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    Cinequest Film Festival

    Cinequest Film Festival

    Cinequest - San Jose Film Festival

    March 7, 2009

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    Shorts Program 4: Come Together - The intricate ties that link family, friends, and communities weave through this series of compelling films. A young man returns to Vietnam decades after he left the country, to retrieve a reminder of his brother. In another, a young girl gets some unexpected help trying to track down her father and a simple photograph transforms a not-so-swift construction worker’s life. Stretching from a Midwest gothic tale to a rock-ribbed farming family gathering for a funeral, to a story of a repair shop owner looking for a reliable employee, these films possess a strength that relies on emotional truths instead of relentless action. The Shorts Program 4 includes the following films: Help Wanted - dir. Teo Guardino, Odd Shoe - dir. Paul Cotter, Ollie and the Baked Halibut - dir. Kelly Williamson, Palm Trees Down 3rd St - dir. Maria Judice, Ridge County Requiem - dir. Carey Russell, Slow - dir. Kurt Kuenne, Songs from the Shed - dir. Melika Bass, and The Fading Light (Theo Huong Den Ma Di) - dir. Thien Do.

    The Photograph - Even when life is difficult, you will always find someone. Sita is a spirited young woman working to support her family as a singer and prostitute in a local brothel. Always short of funds and bullied by her pimp, she convinces an elderly portrait photographer, Mr. Johan, to rent her a room. In failing health, Mr. Johan is desperate to find an apprentice to carry on his work before he dies. The unlikely bond that develops between Sita and Mr. Johan is the basis of writer-director Nan Achnas’s visually brilliant and poignant human drama about the profound effect one life can have on another.

    Crude Independence - Is an oil boom a windfall or the downfall of a prototypical American small town? The discovery of oil has made the town of Stanley, North Dakota the focal point for a new kind of Gold Rush. With breathtaking and evocative images, we meet the people of Stanley, as well as the interlopers who are coming into town to either harvest the mother load or rape the land, depending on one's point of view.

    When My Time Comes - The morgue; where the living and the dead connect. A predawn murder sets in motion a series of interlocking tragedies that eventually find their way to the city morgue’s brooding Dr. Arturo Fernandez. Physically and emotionally isolated from the world around him, Arturo develops an oddly intimate relationship with the personal lives of his cases, gradually forcing him to confront his connection to the living, and the dead. Adapted from the novel De Que Nada Se Sabe, director Víctor Arregui’s serpentine tale is a dark but sympathetic portrayal of one man’s solitude set against a richly textured rendering of Quito, Ecuador’s capital city.

    Shorts Program 7: Breaking Through - Ranging from the sweet slapstick of a hapless magician, to the quiet dignity of an elderly farmer or the ethereal beauty of a desert landscape, the following six thought-provoking films are about breaking through barriers and not giving in to age, lack of talent, or fear. The beauty of music will help overcome the grim pasts of two musicians who are able to converse through melodies between their apartment wall—while a decaying building is no match for the mental walls its inhabitants put up around themselves, cutting off all personal contact. The Shorts Program 7 includes the following films: Green Door - dir. Semi Chellas (Canada), Instead of Abracadabra - dir. Patrik Eklund (Sweden), On Earth As It Is in Heaven (Sur la terre comme au ciel) - dir. Hervé Demers (Canada), The Tangent (La Tangente) - dir. Vincent Vesco (France), The Wall - dir. Michael Lloyd Green (United States), and X to Y - dir. Matt Sobel (United States).

    Raging Grannies - Just because you’re a member of the AARP doesn’t mean you have to stop fighting. In the tune of nursery rhymes and musicals, veteran director Pam Walton (Liberty: 3 Stories About Life and Death, Call to Witness) presents Raging Grannies, a group who uses quirky street theater to protest causes dear to them. From women’s rights to anti-military recruiting, the antics of these grannies will surely pique your curiosity. Preceded by: The Response; 20min; Director: Adam Rodgers. In the vein of 12 Angry Men, a courtroom drama based on the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals; starring Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), and Peter Riegert (Animal House, The Sopranos).

    Song from the Southern Seas - Two couples, one Russian and one Kazakh, live side by side in relative harmony amidst a beautiful yet semi-desolate region of the Great Steppe. But when the fair-skinned Russians give birth to a boy of decidedly darker skin, fifteen years of suspicion and acrimony arises between them, which can only be resolved by an ironic twist of family and fate. At times darkly somber, at others tender and wistful—and buoyed throughout by a soundtrack of folk-inspired melodies—writer/director Marat Sarulu draws on Kazakhstan’s epic history to create a deeply compassionate tale of humor and cultural insight.

    Day of Light (Dia de Luz) - Light and love triumph in an inspirational visual testimony to breaking down walls and instilling hope. The resonant strum of a guitar, beat of a bongo drum, and crisp powerful voice of optimism echo through piles of burning trash and hungry scavengers; in a place known as home to many, the city landfill of Managua, Nicaragua. Preceded by: Life for a Child; 28min; Director: Edward Lachman. Edward Lachman (Cinematographer for such films as I’m Not There, A Prairie Home Companion and Far From Heaven) offers a look at juvenile diabetes in a developing country, profiling three families, their struggle to survive, the sacrifices they must make for a child with diabetes, and the strength, courage, and humility they demonstrate along the way.

    First Person Singular - Without a story to unite us together, we have nothing. Struggling with the recent suicide of his wife, writer Seth Farber is haunted by the pervasive, unwarranted guilt of provoking his wife to her self-murder. Leaving him grappling to find his passion and his voice once again. Tormented by his unfinished, long-overdue first novel and approaching deadlines, Seth begins a coincidental relationship with a woman who attempts to help him regain his ambition in life.  

    Cut Loose - Tom Naegels, a young and idealistic journalist, finds himself on the brink of commitment to his no-nonsense long-term girlfriend, when his world is suddenly turned upside down by the beautiful, free-spirited Nadia. She’s a Pakistani refugee who captures his heart and challenges him to face the deep-seated prejudices of society and his unsuspecting self.

    Garrison Keillor: The Man On the Radio in the Red Shoes - Behold, a unique and long-awaited look at America’s “everyman philosopher.” Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes takes us behind-the-scenes of Keillor’s traveling career as a humorist and commentator, while offering an unusual portrait of the private man who has entered the homes and hearts of millions via America’s most popular radio variety show, “A Prairie Home Companion.” 

    Lightbulb - All it takes is one idea. Both raw and triumphant, director Jeffrey Balsmeyer’s (Danny Deckchair, 2003) latest film stars Jeremy Renner (Take, North Country), Ayelet Zurer (Munich, Angels & Demons) and Eddie Jemison (Ocean’s Eleven) in a true story of tenacity and the audacity to believe in your own dream.

    Autumn - Sentenced to jail as a 22 year old political prisoner, Yusuf is being released from prison 10 years later. Seeking peace and refuge, he returns to his small village on the Black Sea. Looking for nothing other than solitude, he finds himself irrevocably attracted to Eka, a beautiful, young German prostitute. Transporting us with beautiful cinematography to the mountainous region of Turkey, Autumn insightfully invites us into the hearts of two tortured souls who struggle to combat loneliness.

    Shorts Program 6: The Hereafter - Sometimes just acknowledging a problem is the biggest step toward getting past one. And sometimes, denial is the best way to cope when there is nothing to be done. A series that reveals the epic story of fictional Katrina survivors building a boat to retrieve lost loved ones from the water. The story of a young teen asking questions, trying to piece together who he might be, or the desperate story of young Moroccan stowaways trying to sneak into Spain. And this international program would not be complete without a story about the end of the world. Revealing films dealing with a number of crises and ways to attack their various problems, either actively, by poking around the edges or keeping them at arm's length. The Shorts Program 6 includes the following films: The Dreaming - dir. Anthony Green (Canada), The Glasses - dir. Alberto Garcia Martin (Spain), Glory at Sea - dir. Benh Zeitlin (United States), James - dir. Connor Clements (Ireland), Last Thoughts - dir. Paul Burke (United States), Skunks (Mofetas) - dir. Ines Enciso (Spain), The Stars Don't Twinkle in Outer Space - dir. Peter Thwaites (United Kingdom), and Sunday Afternoon - dir. Kaveh Nabatian (Canada).

    Home - Home may be where the heart is, but when the heart’s been shattered, there’s no safe place to go. The always engrossing Marcia Gay Harden (Miller’s Crossing, Pollack, Mystic River) stars as poet and mother Inga. For Inga, life is a wobbly structure, built upon a tangled mess of love and hope, anger and despair. The one thing that matters is Indigo her young daughter, with whom she gazes up at the clouds and discovers wondrous creatures in the vaporous forms that sail away with the wind.

    Shorts Program 1: Dark Humor in the Dark - That sound you hear is comedy sneaking up behind you. Cinequest is proud to present a dark collection of hilarious shorts that show just how funny topics like bank robbery, the history of Cold War scientific pursuit and labor relations can be. You can’t help but laugh at the moms who fuss, time travelers who fight among themselves and the mourners who take charge of the funeral. There’s something here for every comedic taste bud. Laughter will come at times that are wrong, whacky and weird. Comedians ranging from club-circuit performers to respected television personalities lay it all down for the entertainment of us all! Warning: Some of these films contain adult content and are not suitable for younger viewers...or adults that faint easily. The Shorts Program includes the following films: Boutonniere - dir. Coley Sohn (United States), Dan and a Van - dir. John Nijhawan (United States), A Day in a Life - dir. Nicolas Daenens (Belgium), The Funeral - dir. Peter Baekkel (Denmark), A Heart Too Tender - dir. Mark Manos (United States), Kicking Sand in Your Face - dir. Cam McHarg (United States), The Story of Sputnik - dir. John Harden (United States), and Welgünzêr - dir. Bradford Schmidt (United States).

    • Ticket Info

      Tickets: General $7-10
      Student $5
      Festival passes also available

      Info Phone: 408-295-FEST (3378)

      Buy tickets

    • Dates & Times

      Dates:
      March 7, 2009

      Times:
      11am: Shorts Program 4: Come Together
      11:15am: The Photograph
      12pm: Crude Independence
      1:30pm: When My Time Comes
      1:45pm: Shorts Program 7: Breaking Through
      2pm: Raging Grannies
      3:45pm: Song from the Southern Seas
      4:30pm: Day of Light (Dia de Luz)
      4:45pm: First Person Singular
      6pm: Cut Loose
      6:45pm: Garrison Keillor: The Man On the Radio in the Red Shoes
      7:15pm: Lightbulb
      8:30pm: Autumn
      9:15pm: Shorts Program 6: The Hereafter
      9:30pm: Home
      11:45pm: Shorts Program 1: Dark Humor in the Dark

    • Venue Info

      Camera 12

      201 S. 2nd Street San Jose, CA 95113

      Full map and directions

    • Parking Info

      Parking validation is offered for theater patrons.

    • Accessibility Info
      • Wheelchair Access

    • NOTE: We do our best to ensure all information is accurate. However it's a good idea to visit the official website or call the venue to verify the information.

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