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Enter Cinequest
Into this dismal (and fairly
scary) graveyard of fests ventured two independent filmmakers. Frustrated
by the lack of local venues for their own wares, in 1989 Halfdan Hussie
and Kathleen Powell came together to dream of a festival that would honor
those who walked on the other side of mainstream, of a festival that would
encourage undiscovered artists, of a festival that would recognize talent
over money. Thus, Cinequest was born.
The two teamed with San Jose
promoter Michelle Vendelin to create the Cinequest program. Together,
they approached and intrigued the owners of the Camera Cinemas. Long recognized
as the heart of the San Jose's art film world, the owners Jim Zuur and
Jack NyBlom listened intently. Impressed with the drive and focus of the
organizers, the Cameras agreed to back the fledgling festival by donating
several key nights and helping to establish several key industry contacts.
"We were impressed from the outset," said NyBlom to the Mercury in 1990.
"They were so damn well organized." At the time the event had a three
to five year plan.
Cinequest I came onto the scene
in 1990, moving to a different beat. Subtitled "Before their Time: Maverick
Film Makers," the festival focused on independent American film makers.
The event showed 13 features, one documentary and assorted short films.
It also intrigued many industry names. Jan Jost, a San Francisco film
maker, received the first (mini)tribute. "Other festivals embrace Hollywood
and international production," said Jost to the Mercury in 1990. "So you
get lost. At the San Francisco Festival, the tendency is: if something's
subtitled, it's an art film. I appreciate the fact that San Jose wants
to do something different." The festival drew 2,300 people into the downtown
area and earned approximately $5,000. An attendance of 60 percent and
favorable reviews completed the goals of a very happy committee.
Cinequest brings more to the
table than just another film festival, however. Hussie and crew also created
the Cinequest Foundation. From the beginning, Cinequest has wanted to
support the talents creating the wonderful films shown at festivals. Hussie
and his partners determined to put 50 percent of the festival profits
aside to help "select film artists." The Foundation would be a resource
for young, new artists. The focus would be showing them the ropes in the
festivals world - mainly how to get work. In Cinequest 1, both Cinecom
and Miramax had representatives present to advise participants. This aspect
greatly impressed director Henry Jaglom. "'I'd never heard of that before
(festival proceeds going to film makers),' he says from his L.A. office
[to the Mercury News]. ' I love that. I don't know another festival that
does that. That's sufficient reason (to become involved) right there.'"
Jaglom, director of the most controversial and biggest drawing film "Eating",
was the opening night guest for Cinequest 1.
Resounding Success
Now, jump to 1999. The festival
with the three to five year plan finished its ninth event to record numbers.
Thirty-two thousand film buffs flocked to the festival this year, pushing
the box office to $102,000, a 25 percent increase over last year's figures.
In fact, in the land that readily killed local festivals, Cinequest has
grown steadily, increasing attendance approximately 20 percent each year.
Gathering loyal fans and good industry name, Cinequest has become a Silicon
Valley start-up success story. From the 14 films shown at Cinequest 1,
the festival now boasts over 100 films by 182 film makers from over 28
countries. Submissions for the 1999 festival increased to over 800, which
the staff attributes to the success of the 1998 festival. According to
the Cinequest website (http://www.cinequest.org) "We've received an amazing
number of high quality films from all over the world," said Programming
Director Mike Rabehl. "Culling them down was an exciting challenge."
And through it all, the festival
has striven to remain true to its maverick roots.
It was in the spirit of
the maverick that Cinequest was founded by filmakers and Silicon Valley
engineers. Through a personable world-class meeting ground of filmmaking,
film fans, film distributors, and the technology that is reshaping
the industry, Cinequest works to inspire and enable mavericks to realize
their creative visions. (Mission statement on the Cinequest website)
"A maverick is an individual
who breaks from convention and boundaries, picturing new possibilities
and creating a personal or innovative statement," says Hussie on the festival's
website. The festival holds this ideal to its heart. "The most important
thing about Cinequest is that it showcases new films by independent film
makers," said Australia's Aleksi Vellis to the Mercury in 1991. "I've
been to St. Louis and Dallas with this film (Nirvana Street Murder), but
I felt at home at Cinequest, which is more manageable. Big festivals tend
to get anonymous."
Past honorees and attendees
of the festival have included Jackie Chan, Gabriel Bryant, Jennifer Jason
Leigh and Kevin Spacey just to name a few of the more well known names.
"Our vision has always been very clear: We're a festival about mavericks,"
Hussie said to the Chronicle in 1998. "Ninety percent of the filmmakers
here are first-time film makers or older film makers whose work isn't
well known... It's a relaxed, personable environment. It's not about needing
to know me to get behind closed doors to the big-name parties. That's
why the big names come here."
But even with "names" attending,
Cinequest strives to keep the intimate, educational atmosphere and avoid
the Hollywood hype. For example, Cinequest V presented two seminars: Sex
in the Cinema and Working Locally. The festival has also reached out the
surrounding community by including such sections as the Latino Tribute,
the After Hours segment and even an elementary school out-reach program.
Cinequest is expanding into
the digital age as well, with recent documentaries and seminars regarding
the advancements in technology and film. Cinequest IX featured two presentations
on digital film making and a showing of completely digital short films.
The new technology allows film makers to create more sophisticated images
on lower budgets, and revolutionized post production in a way that can
not be denied. However, "We don't want to just bow to technology and say
how wonderful it is," Hussie cautions in the San Francisco Chronicle.
"We want to explore the pros and cons of the technologies in terms of
what they do better than traditional technologies, and what they do worse."
Resources
Guthmann, E. (January 28, 1999).
"A film festival for mavericks Spacey, Schlesinger on bill in San Jose."
The San Francisco Chronicle. E6.
Guthmann, E. (February 24,
1999) "Cinequest dives into digital age." The San Francisco Chronicle.
E2
Harvey, D. (June 30, 1997).
"A fest for every taste. (Bay area audiences support diverse production.)
Variety. 44.
Lovell, G. (October 27, 1990).
"S.J. film festival a screening success." The San Jose Mercury News. 3
C.
Lovell, G. (October 7, 1990).
"Shot by shot: How the festival was put together." The San Jose Mercury
News. 17E.
Lovell, G. (October 16, 1991).
"Solid ratings for S. J. film festival." The San Jose Mercury News. 5E
Lovell, G. (October 7, 1990).
"A film fest for San Jose: the silicon capital tries to mine a little
movies gold." The San Jose Mercury News. 17E.
Lovell, G. (October 7, 1990).
"Learning from past successes - and failures how to run a local film festival."
The San Jose Mercury News. 24E.
von Busack, R. (February 18,
1999). "Old mavericks and a new generation converge at Cinequest." Metro.
(On-line).
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