CineVegas Film Festival 2008

Billy heads out for a yuletide pub-crawl with his friends, but he promised his girlfriend, Erin, that he’d be at her parents' house for dinner by nine. Time clicks by as Billy’s attempts to break free of the group are halted again and again. A chance encounter with an intimidating stranger may be exactly what Billy needs to set his priorities in order. Public Contact Info: Thomas Mahoney (702) 285-6100 Napoleonwilson13@gmail.com

This is the story of a lonely man named John who lives his life alone trying to connect with anything/anyone he can. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between hysterical laughter and hysterical crying.

Alex and her Arse Truck is a story about a scooter riding zelophile called Baby Shoes, his dogfart nymphomaniac girlfriend Alex, her black lover Nylon, a mentalist called Poubelles and a pair of drug dealing lesbians called Manina and Javotte. Public Contact Info: Sean Conway info@seanconway.co.uk www.seanconway.co.uk

People come from all over the world to see Cirque du Soleil's grand Vegas spectacles. So when the word spread that they were partnering with the Apple Group to create a new show inspired by The Beatles' music, it seemed too good to be true. ALL TOGETHER NOW tells the story of this bold collaboration and the resulting live show—Love—that has become a smashing success. The first step for Sir George Martin, the band’s legendary producer, along with his son Giles was to delve into the archives, accessing and digitizing the original Beatles multitracks recordings, then reshaping the masters into a soundscape that would form the backbone of the show. Show Director Dominic Champagne then interpreted melody and lyric into a daring performance of acrobatics, dance, and even extreme sports. Award-winning Director Adrian Wills documented the adventure. Traveling between London, Montreal, and Las Vegas, his team tracks the human story behind the production, from the studio to its historic opening night. Using archival material as well as intimate interviews with Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, this documentary is a privileged glimpse of the artistic process from within the creative circle.

"Alternate Ending" is a hilarious and sobering mock debate (inspired by a morbid fascination with William Buckley, Jr.'s "Firing Line") that dissects the curious position of the architect amid the fickle, shifting forces of the 21st century market economy. Screening with "Momma's Man." Public Contact Info: Field Office www.field-office.net df.fieldoffice@gmail.com

Employing a strict yet beautiful style that invites us to cherish every moment, AÑO UÑA dissects a quick fling that comes in the middle of serious life issues to illustrate our desire to control time, events, and love. Molly, a 21-year-old New Yorker, is traveling Mexico when she meets Diego, a local boy in the throes of puberty. Immediately drawn to each other, they flourish in the excitement of foreign romance, providing each other with the admiration and passion missing from their other relationships. For Molly, it is a vacation from the real world; for Diego, it is a step toward emotional maturity. Yet, when Molly returns to New York, Diego decides to follow her there. Director Jonás Cuaron wonderfully balances deep artistic designs and accessibility, making what could have been a soap opera into a poignant paean to our desire to slow down and relish life's intimate—and best—moments.

What is the difference between “defacing” a wall and making a painting? Does music exist only if it’s sold in stores? Does skateboarding damage property? To some outdated holdovers, yes. But graffiti is art, music comes from musicians rather than salesmen, and skateboarding is not a crime. BEAUTIFUL LOSERS documents the lives of a loose-knit group of artists who were considered outsiders in the '80s but soon became the harbingers of art and taste with no “training” or aspirations for acceptance. Honest interviews with Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Jo Jackson, Stephen Powers, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, Ed Templeton and others tell the story of a movement from the inside. All took a leap of faith and created what they wanted to see, and were rewarded. You do not need the mainstream to say you are talented for you to create art, music, film, or fashion. Do it yourself.

“Haven’t you ever known someone or something so beautiful that you just wanted to bite them? Consume them?” says Frank Polowski to his new boss. Returning home after a six-month absence, Frank expects his life to be the same way as he left it. Instead, his pregnant girlfriend Jane is missing. Driven but cocky, Frank searches his world for her. The trouble is, Frank’s world is mostly compiled of betting on horses, loans, and working dead-end jobs. Can he find the truth with his life so complicated by lies? Probing the oft-impractical expectations men have for women, and delving deeply into the age-old conflict of Man vs. Gambling, writer/director Ben Rodkin creates a realistic character study by focusing in on Frank and his many dilemmas. The characters never explain what they are feeling, but feel motivated. The muted tones of the world give way to the vibrant colors of the horse track and dreams of winning in races and life. Shawn Andrews is great as the charismatic but troubled Frank, testing your sympathy for anti-heroes, while Seymour Cassel adds a legendary touch as Frank’s boss and advisor. BIG HEART CITY is poetic realism with the street level grit of a revisionist noir. Public Contact Info: Ben Rodkin 510.499.7457 ben.rodkin@gmail.com Matthew Harrison 213.268.5180 Matthew@FilmCrash.com Peter Paul Basler 973.769.3661 peter.basler@gmail.com

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Elvis Mitchell’s beautifully crafted collaboration presents a fascinating series of miniportraits of 20 influential African Americans. This inspirational and varied group of prominent artists, CEOs, politicians, and activists share their individual experiences and viewpoints in regard to societal, familial, and personal identity. Each compelling interview serves as a potent illustration of empowerment in the face of unique limitations and broader obstacles. THE BLACK LIST unveils a broad canvas of issues, including the shock waves Bill T. Jones felt from his contemporaries after referring to himself as an artist first and black second, Chris Rock discussing how he believes equality in baseball was only achieved when there were also bad black baseball players in the major leagues, and museum curator Thelma Golden recounts how people mistakenly thought she actually only worked for Thelma Golden. In blending Greenfield-Sanders’s sleek and elegant portrait photography with Mitchell’s notable conversational acumen, THE BLACK LIST offers a fresh, immediate discourse for deriving another definition of the word “blacklist.” Public Contact Info: Michael Slap Sloane Freemind Ventures 215-870-5400