The world premiere of Hue Rhodes' insurance fraud comedy Saint John Of Las Vegas starring Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage and Tim Blake Nelson will open the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival on June 10.

Eight other films in competition get world premiere berths at the Las
Vegas event that runs until June 15. The co-called 'Jackpot Premieres'
include Rania Ajami's Asylum Seekers, Daylight from David Barker, Kyle
Patrick Alvarez's Easier With Practice, and Jeff Mizushima's Etienne!

Rounding out the premieres roster are Robert Saitzyk's Godspeed,
Patrick Hoelck's Mercy, Patriotville from Talmage Cooley, and Asiel
Norton's Redland. A cash prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the grand
jury feature winner.

'The independent film industry is going through a transitional period
right now as innovative film-makers 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,' artistic director Trevor Groth
said.

'Not only is it a fantastic comedy with a phenomenal cast, including
Steve Buscemi who is pound-for-pound the world's greatest actor, but
it was made by a forward thinking company, IndieVest, whose
revolutionary approach to film financing and distribution just might
be laying the groundwork for future generations.'

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