Today CineVegas opens with the world premiere of  "The Rocker" starring Rainn Wilson. The festival (affiliated with the company that owns Las Vegas Weekly, where I am on staff) has become an annual highlight on the Vegas cultural calendar. Where other attempts to work Vegas, like Vegoose, the annual alternative music concert that will not be revived this October, CineVegas has reached its 10th anniversary bigger than ever. Sadly, I do not know near as much about movies as I do music. So don't expect any movie reviews here.  But I will be there to blog the celebrities, parties and special events. 

I also spoke to CineVegas artistic director Trevor Groth (left) about this year's festival highlights:

Richard Abowitz: Where is CineVegas 10 years on?

Trevor Groth: I think it is now a regular stop on every calendar of all the major acquisitions executives, all the distributors, and now for all of the film press as well. We have proven our worth over the years. We present interesting films and bring A-list talent.

Abowitz: Looking back over the past decade, and I remember when people used to laugh at the idea of a film festival in Vegas, was there a moment CineVegas turned the corner?


Groth: Things really started cooking when Dennis Hopper (below) got involved. We brought him out to the festival in 2003, and he just embraced CineVegas. He loved the promise of it. And he loved doing a film festival in Las Vegas, because he always thought there should be more crossover between Las Vegas and the film industry. So he became chair of our advisory board and has worked very actively in that role. His passion has helped fuel the whole festival.

Abowitz: What are the highlights this year?

Groth: Well, for me the highlights are the world premieres for independents. And this year we have greats ones from top to bottom. There is this Bill Pullman film called "Your Name Here" where he plays a science-fiction writer and the film goes into his mind. We also have a film called "Dark Streets," which is an exquisitely crafted noir musical starring Gabriel Mann and Bijou Phillips. The musical numbers are fantastic. We are going to have a performance of the music with Bijou at the Palms pool, and that would be another highlight of the festival. But in addition to the independents, I always thought CineVegas could be a great place to launch studio films, and we are doing that by opening the festival with "The Rocker" from Fox.

Abowitz: What makes CineVegas different from other film festivals?

Groth: Las Vegas. Las Vegas is always a dynamic city. But having the festival centered at the Palms has made a real difference. The fact that we can bring our guests there, hold so many events there, show films there really sets us apart in the world of film festivals. This creates a vibrant and energetic arena where everyone mixes with each other. It is a relatively small festival, and so we go out of our way to make sure everyone meets each other. We have gotten great reaction and response to that over the years. People feel like they are really taken care of, from the filmmakers to the guests.

Further coverage of the films, events and parties at this year's CineVegas can be found in Wednesday's Sun and today's Review-Journal. The festival is also the cover story at Las Vegas Weekly (where I am on staff -- but did not contribute to the story). (Photos by Sarah Gerke)