Cinequest & Cinejoy!

For decades, the Cinequest Film Festival has been celebrating the fusion of Silicon Valley’s technology innovations with the cinematic arts, empowering independent filmmakers and innovators alike.

Regaling audiences with cutting-edge work, Cinejoy, Cinequest’s virtual festival, will return March 1-12, 2023, bringing the fun, excitement, and power of live film events to global audiences online. During the pandemic, Cinequest had to go all virtual with its films and events. This virtual platform is thriving beyond the pandemic, opening up Cinequest’s offerings to new audiences internationally.

The in-person Cinequest film festival will return to downtown San Jose on August 11-20.

“What differentiates Cinequest is its founding team – a dynamic combination of artists, technologists, and leaders,” said Halfdan Hussey, Co-Founder, and CEO of Cinequest Inc. and Creatics Enterprises Inc.  You’ll find this reflected in our Leadership Council, which includes legendary innovators Steve Wozniak (co-founder Apple Inc.) and Marty Cooper (father of the cell phone), as well as producers, writers, educators, and entrepreneurs. The commonality is creativity and a commitment to opportunity for all,” Hussey said.

This year’s lineup includes: 155 showcase films from 52 countries, 500 participating artists, live spotlight events, and interactive passport, group share, and screening party experiences.

South Asian spotlight films

The United States premiere of  Tabula Rasa 

Female and male lead actors from the film, "Tabula Rasa". (Image courtesy: Cinequest)
Image courtesy: Cinequest

Director: Nawneet Ranjan
Producer(s): Malti Lal, Radha Raman Lal, Nawneet Ranjan, Anil Somaia, Zarna Somaia, Donna Laemmlen 
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Swastika Mukherjee, Aishani Yadav 

Our lives are often more interconnected than we think they are. Three lost souls in India find a home away from home. Divya, a juvenile home warden, and Vivek, an actor struggling to create art, meet Sandhya, a 14-year-old girl with a dark past. Together, they rise above their circumstances. 

Danny Goes Aum 

Male and female lead actors from the film, "Danny Goes Aum". (Image courtesy: Cinequest)
Image courtesy: Cinequest

Director and Producer: Sandeep Mohan 
Cast: Andrew Sloman, Anjali Patil, Marianne Borgo, Avinash Kuri, Eunice Wlcek

A spiritual and emotional journey of a burned-out British video editor Danny, as he travels to the same beach town in Goa (India) where his hippie parents had met back in the 70s. There, he finds inspiration…and, could that be love, too? 

Get your tickets and information here.

Mona Shah is a multi-platform storyteller with expertise in digital communications, social media strategy, and content curation for Twitter and LinkedIn for C-suite executives. A journalist and editor,...