Las Vegas Weekly

June 14, 2008 · 9:40 AM

Groth growth philosphy for festival: Don’t get too big

By John Katsilometes

CineVegas Artistic Director Trevor Groth

Photo: Sarah Feldberg

The CineVegas Film Festival has grown in every measurable way since opening at Paris Las Vegas in 1998, and Artistic Director Trevor Groth says it might be at its limit.

“I think we’re in a pretty good place, I really do,” he said Friday night during the festival’s 10th anniversary party at Simon at Palms Place. “There is always room for improvement, and we’ll always grow in the sense that we’ll refine the festival and keep moving forward. But in terms of size, I don’t see us adding more films, we can’t attract too many more people in the venues or in the theaters.”

The chief complaints I’ve heard have been logistics – parking, specifically. One of the attendees at Friday’s party told me it took 30 minutes to park.

“You have to try to keep the intimacy, and I think, really, that’s the strength of the festival, all these people who know each other getting on the ride of CineVegas. I think that’s what we’ll keep striving for.”

It’s been a terrific start. I thought The Rocker was a great film to kick off the festival with, a funny film that gave it a good vibe. Positive tone has carried over and people are embracing the festival.

More from the party:

-- Groth and Fox 5’s Rachel Smith, a host of the More morning show, are cousins by marriage. Their grandmother and grandfather are married (re-married, actually) and the two recall attending family functions when they were children in Idaho Falls, Idaho. But they lost touch until Smith moved to Vegas six years ago, about the time Groth took his role with the CineVegas board.

-- Walking the party was V Theatre at Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood afternoon comic magician Gregory Popovich, whose animal act remains one of the more distinctive show on the Strip. Popovich, who uses shelter animals in his show (mostly cats) was carrying a yellow shorthaired feline around his neck while working the pool deck. I interviewed Popovich nearly 10 years ago when he was a featured act at the Circus Circus Midway. He used six cats at the time; he’s up to 20 now. The former Moscow Circus performer has a stock line whenever a woman asks to pet his cat, “Sure!” he says, “but you have to pet me first.”

-- Huggy Bear sighting! Antonio Fargas, the original Huggy Bear in the Starsky & Hutch TV series and a former cast member of All My Children (to divulge some of my TV-watching habits growing up) was spotted at the event. He met Groth. Fargas lives in Vegas and, at age 61, still looks like he can drop dime.

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