Editor

Opening with the impressive HUSTLE AND FLOW, CineVegas celebrates its
seventh year with an impressive line-up of films and special events. Once again, this emerging festival introduces important new films from emerging and
established film industry players. Programming Director, Trevor Growth, also of
Sundance, is enjoying a roll having debut film’s at Cinevegas 2004 that later
screened at Sundance 2005.
Festival opener HUSTLE AND FLOW, directed by Craig Brewer and produced by
John Singleton, is a compelling and provocative film that deserves a place on the short list of seminal American independent films. Previously screened at
Sundance, the film hit gold with a record-breaking acquisition deal with
Paramount and MTV Films that includes backing for future Singleton films.
HUSTLE AND FLOW is set for a summer release. Festival pros give odds that
the film will hit 50 mil by Labor Day.
The Gala Party at the steamy Skins, a poolside club at the infamous Palms Hotel
and Casino, buzzed about the heat surrounding the film’s lead actor Terrence
Howard. Props to Mr. Howard and supporting cast of new talent for turning in
performances as professional as any headliner on the Strip.
In its debut year in 1998, Cinevegas broke from the starting gate and and
continues to put tracks between other young festivals with a winning selection of
special appearances of entertainment thoroughbreds like Ann Margaret, Nicloals
Gage and Christoper Walken and others. Dennis Hooper, Chairman of the
Creative Advisory Board, gets credit for booking these and other headliners like Christopher Walken, Nicolas Cage, Wim Wenders, Samantha Morton, George A.
Romero, Rhonda Fleming and Joe Eszterhaz.
This year, Cinevegas hosts over 120 films including one dozen World, North
American and US Premieres. Last year, the festival debuted THE TALENT
GIVEN US and MITCHELLVILLE, two dark horse narratives that later found slots
at Suncance 2005.
Promising titles for this year include BUY IT NOW, CHARLIE’S PARTY, FIREFLY, IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER, STANDING STILL, SELFMEDICATED, LITTLE ATHENS, INSIDEOUT, TRONA, TURNING GREEN, and VEGAS BABY. Advance screenings include Paramount’s MAD HOT BALLROOM, MURDERBALL, and THE ARISTOCATS – both from ThinkFilm.
Other advance screenings from directors with street cred include David Chapelle’s RIZE, Nicolas Jarecki’s THE OUTSIDER, Gus Van Sant’s LAST DAYS, Michael Winerbottoms’s 9 SONG and RED DOOR from Georgia Lee.
With 9 days of non-stop Vegas action for filmgoers, CineVegas has something
for everyone. Once again, The 7th annual CineVegas Film Festival will be held at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theaters June 10th to the 18th, 2005. For more information, visit their web site at www.cinevegas.com