..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

June 18, 2005

For Immediate Release

7th ANNUAL CINEVEGAS ANNOUNCES FESTIVAL WINNERS

“In Memory of My Father” Receives Grand Jury Prize;
“Red Doors” Receives Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting;
“Buy It Now” Receives Audience Award

Las Vegas, NV (June 18, 2005) – Honoring the 100 year anniversary of Las Vegas, hundreds of showgirls and zombies came out in force to participate in this years CineVegas Film Festival 2005. The Festival came to a successful close amidst a sea of zombies brought to life especially for the premiere of George A. Romero’s “Land of the Dead.” The Festival ran from January 10 - 18, 2005, at the Brenden Theatres at The Palms Casino and Resort.

In addition to screening 63 films, the fest honored seven entertainment icons (Nicolas Cage, Samantha Morton, Christopher Walken, Ann- Margret, Wim Wenders, George A. Romero and Rhonda Fleming), screened a dozen highly anticipated world and U.S. premieres, and showcased homegrown Nevada fare.

Commenting on the Festival’s success, President Robin Greenspun said, “This year's Festival was a spectacular success on all fronts: record attendance, more filmmakers and industry attending than ever before, and an enormously positive response from festival-goers to the films and special programs we offer.”

Festival Director of Programming Trevor Groth said, “The quality of films in this year's festival set the bar even higher, and it is rewarding to witness the overwhelming audience response to our diverse slate of offerings. In addition, a number of films generated strong distributor interest and potential sales deals.”

AWARDS
This year’s jury was presided by acclaimed film writer/director Allison Anders, stage and screen star Anthony Mackie, and noted film critic Ella Taylor.

The Grand Jury Award went to the film “In Memory of My Father,” written and directed by Christopher Jaymes. Starring Jeremy Sisto, Judy Greer, Matt Keeslar, Monet Mazur, Eric Michael Cole and Christopher Jaymes. The film recounts the story of three siblings at their father's wake. The wake quickly evolves into a traditionally self-obsessed Hollywood party, and the siblings struggles, and failings, to be different from their selfish father are exposed.

The Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting went to “Red Doors.” Directed and written by Georgia Lee, “Red Doors” tells the story of the Wongs, a bizarrely dysfunctional Chinese-American family living in the New York suburbs. The cast includes Jacqueline Kim, Tzi Ma, Freda Foh Chen, Kathy Shao-Lin Lee, and Elaine Kao, Rossif Sutherland.

The Festival also announced its Audience Favorite. Written and directed by Antonio Campos, “Buy It Now” is the story of a 16 year old girl who sells her virginity on eBay. A story told in two parts- documentary and narrative.

Since its inception in 1998, the CineVegas Film Festival has fast become one of the hottest film festivals in the country. Nine days of movies and nine nights of Vegas, it features first-time filmmakers as well as masters of the craft. During the day, independent films, documentaries and shorts are screened from first-time filmmakers as well as the masters of the craft. At night, Las Vegas is the backdrop for sponsored events at the hottest nightclubs and the “Viva Las Vegas” poolside gala, held at the Skin Pool Lounge at the Palms, giving participants a chance to meet their favorite filmmakers and stars while celebrating Las Vegas’ contribution to film.

Among its milestones, CineVegas has hosted the world premieres of such films as Spun, The Weather Underground, Poolhall Junkies and Bubba Ho-tep, as well as screenings of other great films such as Napoleon Dynamite, Gods and Monsters and Cider House Rules. Dennis Hopper serves as the chairman of the creative advisory board, which has honored such film greats as Nicolas Cage, Samantha Morton, Christopher Walken, Ann- Margret, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter and David Lynch. For additional information please r visit www.cinevegas.com.

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