PassinArt Theatre: Pacific Northwest Multi Cultural Readers Series & Film Festival

PassinArt Theatre is having their second biennial Pacific Northwest Multicultural Readers Series & Film Festival Thursday – Sunday, August 17-20, 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon.

The festival will be a jam-packed, four-day whirlwind of wall-to-wall readings, screenings, masterclasses and panel discussions addressing the issues of the day as they shape theaters of color, television, and film.

In attendance, we will have celebrity co-hosts Javon Johnson [The Oval, Boo! Madea Halloween] and Bobby Yan
[Stalker, K Love] welcome industry luminaries including Regina Taylor [I’ll Fly Away, CSI Vegas, Justified]; Rose Bianco [Cobra Kai, East New York, Minx]; Rhavynn Drummer [Tyler Perry/national casting director]; Ted Lange [The Love Boat]; Stephanie Frederic [film/tv producer Girls’ Trip, All Eyez on Me, Night School, American Gangster]; Professor Vera J. Continue reading... “PassinArt Theatre: Pacific Northwest Multi Cultural Readers Series & Film Festival”

“A Perfect Day for Caribou” Screens at Cinema 21 on August 15

To anyone reading – hi, my name is Jeff Rutherford.

In May 2021, I went into the high desert of Central Oregon with a few friends and shot a feature film. Over the course of that summer, we edited that film in a little house off SE Division St. And then a year later, we premiered that film, which is called A PERFECT DAY FOR CARIBOU, in Cineasti del presente at the 75th Locarno Film Festival. Now a year after the world premiere, we’re bringing the film home for one night only. Continue reading... ““A Perfect Day for Caribou” Screens at Cinema 21 on August 15”

SAG-AFTRA Offers Indie Productions “Interim Agreements” During Strike

Prior to the start of TV/Theatrical/Streaming negotiations, SAG-AFTRA made the decision to allow producers, who may otherwise fall within the scope of the strike order, to apply for an Interim Agreement. These Agreements are for projects that have been confirmed to be separate from the AMPTP and entirely independent.

The Interim Agreement is not a waiver. It is a contract that includes all terms and conditions for producers looking to employ SAG-AFTRA members on their specific independent productions.

The union thoroughly vets and approves each and every project seeking an Interim Agreement. Continue reading... “SAG-AFTRA Offers Indie Productions “Interim Agreements” During Strike”

DOWNWIND: In The Wake of OPPENHEIMER, Portland Director Premieres Documentary About Nevada Nuclear Weapons Test Site


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”

Kelly Reichardt’s #OregonMade “Showing Up” To Be Released April 7th

 

Kelly Reichardt has shot six of her eight movies here in Oregon, the latest being the comedy-drama, “Showing Up” starring long-time collaborator, Michelle Williams, and Oregon writer, Jonathan Raymond (co-written by Reichart). “Showing Up” first premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, competing for the Palme d’Or.

The film will be released on April 7 (A24). More about Williams and Reichardts’ past collaborations here in interview with Williams.

 

 

  Continue reading... “Kelly Reichardt’s #OregonMade “Showing Up” To Be Released April 7th”

#OregonMade “Half Sisters” Opens

“Half Sisters,” the feature film from Oregon filmmaker Devin Fei-Fan Tau, starts its limited theatrical run this month. The film stars Kristy Dawn Dinsmore (“Vikings”) and Sydney Winbush (“Shrill”). April’s theatrical release will be followed by a wide run on demand in July.

“Half Sisters” centers on two estranged half-sisters – one white, one mixed race – reuniting after the death of their grandmother, at a remote family cabin in the midst of a raging storm. Learning that a $1M inheritance is at stake, the two women become reluctant allies, facing down multiple threats — both internal and external. Continue reading... “#OregonMade “Half Sisters” Opens”

Daisy Ridley Ruminates About The Oregon Coast And Filming “Sometimes I Think About Dying”

Daisy Ridley (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dustin Lane)

Daisy Ridley, (Star Wars prequel trilogy) recently shared her thoughts on the movie Sometimes I Think About Dying” and her experiences filming in Oregon. Ridley portrays Frances, a young woman dealing with anxiety and despair, in this thought-provoking movie that recently premiered in competition at Sundance. During the filming, Ridley spent time in Astoria and on the Oregon Coast, and she had nothing but good things to say about these locations.

Continue reading... “Daisy Ridley Ruminates About The Oregon Coast And Filming “Sometimes I Think About Dying””

#OregonMade “Who Are You People” Comes out on Feb. 24

Fresh off of her appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, rising star Ema Horvath is taking on a more personal role with the coming-of-age drama Who Are You People. Horvath leads the film as Alex, a 16-year-old who gains more perspective on her life as she learns of the circumstances that surround her. After her parents interrupt her attempt to seduce her teacher, she seeks out her biological father Karl (Devon Sawa) whom her parents had always kept secret from her. Continue reading... “#OregonMade “Who Are You People” Comes out on Feb. 24”

“Breakup Season” to Begin Production in Eastern Oregon

The #OregonMade dramatic feature, “Breakup Season” is set to shoot in, and around, La Grande and Pendleton, in February 2023.

Twenty-something Ben brings his girlfriend Cassie to his rural Oregon hometown for Christmas. Upon arrival, an argument turns into a breakup, and the holiday goes from Xmas to Ex-mas. After a brutal snowstorm and airport closure, Cassie is now stuck with her newly minted ex and his family through the holiday.

The film is written and directed by H.

Continue reading... ““Breakup Season” to Begin Production in Eastern Oregon”

Shot In The Cascade Mountains, “Hello From Nowhere” Is Now Available To Stream

The romantic adventure-comedy-thriller, filmed near Mt. Hood, is now available to stream! “Hello From Nowhere” was directed by Portland’s Anthony Orkin and produced by Lara Cuddy, Todd Robinson, and Alyssa Roehrenbeck. The cast includes local favorites Summer Menkee, Sean Paul Ross, John Armour, G. Scott Brown, and Denah Angel.

A mysterious hiker pits two camping couples against each other in this wild and wooly comedy set along the Pacific Crest Trail in the picturesque Cascade Mountains.

Fans of musicals and mysteries will delight in “Hello From Nowhere,” a hair-raising, off-key, action-packed comedy set in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Continue reading... “Shot In The Cascade Mountains, “Hello From Nowhere” Is Now Available To Stream”