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Cinequest Film Festival 19 delivered on its commitment to transform lives and serve more during a challenging economy. Record audiences, 81,000 strong, filled spectacular venues and connected with 605 artists and innovators from 44 countries. Record submissions and media coverage attracted premium Maverick cinema and technologies. 72 World and U.S. Premieres combined with Cinequest trademark Film & Innovation Forums to transform lives and careers. Additionally, 1,500 elementary to college students participated in Cinequest mentoring and education programs.

What's next? Transform by Distribution

Cinequest Distribution (launched November 2006) remains successful as it provides the distribution needed to keep top films thriving beyond their festival run. This makes it possible for film lovers worldwide gain access to their favorite festival film at their fingertips year round. Currently Cinequest Distribution has been delivering over 60 award-winning features to audiences via DVD, Internet, and Internet TV. Upcoming releases include RUBY BLUE starring Bob Hoskins. Distribution partnerships include Blockbuster (Nasdaq: BBI), Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Hollywood Video (Nasdaq: HLYW), iTunes (Nasdaq: AAPL), Vuze (Nasdaq: DIVX), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), and many more.

"Cinequest has a tradition of doing more for the people we serve when they most need it-we like to meet challenges and grow stronger in all environments," said Halfdan Hussey, co-founder and director at Cinequest. "Leveraging our unique position in the world of technology, business and art, Cinequest Distribution has fostered a model that works for our times, times that have seen many fine distribution companies close their doors. And the Cinequest Film Festival remains a growing bastion of film and artist discovery as well as a showcase of groundbreaking technologies that impact film making, exhibition and distribution."

Cinequest Film Festival 19 Award Winners:

Narrative Features

Maverick Spirit Award (Cinequest's top prize)
Firaaq
Director: Nandita Das

Best First Feature
The Fried (Der Freund)
Director: Micha Lewinsky

Special Jury Award for Narrative Feature
The Tour (Turneja)
Director: Goran Markovic

Directors Awards

Global Visions Award
Historias Extraordinarias
Director: Mariano Llinas

New Visions Award
Why Am I Doing This?
Directors: Tom Huang

Documentary Features

Best Documentary Feature
Heart of Stone
Director Beth Toni Kruvant

Special Jury Award for Documentary Feature
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
Director: Mark Hopkins

Shorts

Best Student Short Film
Thanksgiving
Director: Anja Marquardt

Best Documentary Short Film
Life for a Child
Director: Edward Lachman

Best Animated Short Film
Slaves
Director: Hanna Heilborn, David Aronowitsch

Best Narrative Short Film
Glory at Sea
Director: Benh Zeitlin

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Best Feature (Co-Winners/Tie)
All About Dad
Director: Mark Tran
&
For My Father
Director: Dror Zahavi

Audience Award for Best Documentary
Witch Hunt
Directors: Dana Nachman & Don Hardy
Executive Producer: Sean Penn

Kaiser Thrive Award:
Heart of Stone
Director: Beth Toni Kruvant

Maverick Spirit Award Recipients
The following individuals received Maverick Spirit Awards at Cinequest 19 for their Maverick careers in the film industry: Louis Gossett Jr., Kevin Pollak, and Diablo Cody.

Screenplay Competition Winners

First Place
Ora by Frederica Bailey

Second Place
Feed the Monster by Rob Rex

Third Place
The Juno Incident by Cody Yarbrough

Finalists: The Circle Cast (Montana Moss); Dog Land (Writer: Jay Nuzum); I Got You Babe (Will Hicks); The Re-Education of David Singer (Todd Friedman); Squirt (Talmage Cooley); Survival High (Aaron Mento); and The Wonder (Gregory Abbey)

Transform - Adobe Youth Voices

This year's festival also included the Adobe Youth Voices/Cinequest Filmmaking Camp, a one-month filmmaking program sponsored by Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), the Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) Foundation's global signature philanthropy program. Now in its third year, the camp provides 25 youth from underserved communities the opportunity to produce short films, as well as guidance from AYV mentors and professional filmmakers.

"The Adobe Youth Voices/Cinequest Filmmaking Camp gives young people in our program the opportunity to develop and hone their creative skills in a real world environment and share their point of view through film," said Michelle Mann, director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Adobe Systems Incorporated and executive director of the Adobe Foundation. "Our collaboration with Cinequest brings youth voice to the festival and empowers them with skills in filmmaking and a showcase for their work."

Sponsors
The following sponsors enable Cinequest's services: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) , Panasonic (NYSE: PC), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), Cisco (NYSE: CSCO), Applied Materials (NYSE: AMAT), Hilton San Jose (NYSE: HLT), American Express (NYSE: AXP), JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU), and Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), Peet's Coffee & Tea (PEET), Kaiser Permanente, San Jose Redevelopment Works, Metro Newspapers, Camera Cinemas, Fry's Electronics, Omneon, Travelocity, Executive Transportation Club, NBC, Telemundo, Redevelopment Works, San Jose Mercury News and Clear Channel.

Empowering the Maverick
Cinequest, a premier film institute, serves Maverick artists, innovators, film lovers and students via:

Cinequest Film Festival: a discovery festival of Maverick films and innovations that was recently named the Top 10 festival in the world by the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide.

Cinequest Distribution empowers Maverick films and fans via leading Internet, Internet TV and DVD distribution.

Mentoring and Education: groundbreaking empowerment for elementary through college students.

Cinequest Film Festival 20 occurs February 24- March 7, 2010