Featured films share risk-taking spirit

The ninth annual CineVegas, which runs June 6-16 at the Palms, launches with a benefit premiere of “Ocean’s Thirteen,” which reunites Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew (including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle) when a casino owner (Al Pacino) double-crosses one of their own.

The closing night attraction, the black comedy “You Kill Me,” stars Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic hit man who’s trying to turn his life around — by working in a mortuary. Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson and Bill Pullman co-star.

Trevor Groth, the festival’s artistic director, called the selections “a perfect way to bookend this festival, which is comprised of films which share the same outlaw and risk-taking spirit that has made he city and the festival what it is today.”

Overall, “CineVegas is a celebration of artists who lay it all on the line, who aren’t afraid to shatter conventions and defy expectation,” Groth said, describing the festival as “a gold mine of talent waiting to be discovered.”

In addition to showcasing world premieres of independent U.S. productions, CineVegas also will spotlight new Mexican films and filmmakers.

The festival’s world-premiere lineup includes “All God’s Children Can Dance,” an adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story with Joan Chen; the comedy “Careless,” featuring Colin Hanks, Rachel Blanchard and Tony Shalhoub; the political drama “Choose Connor,” with Steven Weber and Alex Linz; the espionage thriller “The Fifth Patient,” starring Nick Chinlund and Marley Shelton; “Have Love, Will Travel,” which spotlights the underground world of “private dancing”; the dark comedy “The Living Wake,” with Jesse Eisenberg and Mike O’Connell; the comedy “Throwing Stars,” with Jason London; the surveillance-camera drama “Look”; and the documentary “Mr. Untouchable,” about the rise and fall of a New York drug kingpin.

CineVegas’ new “La Proxima Ola” section highlights the next wave of Mexican filmmaking, from a feature documentary about boxer Julio César Chavez to the U.S. premiere of “Once Upon a Time Maria,” an odyssey of erotic adventures.

“Diamond Discoveries” — movies still looking for theatrical distribution — include “The Grand,” a made-in-Vegas mockumentary about a fictional poker tournament, featuring Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, Jason Alexander, David Cross, Dennis Farina and Richard Kind; the romantic comedy “Blue State” with Breckin Meyer and Anna Paquin; the racially charged drama “Tie a Yellow Ribbon”; and the documentary “Kurt Cobain About a Son.”

Among the “Sure Bets” (which already have theatrical distribution): “La Vie en Rose,” about the life of French singer Edith Piaf; “Broken English,” a midlife comedy from director Zoe Cassavetes, starring Parker Posey; and the U.S. premiere of “Penelope,” an offbeat modern-day fable with Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O’Hara, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage and Richard Grant.

The “Modern Crusaders” section focuses on political documentaries, including “The Devil Came on Horseback,” which explores the Darfur genocide through the eyes of a U.S. Marine, and “I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal,” about the Holocaust survivor who became a Nazi hunter.

And the festival’s offbeat “Area 52” lineup includes 1986’s “Blue Velvet,” directed by past CineVegas honoree David Lynch and co-starring Dennis Hopper, who chairs CineVegas’ Creative Advisory Board.

This year’s CineVegas honorees include Anthony Hopkins and “Ocean’s Thirteen” producer Jerry Weintraub, with additional award winners to be announced.

For complete program information and details on purchasing festival passes, call (888) 883-4278.