'Saint John' to open CineVegas fest

March 24, 2009 Hue Rhodes' "Saint John of Las Vegas" will have its world premiere as the opening-night film at the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival, which will be held June 10-15 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres in Las Vegas. Slated in the narrative competition, they are Rania Ajami's "Asylum Seekers," a story of six people trying to escape modern life; David Barker's "Daylight," about a pregnant woman caught in a life-or-death situation; Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," based on the true story of a writer's long-distance relationship with a mysterious woman; Jeff Mizushima's "Etienne!," the story of a man and his best friend, a dwarf hamster; Robert Saitzyk's Alaskan-set thriller "Godspeed"; Patrick Hoelck's modern love story "Mercy," written by and starring Scott Caan; Talmadge Cooley's "Patriotville," a tale of greed, lies and romantic complications; and Asiel Norton's "Redland," about a family struggling to survive during the Great Depression. "The independent film industry is going through a transitional period right now as innovative filmmakers must find new ways to get movies made and seen, which is why CineVegas is thrilled to open our 2009 festival with 'Saint John of Las Vegas'," Groth said.

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