Cinequest Remains Ahead of the Curve.

Cinequest Celebrates 19 Years With Booming Distribution Label and Film Festival

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- While the economy has impacted many businesses and institutes, Cinequest enjoys boom times, staying ahead via innovation and discovery. At nineteen, Cinequest Inc., a film institute based in the Silicon Valley, reports growth in its Distribution and Festival divisions.

"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 Distribution sustains the life and impact of top films beyond their festival run, delivering over 60 award-winning features to audiences via DVD, Internet, and Internet TV. 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 presents its 19th annual film festival from February 25th-March 8, 2009 under the theme: Transform.

Some of the institution's key accomplishments include:

Cinequest Milestones:

* To date, more than five million people have watched Cinequest distribution films online or on DVD

* More than 500,000 people have attended CQFF to date, with over 80,000 attending in 2008

* More than 10,000 artists have attended CQFF to date, including more than 500 from 44 countries in 2008

* More than 600 feature-length and short films have made their world premieres at CQFF

* CQFF has given its annual Maverick Spirit Award to such film luminaries as John Schlesinger, Kevin Spacey, John Waters, Rod Steiger, Sir Ben Kingsley, William H. Macy, Sir Ian McKellen, Spike Lee, and many more

* The Cinequest distribution label now has 60 award-winning and festival favorite feature films and 150 shorts

* Cinequest Distribution films include Maverick stars Gillian Anderson (X-Files), Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and the brilliant Bob Hoskins

* Cinequest Film Festival has discovered countless artists who have gone on to industry including: Brad Anderson (The Darien Gap at CQ- Next Stop Wonderland); Edie Falco (Cost of Living at CQ- The Sopranos); Alejandro Gonzalez ISarritu (Amores Perros at CQ- 21 Grams); Deepa Mehta (Water at CQ); Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking at CQ); Bryan Singer (Public Access at CQ- The Usual Suspects, X-Men); Mira Sorvino (Sweet Nothing at CQ-Mighty Aphrodite); Renee Zellweger (Love and a .45 at CQ-Chicago); Gavin Hood (A Reasonable Man at CQ-Tsotsi).

Cinequest Firsts:

* First festival in the world to enable online downloads of feature films in DVD/HD quality in 2004 at Cinequest 14

* First to present online festival in conjunction with live festival in 2004 at Cinequest 14, allowing film lovers around the globe to view festival films, now common festival practice

* First festival to bring short films to handheld mobile devices in 2004 at Cinequest 14

* First festival to showcase 24P cameras and workflow in 1998 at Cinequest 8

* First festival to showcase solid state filmmaking technology in 2006 at Cinequest 16

* First festival to accept all digital film formats and to project digitally in all screens in 2000 at Cinequest 10

* First festival to showcase the media delivery capacities of QuickTime in 1997 at Cinequest 7

* First festival to create and implement its own server system for digital content in 2005 at Cinequest 15

* First film institute to provide a comprehensive US distribution solution for festival films - including DVD, Internet, TV and select theatrical, launched in 2006

* First independent distributor to engage in direct Internet to TV distribution

"You can't find a film festival more ambitious than Cinequest," said Chris Gore, author of The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide. "Cinequest continues to champion digital filmmaking in a way unparalleled by any fest, which is no surprise since the festival is right in Silicon Valley's backyard. Awards are not only bestowed upon filmmakers, but also upon innovators of new filmmaking technologies. Cinequest's support of cutting-edge filmmaking tools make it a must visit for the true filmmaker. You can find the future of film at Cinequest."

"From our start 19 years ago, Cinequest continues empowering the Maverick, in spite of recent political propaganda bandying the term connoted from the life of Samuel L. Maverick, a truly independent and innovative leader," said Halfdan Hussey, co-founder and executive director at Cinequest. "The mainstream film industry can be slow to try new technologies and distribution models. By definition, Maverick artists are early adopters, and we're here to help them think beyond the traditional boundaries of how films are made, marketed and delivered. For example, when we first introduced Cinequest Online in 2004, many people said it would never work; but we've seen great success with online distribution over the years, and of course now, we're even seeing the studios doing it. We're extremely proud of our pioneering history and are looking forward to continuing our success with Cinequest 19."

The Cinequest Film Festival runs from February 25 - March 8, 2009, in San Jose, California. Tickets are available January 28. For more information about CQFF, please visit www.cinequest.org.

For more information on Cinequest's achievements, please contact: [e-mail].

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 19 occurs February 25 - March 8, 2009

Cinequest Distribution releases films monthly www.cinequest.org