A big screen for smaller films

By James Hill III

Maverick, commonly defined as: a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates. Long before that term became popular in the 2008 presidential election, the Cinequest film festival used it as a badge of honor and award title. Located in San Jose and celebrating its 20th anniversary, Cinequest is a showcase for independent films that has grown from an attendance of 3,000 in 1990 to over 81,000 last year.

Sophomore Stoney Strickland observed that "many of the more brilliant, groundbreaking and sometimes eccentric films come from the international film festival," and Cinequest is exactly the kind of event that spotlights those films.

In 2009, 80 films from 44 countries had their world or U.S. premiere at the festival, and another 100 were presented. Numerous short films shown at Cinequest have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations, including "9," which inspired the animated film from last year of the same title.

Additionally, more famous films such as "My Own Private Idaho" (starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix), "The Namesake" (with Kal Penn) and "Thank You for Smoking" -- the first film directed by Jason Reitman, who has also helmed "Juno" and "Up in the Air" -- premiered at the festival before finding distribution by a major studio.

The typical film festival allows independent filmmakers -- not associated with a large studio such as 20th Century Fox or Paramount -- to display their films to a larger audience. If the film is received well-enough, a major studio may choose to pay for the rights to distribute the film, expecting a profit or award nominations. Since Cinequest has always occurred right around the Academy Awards, it has served as a starting point for the festival circuit.

More famous festivals that occur later in the year, such as Sundance or Cannes, have major prestige and studio attendance and begin the road to Hollywood award season. But don't dismiss Cinequest as unimportant compared to those big-ticket events; Chris Gore, author of the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, says that, "This festival is one that sets the trends and is actually ahead of the trends. Other festivals are copying Cinequest; I see it all the time."

The festival certainly attracts star power. Leighton Meester ("Gossip Girl") and Gillian Anderson (of "The X-Files" fame) both have films premiering this year, and in the past, Oprah Winfrey spotlighted two Cinequest documentaries. The centerpiece of the festival -- apart from the films, of course -- is always the Maverick Spirit Award.

Each year, Cinequest selects at least one individual from the film industry to bestow this honor upon, celebrating their ability to go against the Hollywood grain and do something different. Previous honorees have included Kevin Spacey, Jackie Chan, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, J.J. Abrams and last year's nominee, Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody. This year's award will go to actor Benjamin Bratt ("Traffic", "Law and Order"), who plans to debut his newest film, "La Mission," at the festival.

If you pick up a copy of local weekly lifestyle paper Metro, you'll notice a full preview of the 2010 festival. Also, the Cinema Club has taken notice, scheduling a group outing to go see the film "Friction" on Saturday, Feb. 27. Students interested in attending the festival this year may run into some potential roadblocks including fitting the trip into their busy schedules.

Freshman Miles Dieffenbach said, "I'm interested, but I just don't have the time." With finals quickly approaching, time is a commodity high on many students' lists. However, in 2009 Diablo Cody was fascinating, and some of the films at the festival were equally amazing. No matter your interest in film, Cinequest has something for every taste.

Santa Clara students have interned at the festival in the past -- including current interns, seniors Ben Larson and Cheryl Taguma -- and any support to them or to the festival can only serve as a positive.

Cinequest began Tuesday, Feb. 23 and will run until Sunday, March 7. -- the date of the 82nd Academy Awards. Ticket prices vary depending on the event and film; more information can be found at www.cinequest.org.

Contact James Hill III at jhill@scu.edu or at (408) 554-1918.