“Greatest Dad” to Close 11th CineVegas; Fest Unveils Roster

by Brian Brooks (April 16, 2009)

A scene from Bobcat Goldthwait's "World's Greatest Dad," which will close the festival. Image courtesy of CineVegas.

Details of the 11th CineVegas Film Festival were unveiled Thursday with Bobcat Goldthwait’s “World’s Greatest Dad,” starring Robin Williams added to the line up in addition to “Saint John of Las Vegas,” as previously announced.

Cash prizes will be awarded to jury award winners, including $10,000 for Best Jackpot Premiere, $2,500 for Best Pioneer Documentary, $1,000 for Best Short and $100 for Nevada Filmmaking Short. The festival will be held June 10 - 15, 2009 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres.

“Featuring more world premieres than ever before, this year’s CineVegas will rock anyone looking for exhilarating new films from uninhibited and adventurous filmmakers,” commented CineVegas Artistic Director Trevor Groth in a statement. “Inspired by the success of last year’s inaugural documentary competition, we brought back the Pioneer Documentaries section and are thrilled to be able to present seven non-fiction films that are as engaging and enlightening as any fiction film. Our notorious Area 52 section is back as well with a motley collection that is sure to satisfy the most hard-core cinephiles. Featuring something for everyone, our Diamond Discoveries showcase filmmakers at various stages of their careers and includes the latest from legendary German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Finally, we are ecstatic to welcome back Bobcat Goldthwait, whose hilarious new film, World’s Greatest Dad, will close the Festival. Starring Robin Williams in a role that is sure to shock some and entertain all, it represents the kind of bold storytelling that CineVegas is all about.

The CineVegas 2009 lineup includes (with descriptions provided by the festival):
Opening night film

“Saint John of Las Vegas” (USA, 2009)
Director: Hue Rhodes
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Emmanuelle Chriqui
Steve Buscemi plays John, an ex-gambler-turned fraud investigator who must return to Las Vegas to investigate an insurance claim.

Closing night film
“World’s Greatest Dad” (USA, 2009)
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Cast: Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Tom Kenny, Geoffrey Pierson, Henry Simmons, Toby Huss
After a freak accident, Lance (Robin Williams) suddenly faces both the worst tragedy of his life, and the greatest opportunity. Determined to make lemonade from life’s lemons, Lance treads a path that could land him everything he’s ever dreamed of, as long as he can live with the knowledge of how he got there.

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Jackpot Premieres (A collection of world premieres)

“Asylum Seekers” (USA, 2008)
Director: Rania Ajami
Cast: Pepper Binkley, Bill Dawes, Judith Hawking, Daniel Irizarry, Stella Maeve, Camille O’Sullivan, Lee Wilkof
Six people on the verge of a breakdown decide to check themselves into an insane asylum, only to discover there is just room for one.

“Daylight” (USA, 2009)
Director: David Barker
Cast: Alexandra Meierhans, Michael Godere, Aidan Redmond, Ivan Martin
When pregnant newlywed Irene is violently taken hostage, she confronts the truth about her marriage - and finds a state of unexpected grace - in her fight to survive.

“Easier with Practice” (USA, 2009)
Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Cast: Brian Geraghty, Kel O’Neill, Marguerite Moreau, Jeanette Brox, Jenna Gavigan
While on a road trip to promote his unpublished novel, Davy Mitchell finds himself falling for a mysterious phone sex caller.

“Etienne!” (USA, 2009)
Director: Jeff Mizushima
Cast: Richard Vallejos, Megan Harvey, Caveh Zahedi, Rachel Stolte, Solon Bixler
After Richard’s best and only friend, a dwarf hamster named Etienne, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decides to take his pocket pet on a bicycle road trip up the California coast to show it the world before he must put it to sleep.

“Godspeed” (USA, 2009)
Director: Robert Saitzyk
Cast: Joseph McKelheer, Cory Knauf, Courtney Halverson, Ed Lauter, Jesse Ward, Hallock Beals
An intense, dramatic thriller set in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun.

“Mercy” (USA, 2008)
Director: Patrick Hoelck
Cast: Scott Caan, Wendy Glenn, Troy Garity, Erika Christensen, Alexie Gilmore and John Boyd, with Dylan McDermott and James Caan
A successful but cynical young writer writes about love but does not really believe in it until he meets Mercy, who turns his world upside down.

“Patriotville” (USA, 2008)
Director: Talmage Cooley
Cast: Justin Long, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Rob Corddry, Keir O’Donnell, Missi Pyle
An idealistic museum manager and a beautiful troublemaker go to war with a corrupt mayor to stop a casino from being built on their town’s “historic” battlefield.

“Redland” (USA, 2008)
Director: Asiel Norton
Cast: Lucy Adden, Mark Aaron, Sean Thomas, Kathan Fors, Bernadette Murray, Toben Seymour
As a family struggles to survive in rural isolation during the Great Depression, their daughter’s secret affair begins a journey into the unknown.

Check out indieWIRE’s New Guide to Film Festivals (listings will be updated throughout the year):
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Read & React: “Greatest Dad” to Close 11th CineVegas; Fest Unveils Roster

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posted on April 16, 2009

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