2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Wizard Mode - Opening Night Documentary Film & Party
Playing a mean pinball is just the beginning.
In the game of pinball, there is no greater reward than Wizard Mode – a hidden level that is only unlocked when a player completes a series of lightning-speed challenges. Robert Emilio Gagno has dedicated most of his life to mastering Wizard Mode, and is now one of the top pinball players in the world. He also happens to have autism.
As a young boy, his parents realized they could give him a quarter and he would play on a pinball machine for hours. Refusing to believe their son was locked into a limited future, his parents supported him as he practiced non-stop, developing an exceptional talent for the game.
But now Robert’s real challenge lies outside the game on his journey to shed his youth and gain independence.
Wizard Mode, Salazar Film’s first feature documentary, is a candid personal perspective on autism through the life of one of the world’s greatest pinball players. The film follows Robert as he seeks to balance his quest to become a world pinball champion and his growing real world responsibilities, culminating at the largest pinball tournament in the world, Pinburgh, in Pittsburgh, PA.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Middle Man - Opening Night Narrative Film & Party
Lenny Freeman’s dream of being a famous comedian is about to become a nightmare. Not only is he stuck in a dead end accounting job, Lenny has a bigger problem -- Lenny is not funny. When his mother suddenly dies, he quits his job and heads to Vegas in search of fame. But along the way, a mysterious hitchhiker lures him into a desert-town killing spree with dark and twisted result – as the bodies pile up, Lenny actually becomes funnier and funnier.
SYNOPSIS
Lenny Freeman is a straight-laced old-school accountant with a dream; to become a famous stand-up comedian. The problem is, Lenny is not very funny. Not even close.
When his mother dies, leaving him nothing but debt and her ‘53 Oldsmobile, Lenny hits the road to chase his dream and head to Vegas to audition for Monte Guy’s annual “Stand-Up Stand-Off”.
Along the way (and against his better judgment) Lenny picks up a mysterious traveler named “Hitch” and his trip quickly turns from bad to worse. When they stop at a small desert town, Lenny tries out his act at an open-mic, but a run-in with a heckler quickly leads to murder.
Now with a dead body in his trunk, Lenny and Hitch are on the run. As the body count piles up, Lenny tries to free himself from his psychotic sidekick and escape to Vegas with the girl of his dreams. But Hitch won’t shake so easily. They've got a contract. And the devil is in the details. Literally. Not to mention the fact that all this blood and mayhem is having a strange side-effect on Lenny. It is actually improving his comedy!
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Man Who Fell to Earth (40th Anniversary)
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry), Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Release date: June 24, 2011 (USA)Director: Nicolas RoegStory by: Walter TevisScreenplay: Walter Tevis, Paul Mayersberg
Music composed by: Stomu Yamashta, John Phillips
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Blue Velvet (30th Anniversary)
College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
Release date: September 19, 1986 (USA)Director: David LynchScreenplay: David Lynch
Cinematography: Frederick Elmes
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
My Own Private Idaho (25th Anniversary)
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
Celebrate opening night of the 2016 Portland Film Festival and sample food and cocktails from your favorite local spots. Following a fabulous Opening Night film, this legendary party launches a non-stop, fun-filled, 8-day celebration of film, food, and friends.
Sponsored by Koerner Camera Systems.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Man Who Fell to Earth (40th Anniversary)
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry), Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Release date: June 24, 2011 (USA)Director: Nicolas RoegStory by: Walter TevisScreenplay: Walter Tevis, Paul Mayersberg
Music composed by: Stomu Yamashta, John Phillips
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Operator
Joe (Martin Starr) is a programmer and self-quantifier who uses the data he collects to make sense of the world and control his panic attacks. He and his wife Emily (Mae Whitman), a member of the Neo-Futurists, are happily married until they start working together on a project that promises to replicate Emily’s personality. What begins as a collaboration that strengthens their relationship quickly spirals into a technological love triangle in this dark comedy about love in the age of anxiety.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
A Bitter Legacy
An investigation into "Citizen Isolation Centers", Harsh and secret World War II prisons created within Japanese American incareration camp system to seperate citizens deemed by the American Government as "trouble-makers."
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Women Outward Bound
It was tough. It was beautiful. It changed these girls in 1965 forever.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Borderline
The first time Regina tried to kill herself, she was five years old. Now she is 45 and hell-bent on trying to live.
In this fun non-technical multi-day workshop participants will gain proficiency in the camera and visual storytelling crafts. Beyond proper camera operation and set up, the workshop will focus primarily on story - the conduit through which all creative and technical decisions flow. The many hands-on exercises conducted in teams will offer students effective practice in use of close-ups, unusual angles and the application of the “exclusion” principle. Cameras will be available for use during the workshop, or participants may choose to bring their own.
Who Should Attend:
The emphasis on crafting a compelling visual story makes this workshop invaluable for aspiring producers, directors, actors and screenwriters, looking to gain a greater understanding of the craft of the cinematographer and effective storytelling with a camera. Participants should preferably have some previous experience in film and television - in the corporate, education, non-profit, news, or cinema arenas, but it is not imperative.
Program continues daily through Friday, Sept 2nd. Space is VERY limited.
Congratulations! You’ve finished your first draft. Now, the real work can begin.
Perhaps your script needs a faster pace, a new twist, or another character. Or, maybe you think it’s absolutely perfect. But the studio doesn’t. The producer has notes - lots and lots of notes. The director thinks it should be a different genre altogether. The lead actor won’t say the lines as written. You’ve just lost your location. And because of the budget, you have to cut 25 pages. Welcome to rewriting in film and television.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
FSM
Friendship, music, hookup culutre and online dating through the eyes of Samantha, and underground DJ.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Incomparable Rose Hartman
With a career spanning decades, photographer Rose Hartman is known for her iconic photos from Studio 54 and the fashion world, her boisterous personality and her uncanny ability of capturing the New York social scene, warts and all.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
To Keep The Light
Inspired by true stories, a lighthouse keeper's wife struggles with work and sanity as she confronts her past and future.
Some days you’re in Heaven. Some days Hell. Some days you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams, others you’re penniless and contemplating bank robbery. Welcome to the roller-coaster existence of a full-time screenwriter. Our panelists share tips on pitching - gamesmanship with suits - the dilemma of ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ - insights on Writer’s Block - the usefulness of negative comments - and survival strategies before your next Oscar nomination.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 8: Documentary
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 8: Documentary
A Short Film by Arthur
7min • Portland Premiere
Director: Niels Alpert
Soy Cubana
17min • Portland Premiere
Director: Jeremy Ungar / Ivaylo Getov
Eminent Domain
20min • Portland Premiere
Director: Brian Comfort
Property
4min • Portland Premiere
Director: Allison Otto
Johnny Physical Lives
22min • Portland Premiere
Director: Joshua Neuman
Bloody Barbara
6min • Portland Premiere
Director: Shawn Bannon
Arc of Justice
22min • Portland Premiere
Director: Mark Lipman / Helen Cohen in attendance
Mirrorball
5min • Portland Premiere
Director: Brad Nguyen
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 5: Identity
Boat People (28Min) Director: Paul Meschuh
Under Pressure (33min) Director: Lilli Schwabe
Patriot (15min) Director: Eva Riley
Land of Exidus (11min) Director: Skinner Myers
My Aleppo (18min) Director: Melissa Langer
Creased (16min) Director: Jade Justad
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 3: Dramedy Relationships
The Ring Thing (7min) Director: Friederike John
Heads or Tails (10min) Director Eva von Schweinitz
First Date (4min) Director: Anisha Adusumilli
Two Ships (15min) Director: Matthew Ross
4 Pounds of Flowers (15min) Director: Rob Richert
Cutter (15min) Director Gabriela Ledesma
Step 9 (13min) Director: Leonora Pitts
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Check It
Gay and transgender childhood friends, gang life and poverty via the unlikely avenue of fashion in this story of hope, redemption and resiliency.
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2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
She Sings to the Stars
Mabel is a Native American grandmother who lives alone, tending her drought-ravaged corn in the desert Southwest. Her half-Mexican grandson, Third, dreams of 'making it big' in LA, but his plans change dramatically when he comes to his grandmother’s house. Lyle is a faded magician from LA traveling with a white rabbit, the promise of a gig and a life-long dream to be able to magically disappear. Stranded, both men must yield to a timeless rhythm and discover a capacity greater than imagined.
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2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Those Left Behind
25 years after her brother's suicide, a women returns to her childhood home with her 16-year-old son to help her mother recover from surgery, openingup new wounds.
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2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Yesterday Was Everything
Misery Signals, a Wisconsin metalcore band, reconciles for a ten-show reunion tour in the wake of a tenuous split and a fatal accident that happened decades earlier.
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2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Lesson
A grisly study of the relationship between a tormented teacher and the troubled teens who bear his wrath once he snaps; this morally challenging horror film is dark, claustrophobic, and shockingly eloquent.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
All The Birds Have Flown South
After the death of his overbearing mother, a sheltered man attempts to win the affection of a degenerate waitress.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Refinery Surveyor Black
A lonely sugar refinery inspector, an orphaned girl and opioid-addled locals collide in this surreal small-town drama.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
River House Inheritance
A troubled young woman spends her days caring for her bedridden mother, which gets complicated by Hope's newly paroled sister, who arrives home with plans to kill their mother.
This workshop will be about the actual writing of your script. Genres to avoid. The bifurcation of the marketplace. What they are and aren't buying, and why. How to hold the reader's attention, and keep that person unable to put your script down.
And many, many other big and small tricks to keep you from having to read all those mind-numbing screenwriting books.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Kollwein's Day of Truth
A district attorney and a police inspector are working on a case involving the murder of an employee at a nuclear power plant.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Heartland
A young artist, struggling with a recent death, finds escape in a reckless affair with her brother's girlfriend.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Prison Dogs
A story of love, loss and redemption. A unique dog training program gives prison inmates and and vetrans a second chance.
Horror films have always been a staple of cinema, but horror keeps evolving. The tongue-in- cheek horror comedies of the 80’s have given way to grisly gore-fests and more Zombie films than anyone thought possible. Demented filmmakers must unearth new strategies to bring their undead sagas to life in the New Millenium. Screenwriter Miguel Tejada-Flores discusses his own films - “Fright Night II” - “Screamers” - “Beyond Re-Animator” - and an in-depth discussion of “Frankenstein’s Army”, of which Fangoria said: “all a viewer can do is hang on and wonder what berserk turn the action is going to take next.”
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Orphans of El Dorado
Amazonian tale of a man's love, obsession and madness.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Liberators
A true detective story that follows a dogged German art detective through the New York art world and military archives on a quest to recover priceless art seized by the Nazis during World War II.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Two Trains Runnin'
The search for two blues singers, set in Mississippi during the civil rights movement.
Have you ever wanted to hire SAG-AFTRA performers for a project, but were frightened away by the prospect of filling out “All that union paperwork”? Are you new to filmmaking and curious about the various low-budget agreements offered? The SAG-AFTRA Indie Theatrical and New Media Agreements have been created specifically to accommodate the needs of student & emerging filmmakers. In this workshop SAG-AFTRA staff will discuss the process of walking producers, directors, talent and students through these contracts from “A to Z”! Get the “inside scoop” on how you can hire union talent for your next production!
Topics Will Include:
-Importance of adding talent into any proposed project’s budget
-Informed discussion of basic Union contracts & their benefits
-“Raising the bar of legitimacy” by hiring TOP industry professionals
This workshop is a “must attend” for producers, directors, actors and film school students interested in educating themselves on the ease of using SAG-AFTRA contracts to hire the most highly skilled professionals available for future film and internet projects.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 1:
Operator (6min) Director: Caroline Bartleet
The Good Father (18min) Director: Marek Ryszard Dojs
My Luchador (13min) Director: Shea Sizemore
Garbage (15min) Director: Anand Prakash
Stars (8min) Director: Krista Vernoff
Pronouns (10min) Director: Michael Paulucci
Tonshi (13min) Director: Deana LeBlanc
Los Niños Sicarios (10min) Director: Rob Lambert
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Hunter Gatherer
Ashley Douglas gets out of prison and goes to great lengths to get his ex-girlfriend back.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Legend of Swee' Pea
Lloyd "Swee' Pea" Daniels' improbable NBA comeback cements his reputation as the greatest playground legend of all time.
Hillsboro-based LAIKA is considered the most ambitious, innovative stop-motion studio in the world. LAIKA supports an awe-inspiring collection of creative talent from the region -- and across the globe. Many artists have traveled thousands of miles to contribute their unique skills that have garnered the studio an Oscar and three additional nominations. Join us for this panel where four LAIKA employees will address their careers, the craft, early artistic influences -- and their journey to Oregon. The panel will be moderated by Pacific Northwest native Mark Shapiro.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Logan's Run 40th Anniversary w/ William F. Nolan
The greatest secret agent must race through time to rescue his son from the clutches of his infamous former mentor.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
6 Love Stories
In one afternoon in LA, six couples connect, reconnect, or fall apart. Love Actually meets Magnolia.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Bridging Emcees
Female MCs from the San Francisco Bay Area as they make their way into a male dominated MC community.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Some Freaks
When Matt meets Jill, they both are forced to confront who they were, who they are and who everyone thinks they're supposed to be.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Neil Stryker & The Tyrant of Time
The greatest secret agent must race through time to rescue his son from the clutches of his infamous former mentor.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
June Falling Down
June returns to her small hometown for the wedding of her best friend, which finally forces her to come to terms with her losses and move forward with her life, no matter how painful.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Middle Man
Lenny quits his job and heads to Vegas in search of fame. But along the way, a mysterious hitchhiker lures him into a desert-town killing spree...
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 4: Horror
Shutter (7min) Director: Robert Mueller
A Film by Vera Vaughn (11min) Director: Sorrel Brae
Waste-Land (7min) Director: Michael Immerman
Snake Bite (9min) Director: Tim Hyten
Kookie (13min) Director: Justin Harding
Do Not Lose (6min) Director Shilpi Skikha Agrawal
Flush (6min) Director: Matt Cooper
Venefica (8min) Director: Maria Wilson
The Puppet Man (10min) Director: Jacqueline Castel
No Service (5min) Director: Kholi Hicks
PYOTR 495 (15min) Director: Blake Mawson
Horror films have always been a staple of cinema, but horror keeps evolving. The tongue-in- cheek horror comedies of the 80’s have given way to grisly gore-fests and more Zombie films than anyone thought possible. Demented filmmakers must unearth new strategies to bring their undead sagas to life in the New Millenium. Screenwriter Miguel Tejada-Flores discusses his own films - “Fright Night II” - “Screamers” - “Beyond Re-Animator” - and an in-depth discussion of “Frankenstein’s Army”, of which Fangoria said: “all a viewer can do is hang on and wonder what berserk turn the action is going to take next.”
Let's say you've gotten yourself to L.A. and scored a meeting or two. Or that you've even managed to have something optioned. Now what?
It is generally unwise to project your real personality and sterling character -- kind, trustworthy, generous and agreeable -- in these meetings. There is a fine line you must walk between confidence and arrogance, adding a dollop of scintillating wit to make harried executives look forward to the next time "that entertaining, live wire," -- you-- walks into their office.
This workshop will share tricks to help you attain this state. (I actually used to pop half a Xanax before my meetings with Spielberg so I wouldn't be visibly gasping with awe.) Hopefully you won't have to self medicate, but there are a variety of stances that will probably serve you better than ingenuousness.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Good Mind
In NY State an indigenous sovereign nation that never accepted U.S. citizenship has its own passport, and still maintains a traditional government led by clanmothers and chiefs.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Gozo
Joe begins to hear strange noises. As he descends into a spiral of self-doubt and guilt, Lucy becomes increasingly concerned that their past might be catching up with them
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
She Was Famous
Ruining her remaining relationships, Jill goes down twisted rabbit hole inspired by her recent discovery of Karl Marx.
This workshop focuses on the unique experiences and challenges women screenwriters face. This event is open to anyone.
A workshop that will give you an overview of motion picture editing history, techniques, tool, workflow and post-production. Then answer any questions that you may have.
In which we will look at what it is an editor does and why you should pay them what they're worth even though it looks like they watch tv on their computers all day.
History - Robert W. Paul - edit / Méliès - effects / DW Griffiths - features / Eisenstein, Kuleshov - experiments / Murch - analysis and digital ageTechniques - cut / match cut / J and L cuts / jump cut / action cut / cut away / cross-cut / montageTools - final cut pro x / avid / premiere / computer / storageWorkflow - origination media / music / graphics / sound effects / delivery / viewing platformAssistant editors - logging / importing media elements / organizationMost important - story / practice
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 11: Expressions
Edges (9 min) Katie Sternholm in attendance
Crush (15 min) Lara Kose in attendance
Last Call (13 min) Joe Taylor in attendance
The World Ender (5 min) Ariel Vida in attendance
brickhead EARTH (7 min) Suzanne Mitchell in attendance
Ed (11 min) Suzanne Mitchell in attendance
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Searchdog
The story of Matthew Zarrella, a Rhode Island State Police Sergeant who rehabilitates “unadoptable” shelter dogs and transforms them into Search & Rescue/Recovery Dogs.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 12:
Currated by Art Institute of Portland
Here’s your opportunity to get your questions answered by attorneys who are experts in their fields.
A panel of business, intellectual property, and entertainment attorneys will be ready to answer your questions during this 90 minute panel.
Come prepared with your questions about business entities, business formation concerns, business operations, contracts, trademarks, copyrights, rights clearances, fair use, film distribution, royalties, and other entertainment law topics.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 2: Comedy
Recalculating (7 min) Diane Fredel-Weis
(IM)MORAL (10 min) Rachel Breitag
Terry Fitz, SAG Eligible (15 min) Jessica Rionero
Terrence (13 min) Tom Herbert
Hummingbird & Crane (13 min) Veronica Rodriguez
Just For One Day (30 min) Francis Legge
Lion's Den (5 min) Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi
A Letter to Bob (7 min) Rollyn Stafford
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 7:
Last Tattoo (9min) Director: Robert Redfern
Zaar (11min) Director: Ibrahim Nada
Eureka (21min) Director: Ko Shijiki
Jamie & Jonathan (17min) Director: Kyle Mumford
Speak (16min) Director: Laura Seay
Sista in the Brotherhood (21min) Director: Dawn Jones Redstone
Brix and the Bitch (10min) Director: Nico Raineau
Dolores (12min) Director: Scarlet Moreno
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Unseen
In 2009, Cleveland police discovered the bodies of eleven women decomposing in the house and yard of known sex offender Anthony Sowell. This is a chilling story about the invisibility of women on the margins of society that raises troubling questions about why a killing spree went unnoticed for so long.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 10:
The Best Way to Kill Your Mother (14min) Director: Ruby Railey
Skin & Bones (11min) Director: Ofir Fieldman
The Mink Catcher (13min) Director: Samantha Buck
Grace (5min) Director: Kristen Fairweather
Bathrooms (12min) Director: Angeline Armstrong
Winter Hymns (16min) Director: Dusty Mancinelli
The Deal (16min) Director: Daniel Kaminsky
Intercept (10min) Director: Randall Johnson
Murder My Tweet (14min) Director: Jordan Zakarin
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Stand By Me
Stand By Me (30th Anniversary Screening) Filmed in Oregon—After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Remnant
After the world has suffered through a seven-year drought, a 16-year-old girl seeks shelter in an orphanage run by the cold-hearted Boss in Karmia Chan Olutade’s politically-conscious indie musical
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 8:
The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul W.R. (18min) Director: Romain Quirot
Keep Going (20min) Director: Geon Kim
Alternate (4min) Director: Conor Holt
Firebird (18min) Director: Alan Nugyen
Red Rover (15min) Director: Brooke Goldfinch
Roadside Assistance (18min) Director: Bears Fonte
Artificial (18min) Director: Luis Espinosa
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
6 Love Stories
In one afternoon in LA, six couples connect, reconnect, or fall apart. Love Actually meets Magnolia.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Dark Harvest
A successful grow operation plans to transition to legalized marijuana sales but tripped up by a murder and a shady narcotics officer. Cast: James Hutson, Cheech Marin, A.C. Peterson
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Panopticon
Alex hacks into webcams as a way to take part in the lives of others. Cast: Guilherme Scarabelot, Sylvia Sakellaridis.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Wizard Mode
Autism through the life of one of the world’s greatest pinball players. The film follows Robert as he seeks to balance his quest to become a world pinball champion and his growing real world responsibilities.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Spaghettiman
After gaining powers from radioactive spaghetti, Clark Kant learns that with great power comes great opportunity.
Join Portland curator Dennis Nyback for a one-of-a-kind downtown walking tour of some of the key sites that have played a significant role in the city’s film history. Through the tour, we’ll stroll through nearly 100 years of motion pictures in the Rose City, from the early wild film scene in the 1910s and ‘20s to our modern era.
Anyone interested in film should attend and learn from over 50 years of experience.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
River House Inheritance
A troubled young woman spends her days caring for her bedridden mother, which gets complicated by Hope's newly paroled sister, who arrives home with plans to kill their mother.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model
Follow Bryony and her 10-year old niece Taylor as they try to combat the hyper-sexualised and commercialised world of pop by creating their very own alternative popstar role model for Tweens (7 – 12 year old girls).
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Searchdog
The story of Matthew Zarrella, a Rhode Island State Police Sergeant who rehabilitates “unadoptable” shelter dogs and transforms them into Search & Rescue/Recovery Dogs.
We all know the eyes are supposedly the window to the soul. On camera the eyes are the great lie detector, the place where subtext is registered, and the means by which an audience connects with a character. So how do we make that inner spark ignite and in ways that are organic, truthful, and in line with the character's intention? This simple workshop is designed to focus on impulse, eyeline, and subtext while acting for the camera.
This workshop builds on the work of Window in the Box workshop (impulse, eyeline, and subtext) and begins to turn towards objectives,character development, and delivery of dialogue.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Gold Balls
Five tennis players over age 80 travel the country in pursuit of a national championship, significance, & redemption.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
June Falling Down
June returns to her small hometown for the wedding of her best friend, which finally forces her to come to terms with her losses and move forward with her life, no matter how painful.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Indivisible
They arrived in the U.S. as children and now fight for citizenship and a chance to reunite with their families.
The nonprofit Willamette Writers is proud to offer this panel discussion featuring the winner of its 2016 FiLMLaB Contest, Shaun Radecki. The FiLMLaB Contest offers aspiring screenwriters the opportunity to elevate their craft through experiential learning with local film professionals who help them bring their seven page script to the screen.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Boone
An unsentimental peek behind the veil of the Utopian dream of farming— gritty reality of three young goat farmers.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Some Freaks
When Matt meets Jill, they both are forced to confront who they were, who they are and who everyone thinks they're supposed to be.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Claire in Motion
When Claire’s search for her missing husband leads her to an alluring and manipulative graduate student, she uncovers a world of secrets that threatens to shatter her family.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Refinery Surveyor Black
A lonely sugar refinery inspector, an orphaned girl and opioid-addled locals collide in this surreal small-town drama.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Jackson
The fight over the last abortion clinic in Mississippi.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
My Millennial Life
One generation’s big dreams, crushing disappointments, getting launched and making a mark.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Tierra Caliente
The words and dreams of a Mexican family caught in the Narco wars.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
She Sings To The Stars
Mabel is a Native American grandmother who lives alone, tending her drought-ravaged corn in the desert Southwest. Her half-Mexican grandson, Third, dreams of 'making it big' in LA, but his plans change dramatically when he comes to his grandmother’s house. Lyle is a faded magician from LA traveling with a white rabbit, the promise of a gig and a life-long dream to be able to magically disappear. Stranded, both men must yield to a timeless rhythm and discover a capacity greater than imagined.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Little Shop of Horrors
A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
On The Farm
50 Missing Women. One Prime Suspect. The Story That Shocked The World.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Gozo
Joe begins to hear strange noises. As he descends into a spiral of self-doubt and guilt, Lucy becomes increasingly concerned that their past might be catching up with them
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 4: Horror
Shutter (7min) Director: Robert Mueller
A Film by Vera Vaughn (11min) Director: Sorrel Brae
Waste-Land (7min) Director: Michael Immerman
Snake Bite (9min) Director: Tim Hyten
Kookie (13min) Director: Justin Harding
Do Not Lose (6min) Director Shilpi Skikha Agrawal
Flush (6min) Director: Matt Cooper
Venefica (8min) Director: Maria Wilson
The Puppet Man (10min) Director: Jacqueline Castel
No Service (5min) Director: Kholi Hicks
PYOTR 495 (15min) Director: Blake Mawson
Join Portland curator Dennis Nyback for a one-of-a-kind downtown walking tour of some of the key sites that have played a significant role in the city’s film history. Through the tour, we’ll stroll through nearly 100 years of motion pictures in the Rose City, from the early wild film scene in the 1910s and ‘20s to our modern era.
From the initial conception of an idea to taking it out on the road, a filmmaker is best served by knowing the festivals that are out there and what they can do for you. Where to best play what film and when? How do you make festival directors your cheerleaders rather than the gatekeepers?
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Shorts Block 9: Animation
Borrowed Time (7min) Director: Andrew Coats / Lou Hamou-Lhadj
Just Like It Used to Be (5min) Director: Patrick Near
The Creature (11min) Director: Jesse Damazo
Lend A Hand For Love (14min) Director: John Alan Thompson
Come Alive (6min) Director: Darcy Pendergast/Xin Li
In the Waves (6min) Director: Ying-Fang Shen
Peri & Jin at the Sea (10min) Director: Ayse Romey
The Plumber (12min) Director: Christian Bergmans
Artemis (4min) Director: Heather Freeman
Squirrel Island (21min) Director: Astrid Goldsmith
Plena Stellarum (12min) Director: Matthew Wade
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Free Cece!
After her release, CeCe became a powerful activist working for justice at the intersection of race and gender identity. This is her story. Executive produced by Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black).
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Farmer and I
German filmmaker Irja teams up with Bhutanese farmer Sangay to create a TV series to promote local sustainable farming.
Improvisation Techniques developed by the Second City and Keith Johnstone give students the power to react in the moment, consistently support one another, and create unique stories on the spot.
Listen to four of Portland’s top agents talk about how to win a spot on their roster, and the best way to keep that relationship running smoothly once you’re there.
In this workshop, directors will discuss all area of working with actors and why we love them. We’ll cover what they look for in casting, the best ways to communicate on set, and what separates a good actor from a great one.
Improvisation for youth will introduce students to theatre games and improvisation as created and taught by Viola Spolin and Neva Boyd of the Hull House in Chicago. Games and exercises are not only fun, they help illustrate important lessons about acting, storytelling, and supporting your fellow artist.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Circuit 30th Anniversary
Filmed in Oregon— Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Remnant
After the world has suffered through a seven-year drought, a 16-year-old girl seeks shelter in an orphanage run by the cold-hearted Boss in Karmia Chan Olutade’s politically-conscious indie musical.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Borderline
The first time Regina tried to kill herself, she was five years old. Now she is 45 and hell-bent on trying to live.
Movement technique that utilizes kinesthetic response to build a theatrical ensemble and composition. Created by Tina Landau and Anne Bogart and based on the method of viewpoints developed by Mary Overlie, Viewpoints explores physical expression through variations of physical space and time. Please wear clothes to move in. Please do not wear tight fitting clothing, patterns, or wording/graphics on garments.
Why is character development a myth? Screenwriter Randall Jahnson (The Doors, The Mask of Zorro) answers that question and reveals his strategies for creating vivid, dimensional characters for Film & Television.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Becoming More Visible
BECOMING MORE VISIBLE follows four transgender youths in New York City who have been challenged by how to identify since early childhood. Olivia, Morgin, Sean, and Katherine are generous with their experiences, immensely courageous in their vulnerability, and beautifully articulate when it comes to wrestling with what it means to be a young trans person in today’s world.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Panopticon
Alex hacks into webcams as a way to take part in the lives of others. Cast: Guilherme Scarabelot, Sylvia Sakellaridis.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Dark Harvest
A successful grow operation plans to transition to legalized marijuana sales but tripped up by a murder and a shady narcotics officer. Cast: James Hutson, Cheech Marin, A.C. Peterson
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Ovarian Psychos - Closing Night Narrative Film & Party
In East Los Angeles, three young misfit women find solace in an unapologetic, feminist all women of color bicycle crew.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Girl Flu - Closing Night Narrative Film & Party
Bird, 12, has to become a woman whether she wants to or not when - in the worst week of her life - she gets her first period, is ditched by her impulsive, free spirited mom, and learns that you can never really go back to The Valley.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Neil Stryker & The Tyrant of Time
The greatest secret agent must race through time to rescue his son from the clutches of his infamous former mentor.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Blue Velvet (30th Anniversary)
College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
Release date: September 19, 1986 (USA)Director: David LynchScreenplay: David Lynch
Cinematography: Frederick Elmes
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
The Man Who Fell to Earth (40th Anniversary)
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry), Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Release date: June 24, 2011 (USA)Director: Nicolas RoegStory by: Walter TevisScreenplay: Walter Tevis, Paul Mayersberg
Music composed by: Stomu Yamashta, John Phillips
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Aliens (30th Anniversary)
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? USA • 137min • 30th Anniversary Screening Director: James Cameron.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Block 6:
The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul W.R. (18min) Director: Romain Quirot
Keep Going (20min) Director: Geon Kim
Alternate (4min) Director: Conor Holt
Firebird (18min) Director: Alan Nugyen
Red Rover (15min) Director: Brooke Goldfinch
Roadside Assistance (18min) Director: Bears Fonte
Artificial (18min) Director: Luis Espinosa
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Blue Velvet (30th Anniversary)
College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
Release date: September 19, 1986 (USA)Director: David LynchScreenplay: David Lynch
Cinematography: Frederick Elmes
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Circuit 30th Anniversary
Filmed in Oregon— Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Aliens (30th Anniversary)
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? USA • 137min • 30th Anniversary Screening Director: James Cameron.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Director’s Choice Award Winner / Short & Feature
Winner of the selection screens in this block.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Stand By Me
Stand By Me (30th Anniversary Screening) Filmed in Oregon—After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Short Circuit 30th Anniversary
Filmed in Oregon— Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Documentary Winner / Short & Feature
Winner of the competition screens in this block.
Feature Winner: Jackson
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Aliens (30th Anniversary)
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? USA • 137min • 30th Anniversary Screening Director: James Cameron.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Stand By Me
Stand By Me (30th Anniversary Screening) Filmed in Oregon—After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Citizen Ruth (20th Anniversary)
Ruth Stoops is a poor indigent drug-user (a huffer - inhaling glue and paint for a high) whose down and out existence is complicated once more by becoming pregnant (she has had and lost four children already). When a judge orders that she gets an abortion or face a felony charge, she is befriended by Gail Stoney, a pro-lifer whose husband is president of the local "Babysavers" group. Suddenly Ruth is thrust into the middle of the pro-choice/pro-life struggle, with each side wanting her to take their side as a "message" to others - and the situation escalates...
Directed by: Alexander Payne
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Narrative Winner / Short & Feature
Winner of the competition screens in this block.
Feature Winner: Some Freaks
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Aliens (30th Anniversary)
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? USA • 137min • 30th Anniversary Screening Director: James Cameron.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
My Own Private Idaho (25th Anniversary)
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
My Own Private Idaho (25th Anniversary)
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Audience Award Winner / Short & Feature
Winner of the audience awards screens in this block.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Citizen Ruth (20th Anniversary)
Ruth Stoops is a poor indigent drug-user (a huffer - inhaling glue and paint for a high) whose down and out existence is complicated once more by becoming pregnant (she has had and lost four children already). When a judge orders that she gets an abortion or face a felony charge, she is befriended by Gail Stoney, a pro-lifer whose husband is president of the local "Babysavers" group. Suddenly Ruth is thrust into the middle of the pro-choice/pro-life struggle, with each side wanting her to take their side as a "message" to others - and the situation escalates...
Directed by: Alexander Payne
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Aliens (30th Anniversary)
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? USA • 137min • 30th Anniversary Screening Director: James Cameron.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
My Own Private Idaho (25th Anniversary)
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
2016 Portland Film Festival Presents:
Audience Award Winner / Short & Feature
Winner of the audience awards screens in this block.
