Cinequest!

Hello!

So.... Cinequest. I attended the opening gala tonight at the California Theater, a beautiful throwback classy theater, which featured the film, Thank You For Smoking. First off, a fantastic movie! If you appreciate satirical and witty (sometimes too much for its own good!) comedy with a larger message, then you'll have to catch this when it finally hits theaters (hopefully soon!). Shortly put, it's the story of a tobacco industry lobbyist who's so good at his job that one just questions the morals and ethics (or lack thereof) of this character. Great ensemble that includes Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, William H Macy, Katie Holmes, Robert Duvall, Rob Lowe... list goes on. Check it out!

Now as the for festival, I'm nothing short of pumped! Thoroughly enjoyed the introductions to the festival and the philosophies behind it - How the goal of the festival is to allow those independent filmmakers to have their movies shown in an otherwise saturated industry that distributes less than 1% of films actually made (and not the best). Their catchphrase of "mavericks" within not just the filmmakers but also us, the viewers of the films, us making the conscious decision to stray from the norm was just a neat wakeup call i felt inspired by, not for its message on filmmaking, but as being a maverick in general in everyday life.

If you're in the Bay Area, I implore you to catch a film and support independent films and catch a flick at this festival! I was surprised to hear that it's considered in the top 10 festivals in the world!