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The people behind the CineVegas Film Festival have announced that they are putting the festival on hold for 2010 due to the faltering economy.
The Film Festival, which debuted eleven years ago and which we were a part of in 2005 with our film, "The Story of Classic Las Vegas: An Overview", is hoping to keep the brand alive with web screenings and organized smaller screenings throughout the year.
From the R-J:
The CineVegas film festival, a Las Vegas fixture for more than a decade, has pulled the plug on its 2010 edition, blaming the continuing economic downturn. Festival officials announced the decision Friday, but the move was in the works a week before that, according to Anita Nelving, CineVegas' managing director, one of the seven year-round festival employees losing jobs.
This year's cuts were "for both economic and artistic reasons," Nelving noted. "It went really well on all levels, but with the continuing rough economy, we thought it best to put the festival on hold." In recent years, CineVegas has established itself as "a premier showcase for uninhibited filmmakers" and audiences who "appreciate film and life on the edge," artistic director Trevor Groth stated in a news release. Groth's status, and connections, as a Sundance Film Festival programmer helped establish CineVegas' credibility with filmgoers and filmmakers alike. "It's sad, because it's such a great event," said Palms owner George Maloof, whose hotel-casino hosted CineVegas for eight of its 11 years. "It's something Vegas never had. I'm amazed at how the event grew over the years." Despite the hiatus, festival organizers "hope to keep the CineVegas brand alive and relaunch the festival once the economy recovers," Groth said. The faltering economy prompted actor-filmmaker Dennis Hopper, who chairs CineVegas' creative advisory board, to suggest canceling the 2009 festival. But CineVegas president Robin Greenspun and her husband, Daniel, who own the festival, decided this year's show should go on. As for next year, "CineVegas has become such a well-respected film festival," Robin Greenspun stated in a news release, that "rather than allow(ing) the economy to affect its level of quality, we have opted to put the event on hold." Even without a 2010 festival, CineVegas hopes "to have a continuing year-round presence" through its Web site (www.cinevegas.com), special screenings and other events.