My name is Mark Shapiro and I’m the co-director/producer of DOWNWIND, a new documentary that exposes the US Government’s 928 nuclear detonations from 1951-1992 at the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas and the impact of radioactive fallout on countless communities — and the environment.
Watch the DOWNWIND trailer here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/831729316
The film features two-time Oscar-winner Michael Douglas, political satirist Lewis Black and is narrated by iconic anti-nuke activist Martin Sheen. Matthew Modine from Stranger Things is the executive producer. Legendary animator Bill Plympton contributed original animation. Continue reading... “DOWNWIND: In The Wake of OPPENHEIMER, Portland Director Premieres Documentary About Nevada Nuclear Weapons Test Site”
Oregon Public Broadcasting TV is devoting a full program slot to the #OregonMade documentary MARDA’S GIFT @ 9:00 PM PACIFIC Monday, May 1.
This film has won many awards including Best Inspirational Documentary and Best Female Director in a Documentary at the Morgana Film Festival. Morgana is an online festival that exists to “help indie filmmakers be seen and let their projects have the spotlight they deserve.” This is in addition to the Best Oregon Film and Finalist, Best Documentary Film awards from the Oregon Short Film Festival. Continue reading... “#OregonMade “Marda’s Gift” to Air on OPB”
There will be two theatrical screenings of the #OregonMade documentary SAM NOW in Portland on May 2 and 3. These screenings will directly precede the national PBS release of the film on PBS/Independent Lens May 8.
What do two film-obsessed brothers do to solve a family mystery? Using every video format imaginable, they make a movie as they travel thousands of miles looking for their missing mom. Stitching together 25 years of home videos and filling the gaps in the archive with play, SAM NOW is a mosaic of love, longing and loss, as well as an attempt to overcome intergenerational trauma. Continue reading... ““Sam Now” to Screen in Portland Prior to PBS Release”
Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts will be broadcast nationally on PBS June 12th at 10pm ET and as part of a Juneteenth special for WORLD Channel’s series ‘Local, USA’ on June 19th at 8pm ET.
The iconic Buffalo Soldiers fought on two very different sets of front lines: military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home. Though the 14th Amendment promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, Black men were denied this right due to Jim Crow laws. The award-winning documentary, Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts, explores the profound and often contradictory roles played by Black soldiers in the United States military. Continue reading... “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts will be Broadcast Nationally on PBS in June”
Canoes have always been integral to our region’s Indigenous cultures and they still are today. That’s the focus of a new film collaboration between Confluence and Tule Films. Stories from the Canoe is the new documentary short by filmmaker Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc/Cherokee). It explores the history and ongoing development of Canoe Journey. NW Documentary also contributed to the project. This week, Tribal Canoe Families gathered to celebrate the release of the new film at a screening in collaboration with PAM CUT and the Portland Art Museum. Continue reading... ““Stories from the Canoe” Premieres”
On March 8th at 6pm at The Hollywood Theatre, a benefit will be hosted by the YWCA’s Family Preservation Project (FPP) in partnership with Dream.org! All proceeds go to the Family Preservation Project. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of local filmmaker Brian Lindstrom ‘s acclaimed documentary MOTHERING INSIDE, Lindstrom will be joined in discussion by the subjects of the film about life on the outside over the last decade, highlighting reflections on binary thinking, rupture, and repair.
Three additional short films will be screened: Brian Lindstrom’s LIKE A SHIELD and the Portland premiere of his new work WE ARE MORE, both highlighting the unintended consequences of parental incarceration on children, why the Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents is needed, and what powerful young people are doing to ensure its existence; and the trailer for A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE, a film written by Kiara Jones and co-directed by Zara Katz and Lisa Riordan Seville, bringing to light Kristal’s struggle to keep families connected to incarcerated loved ones.
Continue reading... “Day of Empathy 2023 – March 8”
Calling all Oregon student filmmakers! We welcome filmmakers from colleges across Oregon to apply for the 2023 NW Documentary shorts program in collaboration with Portland State University’s InventOR program.
What is the InventOR documentary program?
Through the InventOR documentary program, students will create short films about an InventOR team at their school or surrounding area. InventOR is the state’s only college-level prototyping competition that empowers students to see themselves as innovators and take their ideas for inventions from concept to reality. Continue reading... “Call for applications: NWDoc college doc program now open”
In 1866, six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after congress passed the Army Organization Act. They came to be known as Buffalo Soldiers.
Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts explores the often-contradictory role played by the Black soldiers throughout American history, emphasizing the settling of the American West and colonialism abroad.
Director Dru Holley is a Vancouver, WA-based filmmaker, and the documentary features interviews with Quintard Taylor (Ph.D. Historian at UW), Ryan Booth (Ph.D. Candidate, WSU), and members of the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle (based in Roy, WA), among many others. Continue reading... “Dru Holley’s “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts” Makes Portland Premiere”
Documentary filmmakers so often find themselves working in isolation, away from larger centers of filmmaking — Oregon Documentary Camp seeks to create an environment for learning, connecting, and support for filmmakers wherever they are. Doc Camp includes workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and the chance to share stories with other filmmakers.
Doc Camp is crafted for working media professionals, ideally, those who have experience completing a documentary feature or short. Due to the pandemic, this year we’re offering both online and in-person programming. Continue reading... “Oregon Doc Camp Returns May 11-13”
The #OregonMade documentary Feature “Buffalo Soldiers Fighting on Two Fronts” will be part of the Seattle International Film Festival. Come to an in-person screening April 16th or 17th, or see it in the virtual cinema from April 14th-24th.
Saturday, April 16th at 4:15pm
SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122)
Sunday, April 17th at 3:30pm
Ark Lodge Cinemas (4816 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118)
You can also watch the film online (US residents only)!
Read about virtual cinema streaming
Get your tickets now. Continue reading... “#OregonMade “Buffalo Soldiers Fighting on Two Fronts” to Premiere at SIFF”
My name is Mark Shapiro and I’m the co-director/producer of DOWNWIND, a new documentary that exposes the US Government’s 928 nuclear detonations from 1951-1992 at the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas and the impact of radioactive fallout on countless communities — and the environment.
Oregon Public Broadcasting
There will be two theatrical screenings of the #OregonMade documentary SAM NOW in Portland on May 2 and 3. These screenings will directly precede the national PBS release of the film on PBS/Independent Lens May 8.
Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts will be broadcast nationally on PBS June 12th at 10pm ET and as part of a Juneteenth special for WORLD Channel’s series ‘Local, USA’ on June 19th at 8pm ET.
Canoes have always been integral to our region’s Indigenous cultures and they still are today. That’s the focus of a new film collaboration between 
On March 8th at 6pm at The Hollywood Theatre, a benefit will be hosted by the YWCA’s
Documentary filmmakers so often find themselves working in isolation, away from larger centers of filmmaking — Oregon Documentary Camp seeks to create an environment for learning, connecting, and support for filmmakers wherever they are. Doc Camp includes workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and the chance to share stories with other filmmakers.