The world comes to CineVegas

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The ninth annual CineVegas film festival rolls into its first weekend at the Palms, spotlighting world, U.S. and local premieres that range from black comedies to edgy dramas.

There’s even a made-in-Vegas poker comedy in the mix.

That’s "The Grand," which has its final CineVegas showcase at 3 p.m. today, following Thursday’s festival debut at the Golden Nugget, where much of the improvisational comedy filmed last year.

"It feels like we’re going home," writer-director Zak Penn says of the CineVegas screenings. And aside from filming during triple-digit temperatures last summer, "our (Las Vegas) experience was great," he says. "It’s a good place to make a movie."

Another comedic filmmaker, New Zealand’s Taika Waititi, will introduce his misfit romance "Eagle vs. Shark" to CineVegas audiences before its U.S. theatrical run begins in July.

"I didn’t expect it to be picked up immediately," Waititi says of his feature debut. "It was meant to be a very small film made for New Zealand audiences. It’s done better than I originally thought it would."

This weekend’s lineup also features several world premieres that represent "top-notch films by incredibly gifted filmmakers," according to Trevor Groth, CineVegas’ programming director. They include "The Living Wake," a dark British comedy about an eccentric’s final day of life; "Choose Connor," about a teen’s political awakening; "All God’s Children Can Dance," based on Haruki Murakami’s short story about a son’s search for his father; and "Careless," a romantic comedy featuring Colin Hanks.

CineVegas favorite Bruce Campbell ("Bubba Ho-Tep") returns Saturday as writer, director and star of the work-in-progress "My Name Is Bruce."

U.S. premieres include "Once Upon a Time Maria (Eros Una Vez María)" — a tale of a filmmaker obsessed by the title character of his latest documentary — that’s part of the festival’s new section devoted to Mexican filmmakers and directors, "La Proxima Ola (The Next Wave)."