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Cinequest Film Fest
Cinequest fuses innovation with the arts to empower great creations and to connect audiences, youth, artists, and innovators with these creations and with each other—forging community, joy, and our future. Set in Silicon Valley, Cinequest’s uniqueness, impact, and legacy result from applying this powerful integration of creativity and technology to democratize opportunity and to transform lives. Cinequest does this through the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, Cinejoy Virtual Festival, and Picture The Possibilities global youth programs.
Cinequest opens with the magnificent World Premiere comedy Her Song and closes with the highly anticipated Maddie’s Secret and The Christophers — framing a festival journey that begins with innovation and ends in revelation.
Opening Night: Cinequest 2026 opens on Tuesday, March 10th at the majestic California Theatre in San Jose with a star-studded red carpet and the Opening Night film, Her Song. Executive produced by the legendary James Ivory and starring Kalki Koechlin and Eléa Clair, John M. Keller’s sparkling comedy sends an American novelist back to her grandmother’s French village in search of inspiration. What she finds instead is chaos, charm, and an unexpected muse whose irreverent worldview rewrites far more than just her next book. The evening features a special AI & Film presentation (below) before the screening and concludes with a post-screening celebration at the PETE B Center.
Closing Night: Cinequest’s in-person festival concludes on Sunday, March 22nd with two spectacular choices at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Mountain View.
Maddie’s Secret: In his fearless debut, John Early leads a powerhouse comedic cast including Kate Berlant, Vanessa Bayer, Eric Rahill, and Kristen Johnston in a biting, hilarious, and unsettling exploration of wellness culture, online performance, and the secrets we hide to remain lovable — on camera and to ourselves.
The Christophers: The masterful Steven Soderbergh delivers a razor-sharp comedy as Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel face off in a delicious duel of ego, art, and ambition. When a sidelined artist is pulled into a scheme involving a legendary painter and unfinished masterpieces, the line between integrity and invention becomes dangerously entertaining.