The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival is an annual American independent film festival held each March in San Jose, California and Mountain View, California. The international festival combines the cinematic arts with Silicon Valley’s innovation. It is produced by Cinequest, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is also responsible for Picture The Possibilities and the distribution label Cinequest Mavericks Studio LLC. Cinequest awards the annual Maverick Spirit Awards.
In addition to over 130 world or U.S. premieres from over 30 countries, the festival hosts writer's events including screenwriting competitions, a shorts program, technology and artistic forums and workshops, student programs, and a silent film accompanied on the theatre organ. Founded in 1990 as the Cinequest Film Festival, the festival was rebranded in 2017 as the Cinequest Film & VR Festival and expanded beyond downtown San Jose to Redwood City. It took its present name in 2019.
History Film Producers and Entrepreneurs Halfdan Hussey and Kathleen Powell founded Cinequest in 1990. That year the festival showed 60 films in a single theater, the Camera 3 Cinemas in San Jose; 3,000 people attended. By 2013 there were over 100,000 attendees. In 2014 the festival showed 84 world premieres, by filmmakers from 43 countries, including one filmed using an iPhone.
The festival expanded to ten days in 2000, Cinequest Online was launched in 2004 and Cinequest Mavericks Studio in 2010. and in 2017 changed its name to the Cinequest Film & VR Festival, to reflect the major role of Silicon Valley in developing virtual reality. In 2019, the festival was rebranded as Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival and occurred March 5 – 17, 2019. That year it held events at the California Theatre, Hammer Theatre Center, Camera 3 Cinemas, Redwood City Century Downtown 20, and Fairmont Hotel.
In 2019, the festival was again renamed to the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in recognition of the many creative experiences presented each year including film, virtual and augmented realities, comedy, television, fashion, art and design, dance, and more. The 30th-anniversary 2020 festival, scheduled for March 3 – 15, 2020 in San Jose and Redwood City, has Elation as its theme; the second week was postponed to August because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cinequest Film Festival has gained a reputation as a discovery event: Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide recommends it as showing "the future of film". USA Today readers voted Cinequest as the best film festival.
Awards Cinequest offers several awards during the festival season. The Maverick Spirit Awards, the Maverick Innovator Awards, and the Media Legacy Awards highlight notable individuals in film and technology. The Maverick Individual awards are given to films at the conclusion of the festival via jury and audience voting.
Maverick Spirit Awards The Maverick Spirit Award is given to influential individuals who embody the independent and innovative mindset. It is the most prestigious award given at the Cinequest Film Festival. Over the past 27 years, Cinequest has honored the following artists: Year Honoree 1990 Jon Jost 1992 Lena Stolze 1993 Paul BartelCarl Franklin 1994 Russ MeyerWerner HerzogJohn Waters 1996 Luis Valdez 1997 Jennifer Jason Leigh 1998 Kevin SpaceyElmer BernsteinJackie ChanWalter MurchJohn SchlesingerBarry Sonnenfeld 1999 Gabriel ByrneRod Steiger 2000 Robert M. YoungDario ArgentoAlec BaldwinWes CravenPeter Fonda 2002 Lalo SchifrinDavid StrathairnLili TaylorIan McKellen 2003 Stephen FrearsLupe OntiverosWilliam H. MacyVal KilmerJames Woods 2004 Arnold SchwarzeneggerKurt Miller 2005 Blanchard RyanEmmanuel Ofosu YeboahBen KingsleyJon Polito 2006 Edward James Olmos 2007 Stewart CopelandMinnie DriverChristine VachonJ. J. AbramsChristopher McQuarrie 2008 Michael KeatonDanny Glover 2009 Kevin PollakLouis Gossett Jr.Diablo Cody 2010 Benjamin BrattDeepak ChopraTerry Zwigoff 2011 Bethany HamiltonJohn TurturroAlyson Stoner 2012 Terence DaviesPhilip KaufmanElliott Gould 2013 Harrison FordSalman RushdieChuck Palahniuk 2014 Neil GaimanChristopher Meloni 2015 John BoormanRosario Dawson 2016 Rita MorenoJames Franco 2017 Fred ArmisenJane LynchJason Reitman2018Nicolas Cage Tatiana Maslany
Andie MacDowell2019Bill Nighy Elle Fanning
Esther Wojcicki2020ruth weiss Hong Chau2022Jim Gaffigan Alison Brie2024Matthew Modine2025Gillian Anderson2026Vivica A. Fox Steve Zahn
Maverick Innovator Awards The Media Innovator Award honors technologists whose thoughts, methods and innovations have significantly advanced their industries, their careers, and the world. Cinequest has honored the following people: Year Honoree 2014 Marty CooperMatthew Modine
Media Legacy Awards The Media Legacy Award, inaugurated in 2014, honors film journalists, "the champions who provide audiences and, thus, life blood for artists and films". Cinequest has honored the following people: Year Honoree 2014 Kenneth TuranHarry KnowlesEric Kohn 2015 Anne ThompsonRichard von Busack 2016 Owen Gleiberman2018Ben Mankiewicz
Film Awards Several awards are given on the closing night of the festival to individual films selected either by a panel of judges or by audience surveys and votes. The most noteworthy awards are:
Best Documentary Feature New Visions Award Best Short Narrative Film Audience Favorite Narrative - Awarded to the most popular narrative film based on audience surveys and screening attendance Audience Favorite Documentary - Awarded to the most popular documentary film based on audience surveys and screening attendance
Listed below are all of Cinequest's awards:
Maverick Film Competition Best Drama (Feature Film) Best Comedy (Feature Film) Best Documentary Feature Best Short Narrative Best Short Animation Best Short Documentary Best Student Short
New Visions Program New Visions Award (Feature Film)
Global Landscapes Global Vision Award (Feature Film)
Screenplay Competition Screenplay Award (1st, 2nd, and 3rd places recognized)
Audience Award Audience Award Narrative Feature Audience Award Documentary Feature Audience Award Short Film
Also awarded at Cinequest:
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award - Awarded to the film that affirms the highest values of the human spirit and life
Virtual and Augmented Reality Awards
Best Immersive Best VR Film Best AR Experience Best Game Best Mixed or Volumetric Reality
Notable debuts
Independent films that premiered at Cinequest and went on to further distribution by a major movie studio: Year Films 2001 MazeThe Adventures of Barry Ween 2002 Blue Car 2003 HukkleRobot StoriesSuckersSpellbound 2004 I.P.O.The AgronomistThe Praying MantisOne Man ShowThe Story of the Weeping CamelImelda 2005 Accordion TribeThe Civilization of Maxwell Bright 2006 EdmondWaterThank You for SmokingMidnight ClearThe Hamiltons 2007 The NamesakeA Dog's BreakfastSublimeBlood CarOn the DollMonster Camp 2008 Dear ZacharySherman's WayThe Village BarbershopThe Sinking of Santa IsabelThe Art of TravelTokyo SonataEl CaminoCritical ConditionWitch HuntFamily Inc 2009 All About DadBilly Was a Deaf KidBlue RoadHeart of StoneHistorias ExtraordinariasThe Nature of ExistenceRocaterraniaThe SkepticWake 2010 Anyone You WantCost of a SoulThe Desert of Forbidden ArtGabi on the Roof in JulyHell is Other PeopleKill the HabitKrewsPeepersProfessorThe Real RevolutionariesTercer MundoTo Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's JourneyInvisible Strings: The Talented Pusker Sisters 2011 MimesisI'm Yours 2012 The Village BarbershopThe Sinking of Santa IsabelPortrait of a ZombieThe Ghastly Love of Johnny XForgetting the GirlThe Harsh Light of DayBel Borba AquiJason Becker: Not Dead Yet 2019 Suburban Wildlife 2020 Before the Fire 2021 Range Roads 2023 Valley of Exile 2024 Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox 2026 Wardriver
Oscar nominees Cinequest is a qualifying festival, with the Best Narrative Short and Best Animated Short both being eligible for an Academy Award. Short films shown at Cinequest that have received nominations for Academy Awards include: Year Short Films2001Copy Shop Gregor's Greatest Invention2002Das Rad2003The Weather Underground 2004 (A) Torzija 2005 Ryan (Won)Little Terrorist 2006 Cashback9The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper MorelloOur Time is Up Binta and the Great Idea 2011 The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (Won)Wild LifeRaju Time Freak2012Buzkashi Boys2013Room on the Broom 2014 Mr. Hublot (Won)2015Bear Story (Won)2016Pearl Stutterer (Won) Films shown at Cinequest that have received nominations for Academy Awards include: YearFilms2004The Story of the Weeping Camel2012The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo2013The Hunt2014Wild Tales Ida (Won)
References
Further reading
External links Official website