Cinequest Film Festival

Cinequest was voted Best Film Festival by USA Today readers. Cinequest programs 85 to 90 percent of its festival from paid submissions annually, one of the highest percentages among the world’s most influential film festivals.

Cinequest connects artists, innovators, media, and audiences as people converge to experience a powerful mix of immersive stories from around the globe and breakthrough technologies. Cinequest’s stellar reputation rests not only on its ability to curate a compelling lineup, but also on its success in securing distribution for many of its honored filmmakers. Netflix, IFC Films, Amazon, MSNBC Films, Roadside Attractions, 1091 Pictures, Oscilloscope, Sony Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Kino Lorber, eOne, Lionsgate, PBS, and HBO are just a few of the many companies that have signed deals with Cinequest success stories.

As an Academy qualifying festival for the short film categories, Cinequest proudly honors the winners of its Best Short Narrative and Best Short Animation awards with a chance at every filmmaker’s dream: Oscar gold.

Showcasing unique social and artistic visions from around the globe, Cinequest’s dynamic festival engages audiences in thought provoking dialogue, giving filmmakers and film lovers alike the opportunity to connect. Cinequest also provides cutting edge technology and filmmaking forums that empower both professionals and students.

Cinequest Film Festival will take place both in person in San Jose and Silicon Valley and globally through its proprietary virtual platform. Cinequest has long been a leader in building community, audiences, and opportunity for film and filmed media through groundbreaking technology and new paradigms, and it continues to deliver a powerful combination of in person and online experiences.

Located in the heart of the world’s most influential media technology companies, including Apple, Nvidia, Zoom, Google, Meta, Netflix, LinkedIn, and Cisco, Cinequest showcases premier films, renowned and emerging artists, and breakthrough technology while fostering global connectivity between creators, innovators, and audiences. Cinequest has led the world in showcasing and implementing the technologies that have transformed filmmaking, exhibition, and distribution.

Cinequest’s blend of artist and innovator is exemplified through its Maverick Awards. The Maverick Spirit Award honors artists such as Harrison Ford, Nicolas Cage, Elle Fanning, J.J. Abrams, Tatiana Maslany, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steve Zahn, Vivica A. Fox, Bill Nighy, Sir Ben Kingsley, Rosario Dawson, Spike Lee, Sam Neill, Eddie Izzard, Gemma Arterton, Neil Gaiman, and Sir Ian McKellen. The Maverick Innovator Award recognizes visionary technologists, including Martin Cooper, inventor of the cell phone, and Steve Wozniak, co founder of Apple. A Maverick stands apart from the crowd, driven to create and innovate from a deeply personal yet globally resonant vision.

“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.” Chris Gore, Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide

“What unites them all under the festival’s big tent is clear: being a part of Cinequest is not about following industry trends, but witnessing the moment they are set.” - MovieMaker (Max Weinstein)

JUST A FEW OF THE BIG FILMS PROGRAMMED AT CINEQUEST:
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (dir. Terry Gilliam; starring Adam Driver)
Hotel Mumbai (dir. Anthony Mara; starring Dev Patel)
The Public (dir. Emilio Estevez; starring Jena Malone)
Teen Spirit (dir. Max Minghella; starring Elle Fanning)
Beirut (dir. Brad Anderson; starring Rosamund Pike, Jon Hamm)
Borg/McEnroe (dir. Janus Metz; starring Shia LeBeouf)
Krystal (dir. William H Macy; starring Nick Robinson, Rosario Dawson)
Submergence (dir. Wim Wenders; starring James McAvoy)
What They Had (starring Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon)
The Humanity Bureau VR (starring Nicolas Cage)
Six Minutes to Midnight (starring Eddie Izzard, Judi Dench)
Rams (dir. Jeremy Sims; starring Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson)

JUST A FEW OF THE CINEQUEST WORLD AND U.S. PREMIERES WHICH RECEIVED DISTRIBUTION:
I Love You Both (narrative, Magnolia Pictures)
East Side Sushi (narrative, Sony Pictures)
This Is Not a War Story (narrative, HBO)
Push (narrative, IFC Films)
Auggie (narrative, Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Midnight Clear (narrative, Lionsgate)
Before the Fire (narrative, Showtime)
Beneath the Banyan Tree (narrative, Freestyle Digital)
Adventures in Success (narrative, Utopia Distribution)
Fixed (narrative, Gravitas Ventures)
Every Time I Die (narrative, Gravitas Ventures)
A Beginner’s Guide to Snuff (narrative, Indican Pictures)
Dear Zachary (documentary, Oscilloscope Pictures)
Impossible Monsters (narrative, Gravitas Ventures)
Dependent’s Day (narrative, Freestyle Digital)
Lost Solace (narrative, Raven Banner Entertainment)
Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends (narrative, Gravitas Ventures)
Search Engines (narrative, Indican Pictures)
ToY (narrative, Gravitas Ventures)
Wake (narrative, E1 Entertainment)
Blood Car (narrative, TLA Releasing)
Love in the Time of Monsters (narrative, Indican Pictures)
The Skeptic (narrative, IFC Films)
On the Doll (narrative, Peace Arch)
El Camino (narrative, Lifesize Entertainment)
Family Inc (documentary, Seventh Art Releasing)
Monster Camp (documentary, Lifesize Entertainment)
Critical Condition (documentary, PBS)
The Nature of Existence (documentary, Walking Shadows)
The Brainwashing of My Dad (documentary, Gravitas Ventures)
The Truth About Marriage (documentary, Gravitas Ventures)
God Knows Where I Am (documentary, BOND360)
Bel Borba Aqui (documentary, Oscilloscope)