Friday, June 13, 2003 | 9:38 a.m.
Having taken part in just one CineVegas, Trevor Groth has officially graduated to wily veteran status.
The festival's director of programming said he already knows more about this year's CineVegas International Film Festival, which begins its nine-day run today at Brenden Theaters at the Palms, than he did at this time last year.
"When I first began the job, I knew for the festival to work we needed two things to happen," he said. "One, for the film industry to come to the festival from L.A. and New York. And that happened last year. And two, for the cinephiles from Las Vegas to come out. And that's what we needed to work on for the upcoming festival."
Groth said he and others at CineVegas have done just that.
"There's definitely a hunger for this festival to work by the people who made it out to it," he said. "My only wish is that more people knew about it. I tried to spread the word more in the city so that people will come out to see these great films."
For ticket information for CineVegas films and events, go to cinevegas.com or call 992-7972. As far as film content for this year's festival, Groth took the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach, providing more of same styles of films that were popular during 2002's festival.
"The best were the films with a grittier edge to them and with a high-profile cast, like the films 'Spun' and 'Bubba Ho-tep,' " he said. "We had a great turnout for those. They were great edgy films that people responded to."
With 60 films -- independent, foreign, documentaries -- and several shorts, there is a considerable amount to choose from.
Groth offered these suggestions and comments on festival highlights (see schedule for showtimes):
"Octane" -- "I knew opening night was on Friday the 13th, so I was hoping to get a horror or suspense film. ('Octane') is a sort of cool, stylish modern-day vampire tale with a twist. It also has a great cast: Madeline Stowe, Norman Reedus and Jonathan Rhys-Myers."
"Dallas 362" -- "Directed by Scott Caan, James' son, he's in it with some great actors: Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Lynch."
"This Girl's Life" -- "This film will stir things up a bit with its controversial and provocative subject matter. And it features a great cast as well: James Woods and Rosario Dawson. But the lead is played by newcomer Juliette Marquis. She turns in a star-making performance."
"Keep Your Eyes Open" -- "What I've learned from years of programming (film festivals), is that you need to have a balanced program, something for everyone. 'Keep Your Eyes Open' is a documentary about the best extreme athletes in the world. It was directed by Tamra Davis, a fairly prolific studio maker, including 'CB4' and 'Billy Madison.' It also has cameos by her husband Mike D from the Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze."
"Whale Rider" -- "This is a beautiful film from New Zealand that has won the audience award in every festival it has played in thus far."
"Magdalene Sisters" -- "This is a controversial film that the Catholic Church has come down on, but Miramax is going to bring it out (since) they're no strangers to controversy."
"Owning Mahowny" -- "Philip Seymour Hoffman turns in a truly phenomenal performance about a gambling addict who's a banker and manipulates the loan process system to support his addiction. The film is based on a true story."
"Shade" -- "This film is about the underground poker games in Los Angeles when it was made by someone who's actually a poker player and card shark, so he knows the world inside and out. It's got an amazing cast: Sylvester Stallone, Gabriel Byrne, Stuart Townsend and Thandie Newton."
"Year of the Bull" -- "This marks the world premiere of this documentary about an inner-city high school football team in Miami. It really shows the ups and downs of this team over the course of the season and it's a fascinating portrait of these boys coming of age. It's a terrific film."
"Breakfast With Hunter" -- "(Hunter Thompson) is coming out to the premiere with a lot of his friends to support the film."
Thompson will also take part in a round-table discussion, "Artists, Icons and Legends," featuring Dennis Hopper, who is scheduled to receive the CineVegas Marquee Award, Grace Slick and Las Vegas art critic Dave Hickey. The panel will be moderated by New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell.
In addition Hollywood insiders Allison Anders, Keith Gordon, Gary Scott Thompson and Clark Johnson will share their insights and knowledge on screenwriting and filmmaking in separate morning discussions, called "Krispy Kreme presents ... ."
With the scheduled film and event lineup, Groth said CineVegas is "on the verge of being a major independent festival."
"The industry is aware of it now and everyone is aware of its potential," he said. "We just need to get the community to come out and see these films, especially the world premieres. And if we have that, I think CineVegas will officially be put on the map as being a major discovery festival for the film industry."
Schedule
The CineVegas International Film Festival returns for its fifth season today through June 21 on three screens at Brenden Theatres at the Palms. This year's festival features 60 independent films and documentaries. For ticket information, go to cinevegas.com or call 992-7972.
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