studio: producing and distributing A-list movies, episodic television and new media.
• Picture the Possibilities: empowering underserved youth with innovative tools, mentors and training needed to turn their stories into film, while challenging them to drive change in their local community and around the world.
• Cinequest Film Festival 20, February 23 – March 7, 2010: discovering Maverick films and innovations while connecting artists, innovators and film lovers.