The 15th Annual Cinequest Film Festival came to a close with a packed screening of the Norwegian comedy, My Jealous Barber at the palatial California Theatre. Annette Sjursen’s unpredictable film about being brave in love and life was a crowd-pleasing selection and a true example of Cinequest’s remarkable showcase of emerging talent in film. The SRO attendance at this year’s closing night screening was indicative of the crowds that occurred daily at each of Cinequest’s four venues. The buzz surrounding the 12-day fest was focused on the general vibe of Cinequest; that of a love of film versus a hostile environment where filmmakers desperately try to close a distribution deal. Cinequest has become known for this, a place where filmmakers can accomplish their business in a relaxed environment versus the cutthroat marketing zoos that many festivals have become.

“I will go to Europe and tell everybody that Cinequest is the festival to go to in the United States. You are the best,” said Ilmar Taska, Director of the highly-acclaimed Estonian film Set Point. Chris Gore, founder of Film Threat Magazine and producer of the smash hit My Big Fat Independent Movie, echoed Mr. Taska’s words at this year’s Cinequest press conference when he stated, "This festival is one that sets the trends and is actually ahead of the trends. Other festivals are copying Cinequest; I see it all the time. What they've done at Cinequest for 15 years is train audiences to come here to see emerging filmmakers and to discover great films."

The Numbers
Cinequest is excited to announce that film submissions and attendance for Cinequest 15 broke all records for previous Cinequest festivals. The programming department viewed 575 feature films and 1202 short films for a total of 1,777 submissions overall. Cinequest represented 40 countries as it debuted 80 World and U.S. premieres out of a program of 207 short and feature-length films. 61,200 people were in attendance — a substantial increase from the 2004 figure of 54,100. On top of this, the festival experienced a 34 percent increase in box office sales and the estimated fiscal impact to San Jose is an impressive 3.25 million dollars.
Awards
Cinequest is proud to announce the following award winners for the 2005 Festival:
MAVERICK COMPETITION
Maverick Spirit Award
(The top prize at Cinequest — it goes to the film that most exemplifies Maverick)
Villa Paranoia
Director: Erik Clausen
Producer: Peter Ingemann

Best First Feature
Uno
Director: Askel Hennie
Producer: Jørgen Rosenberg

Best Feature Documentary (Tie)
We Are Dad
Director/Producer: Michel Horvat

Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
Director: Arturo Perez Torres
Producers: Arturo Perez Torres and Heather Haynes



Special Jury Award: Remarkable Achievement in Narrative
Our Own
Director: Dmitri Meskhiyev
Producers: Victor Glukhov, Sergei Melkumov and Yelena Yatsura

Special Jury Award: Best Cinematography
From The Land Of Silence
Director / Producer: Samur Salur

Best Short Documentary
In Search of Coonass...and found a people
Director: John Darling Haynes
Producer: (no producer name given)

Best Short Narrative
Boy
Director: Welby Ings
Producer: Nic Finlayson

Best Short Animation
Ryan
Director: Sven Martin
Producers: Steven Hoban, Marcy Page and Mark Smith

Best Student Short
Fields of Mudan
Director: Stevo
Producer: Courtney Powell

Special Jury Prize: Short Film
Egg
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Producers: Dan Jarvey and Erin Smith


DIRECTOR’S AWARDS

New Visions / Emerging Mavericks
Sundowning
Director: Jim Cole
Producers: Jay Towle and Aaron Duffey

Global Landscapes
Boxers and Ballerinas
Directors: Brit Marling and Mike Cahill
Producers: Nicholas Shoemaker

DXD (Digital by Digital): Best Feature, Digital Format
On The Outs
Director / Producers: Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik


AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Audience Choice Award Feature (Tie)
Our Own
Director: Dmitri Meskhiyev
Producers: Victor Glukhov, Sergei Melkumov and Yelena Yatsura

Duck
Director: Nic Bettauer
Producers: Nic Bettauer and Domini Hofmann

Audience Choice Award Documentary
Emmanuel’s Gift
Director / Producers: Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern

Audience Choice Award Comedy Feature
Terrorists
Director: Jay Martel
Producer: Jim Paul

Audience Choice Award Short
Lift
Director/Producers: Jeff Garton and Hugh Dalton

Jury
Feature Films: Andre Bennet, Diane Gaidry and Paul Walsh
Documentary & Short Films: Alison McKee, Gwen Templeton and Lawrence Andrews

Mavericks
The following individuals received a Maverick Spirit Award during the 2005 Festival: Sir Ben Kingsley, Jon Polito, Blanchard Ryan and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah.