The San Jose Film Festival is in its 15th year (The gift for that is crystal by the way. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.) and once again is bringing a jam-packed lineup of independent, international films - more than 80 feature and 70 short films from all over the world will be presented in a little more than 10 days. We're excited and exhausted just thinking about it!

In addition to the movies, there are seminars and forums that get more in touch with the realities of movie making - from digital media to screenwriting and producing. Ben Kingsley and Jon Polito (you'll know him when you see him, trust us) will receive the festival's Maverick Spirit Awards. They'll also be presenting the Life of a Maverick Spirit award to Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah who, with one leg, biked across Ghana to raise awareness of the horrible treatment of the disabled in his country.

If you can't actually make it to the live version, Cinequest Online has many movies from past festivals and current submissions for you to download to the comfort of your own living room. If you're a movie talker or wrapper crinkler let us beg you to enjoy Cinequest this way.

SFist will be bringing you reviews of as many movies as our day job will allow.

Cinequest runs March 2 - 13 at various locations in downtown San Jose. You can buy tickets for all the movies and events on their website.

Image from The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess playing at Cinequest 2005.