Portland Premiere Of “The River Why” To Benefit The River Network

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5o7L4_DYU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

River Network National River Rally (a Portland based national nonprofit since 1998) will kick off with the benefit screening of The River Why on September 9th, 7pm at the Hollywood Theatre.   Actors William Hurt, Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”), Alex Hurt and Producer Kristi Denton Cohen will be on hand before the screening and for a post-film Q&A.

The River Why was shot entirely on location in Oregon and tells the story of 20 year old fly-fishing prodigy, Gus Orviston (Zach Gilford), who, in an act of rebellion, shuns his prior life and family for what he thinks will be a secluded existence of fly fishing heaven on the banks of a beautiful river. Continue reading... “Portland Premiere Of “The River Why” To Benefit The River Network”

“Calamity Song” Premieres – Directed by Michael Schur in Oregon

 

The Decemberists’ most recent music video to the track “Calamity Song” off The King Is Dead album made its worldwide debut this morning and is already getting plenty of acclaim from music fans and the press alike. Directed by “Parks & Recreation” co-creator Michael Schur, the video portrays a group of kids playing what to the non-literary mind looks like tennis but is in fact Eschaton – the athletic game leading to global nuclear crisis from David Foster Wallace’s dystopic opus “Infinite Jest.” Continue reading... ““Calamity Song” Premieres – Directed by Michael Schur in Oregon”

“Portlandia” Gives Back to the City it Satirizes

The point of “Portlandia” may be to lampoon the more eccentric facets of its namesake city, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an intense amount of love behind the jokes. Indeed, stars and co-creators Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen took part in a benefit August 20th for In Other Words – a non-profit bookstore on Northeast Killingsworth Street you might recognize from the Portlandia-verse as the Women & Women First bookstore of Season 1. The sold-out fundraiser was to support the bookstore’s transition and expansion into becoming the In Other Words Feminist Community Center. Continue reading... ““Portlandia” Gives Back to the City it Satirizes”

Bill Plympton: Independently Animated on Salon.com

Portland native and independent animator extraordinaire Bill Plympton’s book Independently Animated: Bill Plympton: The Life and Art of the King of Indie Animation was released earlier this year. A combination of autobiography and guide to the independent animation industry, the book has been receiving rave reviews and features a forward by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam.

Salon.com describes Plympton as: “…that rare artist who has spent decades on the fringes, yet also seen his drawings in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Vogue, Rolling Stone and the Village Voice. Continue reading... “Bill Plympton: Independently Animated on Salon.com”

Bill Plympton: Independently Animated on Salon.com

Portland native, two-time Oscar nominee and independent animator extraordinaire Bill Plympton’s book Independently Animated: Bill Plympton: The Life and Art of the King of Indie Animation was released earlier this year. A combination of autobiography and guide to the independent animation industry, the book has been receiving rave reviews and features a forward by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam.

Salon.com describes Plympton as: “…that rare artist who has spent decades on the fringes, yet also seen his drawings in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Vogue, Rolling Stone and the Village Voice. Continue reading... “Bill Plympton: Independently Animated on Salon.com”

IFC Releases First Look at Season 2 of “Portlandia”

Attention local-organic-fair trade-tree hugging-bird loving Portlandians! The second season of IFC’s hit show “Portlandia” is currently in production in the City of Roses and promises just as much ridiculous hilarity as the first season. If you don’t think you can survive till the January 2012 premiere, the folks at IFC have released this sneak peek to help tide you over.

Continue reading... “IFC Releases First Look at Season 2 of “Portlandia””

Gus Van Sant and James Franco present “Memories of Idaho” at TIFF

Gus Van Sant will be making the trek up to Toronto next month for the Toronto International Film Festival, where he’ll be contributing an installation commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the cult classic “My Own Private Idaho.” Released in 1991, “My Own Private Idaho” stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as young hustlers on the streets of Portland.

The installation, entitled “Memories of Idaho” and created in conjunction with James Franco, will screen as part of the festival’s Future Projections, described as, “A new film frontier outside the cinema space where moving images become art throughout the City of Toronto.” Continue reading... “Gus Van Sant and James Franco present “Memories of Idaho” at TIFF”

An Italian Perspective on American Cinema

by Francesca Serra
Oregon Film Intern from Napoli, Italy

In Italy, the idea of American cinema is tightly connected with Hollywood and sensationalist movies where the hero is always handsome and honest and the audience knows that.  By the end of the movie, he will defeat all his enemies who, of course, are ugly and bad.

Why do Italians have this vision of American movies?  Because, most of the American movies that arrive in Italy always have the same features: a big international secret, a woman in distress, and a hero that saves her.  Continue reading... “An Italian Perspective on American Cinema”

Case Study: Fashionbuddha Shares the Monterey Bay Love

Oregon-based companies pride themselves on being amongst the first to leap beyond the established creative norms. And Fashionbuddha, an animation studio in Old Town Portland, thrives off this innate quest for innovation. “We’re a unique studio from the standpoint that we have animation and interactive under the same roof,” explains founder and Executive Director Robert Lewis.

Fashionbuddha got its start ten years ago creating high-end flash websites but has since expanded into mobile apps, interactive installations and broadcast animation. “We were all under the same roof at the beginning because it made sense with those projects but now we’ve splintered to some degree and it’s just as exciting,” says Lewis. Continue reading... “Case Study: Fashionbuddha Shares the Monterey Bay Love”

New Case Study on Oregon Animation Blog

Oregon-based companies pride themselves on being amongst the first to leap beyond the established creative norms. And Fashionbuddha, an animation studio in Old Town Portland, thrives off this innate quest for innovation. “We’re a unique studio from the standpoint that we have animation and interactive under the same roof,” explains founder and Executive Director Robert Lewis.

This dual focus helped Fashionbuddha when they were hired by San Francisco agency Engine Company 1 to create promotional spots for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Continue reading... “New Case Study on Oregon Animation Blog”