THE WORLD pours into San Jose Feb. 23–March 7. For 20 years now, Cinequest has made our area a destination for filmmakers and film fans, and this anniversary year sees an increase in the scope of the festival. By now, Cinequest is both a summit meeting for international and indie films and a festival that successfully foretold the way digital film would provide new possibilities for the aesthetics and distribution of films.
Local filmmakers displaying their works include Jarrod Whaley with Hell Is Other People and the new film by Alejandro (Canary) Adams, Babnik, a feature about the flesh trade in illegal immigrants. Paul Crowder (the editor of Riding Giants) brings his documentary The Real Revolutionaries about Fairchild Semiconductors and the roots of the Silicon Valley.
There will be a work-in-progress screening of the SJSU/Barnaby Dallas–made Superhero Party Clown. The brothers Peter and Benjamin Bratt will show their 2009 Sundance film La Mission, shot in San Francisco. It deals with a double subject of an ex-con’s rehabilitation and a son’s rebellion. Star Benjamin Bratt will be on hand to accept the Maverick Spirit Award. Says Cinequest co-founder Halfdan Hussey: “La Mission is not a new subject to me, but I think they’ve given it a fresh approach. It’s a beautifully done movie.”
As always, Cinequest boasts a hefty international component. Paprika Steen is superb in the intense, post-Dogme Applause, concerning a furious Danish actress playing Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? while dealing with her booze problem and her love for her ex-kids. The Quebecois revenge/horror film Seven Days, fresh from Sundance, concerns a weeklong torture sequence—a little gift for the gorehounds.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the Swedish adaptation of Steig Larsson’s mystery novel phenomenon, inevitably in development for an American remake. Returning after 20 years to Cinequest: ultra-avant-garde filmmaker Jon Jost, who has been teaching film in Korea lately. Also, we get the local debut of a new film, Wild Grass, by Alain Resnais of Hiroshima Mon Amour fame; Shana Feste’s The Greatest, with Pierce Brosnan; a Chinese martial arts film The Robbers; and Paulisa, a Brazilian offering about a budding actress.
Cinequest’s always-strong documentary side includes features on military catering (Cooking History), the situation in embattled Baja (The Tijuana Project) and photographer Bert Stern (Becoming Bert Stern), who took the last Marilyn Monroe sessions. Dancer and actress Nancy Kwan is the subject of one new documentary.
As always, there will be a couple of classic silent films at the majestic California Theatre: Ernst Lubitsch’s 1927 The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg and Erich von Stroheim’s famously extravagant and costly The Merry Widow (1925).
Recalling the festival’s two-decade history, Hussey says, “It was a quick 20 years. The last decade has just been great for us. It took a long time to build the core audience. Then, about year seven and eight, we gained international recognition and a larger level of corporate and local sponsorship.”
Hussey praises Cinequest’s 1999, a white-knuckle year, as another breakthrough: “We had 700 volunteers. And even with the economy down, we had such a loyal outpouring of help. When we’d lose one sponsor, we’d get two new ones.”
Rather than just consider the past, Hussey is eager to turn his attention to the future. “In February,” he says, “we’re formally announcing Cinequest Maverick Studio, an LLC to produce, distribute and market A-list movies, TV and new media. It’s all separate from the nonprofit festival.” Cinequest Maverick Studio won’t be an old-fashioned movie lot: “It’s going to be more the contemporary style of studio; we’ll have partners with local warehouses and soundstages, and we’ll be shooting in Northern California as well as in L.A. and other locations.”
During the now-famous seminars, topics like screenwriting and the future of 3-D will be touched upon, as will the migration of film to online exposure. “The question is, as always, how do we monetize the film?” Hussey says. “DVD sales are flatlining, and independent films have even less sales. Everybody’s trying to figure out what’s going to be done.”
On hand for Cinequest are the Olson brothers of the popular online series Mobijokes. According to Hussey, “They’ve been doing their art and making a career out of it. They’ll come here to show filmmakers how to keep their costs low and their quality high.” The extra day at this year’s festival allows for a final round of audience favorites and a culminating Oscar party.
As this new division of Cinequest develops for-profit films, the nonprofit end tries to seek out new mavericks worldwide. Hussey says, “What we’re equally excited about is something Cinequest’s Kathleen Powell and Stephanie Lee are working on. It’s called ‘Picture the Possibilities,’ a nonprofit, global youth initiative taking place in five United States and five international cities; places like East Palo Alto, Detroit, Shanghai and Mexico City. It’s not going to be a film camp but a way of teaching the young people how to use the tools of film.”
Cinequest hopes to use satellite broadcasting and the Internet to connect young filmmakers and mentors. “In fall, we’re planning a world premiere of these films,” Hussey explains, “and we’re also planning to bring these films to leaders who can implement the changes students are asking for: they could be something as simple as combating illiteracy or acquiring clean water.”
What started as a cultural festival for cinéastes, then, is seeking ways not to reflect reality but to shape it.
CINEQUEST runs Feb 23–March 7, in downtown San Jose. See cinequest.org for schedule details. (Metro is a sponsor of Cinequest.)
Local theaters, show times and tickets at MovieTimes.com.
