Another Cinequest has come and gone. This year marked the 15th time that maverick filmmakers and fans of independent film have converged on San Jose, and this was the biggest year the festival has had yet. We learned at the closing ceremony that there was a 34% increase in attendance this year over last year, and that the financial impact (from diners at restaurants, folks staying in hotels, and the like) on San Jose was in excess of $3 million. With well over 200 films of various lengths, genres, and styles shown over 12 days, it’s easy to see why so many people came in to enjoy the festival.
Not that it was all perfect. There were a few technical problems, and the overwhelming attendance of the more popular films sometimes caused difficulty in getting everyone seated. But the organizers added screenings when possible and smoothed ruffled feathers, and overall the festival was a rousing success.
Maverick Spirit awards were presented to actors Sir Ben Kingsley and Jon Polito at ceremonies with engaging discussions by the actors. The inspiring Emmanuel Yeboah, who rode a bicycle across his home country of Ghana to raise awareness of the disabled, was presented with the Maverick Life Award. Young Blanchard Ryan of the hit film “Open Water” was presented with the Emerging Maverick Award. Numerous other awards were presented to filmmakers: there were the Viewers’ Voice Awards, given to films that won the most votes from online viewers; the audience awards, given according to surveys filled out at screenings; jury awards; and special Maverick awards as well. Most of the awards were given at the sold-out Closing Night Gala, which was followed by a rousing party.
Cinequest offers us an international, top-ranking film festival right in our back yard. This annual event is an incredible opportunity. You can check out what W. Fred Crow and Ealasaid Haas thought of the films they caught at http://www.ealasaid.com/cineblog/ and catch many of the films, both shorts and features, online at http://www.cinequestonline.org.