Las Vegas Weekly

May 12, 2009 · 1:08 PM

Exclusive, Part 1: CineVegas director Trevor Groth reveals a few secrets

By Robin Leach

Trevor Groth.

Photo: CineVegas

Before CineVegas director Trevor Groth jetted off to the Cannes Film Festival to talk up our CineVegas Film Festival, I asked him to give Vegas Deluxe an advance look at this year’s 11th annual event. There’s a major change this year in that it will only run six days instead of more than double that.

Mark your calendars now for CineVegas 2009 from June 10-15 at the Brenden Theaters in the Palms. Trevor told me: “I am very excited about the festival. I’m putting the finishing touches on it.”

Here’s our interview:

Robin Leach: What have you learned from the 10 years and the start of the 11th that takes you into the new decade? What have you changed this year -- or added?

Trevor Groth: I definitely learn new things every year, about programming, film and independent film. Hopefully, I then apply what I learn that year to the next. I also think there are things that I learn about the city of Las Vegas, and what will work there and what doesn’t for a film festival.

Photo: TVT

Trevor Groth with Robin Greenspun and Danny Greenspun.

This year we have a major change in that we’ve shortened our dates. It’s something that we had talked about doing since after my first year because, in essence, we had two festivals. We had one festival that went over the first weekend and then another festival that went over the second weekend. And they each worked well, and I loved the elements that happened in each of those festivals, but it seemed most people really only came and took part in one or the other, so I don’t think that people really experienced everything that the festival was about.

Our hand was kind of forced. We wanted to cut back on budget, so we wound up doing something we had always kind of wanted to try.

RL: Take the middle out and bring the two ends together? And has that worked with a more powerful festival?

TG: I believe so. I believe it’s concentrated. I think it’s going to be action-packed. I don’t think there will be a dull moment. Hopefully people will ride that wave from beginning to end and collapse afterward. There were some difficult choices that had to be made in programming. We had to cut a few films, and so we lost our section of new Mexican film. I liked them because I felt it brought some international flavor, but it wasn’t at the core of our mission, so we lost that.

We also aren’t showing as many films that were shown at other festivals. We’re mainly just focused on world premieres now. But in general, the quality of film is better than ever, and it came together faster than ever. I think the word on CineVegas is out, and what it can do for filmmakers, and people want to be involved.

Photo: CineVegas

Steve Buscemi is John in Saint John of Las Vegas.

RL: I’m presuming the two highlights will be the opening night and closing night movies?

TG: Well, those are two exciting films, which I think have two great actors who are at the top of their game. Opening night is called Saint John of Las Vegas. It is a tour de force by Steve Buscemi, who is one of my favorite actors, in the lead role. I liked it because it has a lot of themes that are pertinent to Las Vegas. He plays an ex-gambler who is now an insurance fraud investigator, and one of his cases brings him back to Las Vegas where he gets tempted, and he has to face those inner demons.

Surrounding him is a great cast of supporting actors, too, including Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco and John Cho, who is in the new Star Trek. Another is Emmanuelle Chriqui, who is on Entourage. She is beautiful and a very talented actress. Also Peter Dinklage, another great actor who has a funny part in this movie. What I like about it, even though it’s a very accomplished film, it was a first-time director, Hue Rhodes. He is very gifted and has a very long career ahead of him. It’s a world premiere, so I think it’s a perfect way for us to kick off the festival.

Our closing night film, World’s Greatest Dad, had its first showing at Sundance. It was a big hit there, and it stars Robin Williams. Robin is one of the most famous comedians working, and he is also a great film actor. People sometimes forget that he is far more than just a comedian. In World’s Greatest Dad, he shows both sides. It is a very dark comedy. I think it will shock some people.

Photo: CineVegas

Robin Williams in World's Greatest Dad.

RL: So CineVegas 11 is shaping up very nicely?

TG: Yes, it is. I’m very proud of it this year. I am very excited to see how this shortened festival will feel. If it works the way I hope it does, I think we’re going to be very happy with the change. We’ll keep doing it like that for years to come.

RL: I think you’ll get more people in a less concentrated time frame.

TG: That’s what we’re hoping. I’m hoping people commit to this little block of time and immerse themselves in the festival. We would love to see people go to movie after movie and then end the night at one of the crazy parties.

Tomorrow in Part 2 of our exclusive interview, Trevor runs down the celebrity guests and Hollywood movie stars he’s expecting at this year’s CineVegas.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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