Happy New Year everyone. As we often do, we’d like to give you some highlights from the past year as well as a small dose of “Looking Forward.”
For those of you who don’t know, Oregon Film, sometimes called the Oregon Film & Video Office (OFVO) other times called the Governor’s Office of Film & Television, is the oldest US state film commission that we know of. Founded in 1968 our mission is to develop, grow and support the film and media industry here in Oregon. Continue reading... “Who We Are and What We Do – Oregon Film – January 2025”
Portland State University and award-winning Portland-based animation studio LAIKA — known for groundbreaking Oscar®-nominated animated feature films such as Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings — today announced an industry partnership to help develop and diversify the region’s creative workforce.
“This partnership demonstrates a shared commitment to nurture the creative talent that will enhance Portland’s vibrant arts and cultural landscape,” said PSU President Ann Cudd. “We believe diversity of thought and experience is the spark of creativity and innovation. Continue reading... “PSU & LAIKA Announce Partnership”
House Special’s epic stop motion short film “Brim Broome Boulevard” is hitting the festival circuit! Watch this space to find out more about this delightful short film they produced with Elizabeth Kline Murphy and kArLy Richter for innovative Director PJ Magerko Liquorice. Continue reading... “#OregonMade “Brim Broome Boulevard” is Hitting the Fests”
The World Premiere of “Earths to Come” will be at the Venice Film Festival, starting August 28, 2024 in the Biennale College Cinema Immersive program, Portland based Director, Rose Bond, and Producer, Melanie Coombs, announced today.
“Earths to Come” is an enveloping work that seeks to heal the last wounds on our post pandemic hearts by exploring the seductive, delicious and destructive nature of Desire. The piece is a collaboration between expanded cinema director, Rose Bond, Grammy® winning vocal band, Roomful of Teeth, lauded composer, inti figgis-vizueta , and Oscar® winning creative producer Melanie Coombs – each pushing at the edges of their prescribed mediums. Continue reading... “Immersive “Earths to Come” Heads to the Venice Film Festival”

The Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology (PFCAT) announced that its 2024 event will be held at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) from August 21 to August 25 and will include screenings, panel discussions, parties, and special events in the Empirical Theater, Theory, the Kendall Planetarium, and OMSI’s auditorium.
This year’s festival includes screenings of over 120 films by visionary filmmakers, including over a dozen Portland-based filmmakers and animators. Innovation will also be displayed in the screening methods utilized at the festival. Continue reading... “PFCAT Returns To OMSI August 21st Through 25th”
Are you ready to go back to the Other World… bigger and better than ever? On Aug. 15-22, #OregonMade Coraline returns to theaters around the world in remastered 3D!
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 21 — sign up for an email reminder and get updates on new merch, events and more at coraline.com.
Continue reading... ““Coraline” Returns to Theatres in 3D!”
In an exciting development for the Oregon animation community, Portland Community College announced plans to offer an animation degree beginning in 2025, partly funded by a $60,000 donation from Oregon film studio Laika.
Laika announced Tuesday that it will give $30,000 to the PCC Foundation in each of the next two years to help fund three new classes in animation and stop-motion filmmaking, and the new degree in animation and motion graphics.
In addition, Oregon Film supports a paid placement at Laika for a PCC student each year through the Creative Opportunity Program. Continue reading... “Portland Community College Plans Animation Degree, Backed by Laika”
The award-winning feature film studio based just outside of Portland, Oregon uses cutting-edge technology and innovative processes to create stop-motion animation in a way no other studios are. And the company’s culture — focused on DEI and growth opportunities — is driven by team members who share a passion for telling great stories.
“We have a collaborative culture and a great deal of diversity in terms of creative voices and ways of working across the studio,” said David Burke, LAIKA’s chief marketing and operations officer. Continue reading... “LAIKA is an Industry Trailblazer in the Pacific Northwest”
What has Oregon Film been up to? – After assuring our industry worked so well through the turbulent pandemic period with several projects of all sizes, 2022 started off with a slow down. Needless to say, Oregon is still attractive and a great place to bring your creative production. Recently we worked with the state legislature and partners like the OMPA and the IATSE and SAG-AFTRA unions to increase the film and media cash rebate percentages from 18% to 25%. In addition, the annual funding for the OPIF program increased from $14M to $20M. Continue reading... “Oregon Film: Who We Are & What We Do (Update 2022)”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Travis Knight, (CEO, LAIKA) has committed to keeping staff on the company payroll through the temporary closure of the animation studio that is due to the spread of Covid-19. Knight said, in a memo obtained and published by the Hollywood Reporter that, “When this ends, and it will end, the world will need storytellers more than ever,” “The world will need hope and inspiration and empathy and high-spirited joy. The world will need beauty and poetry and restorative works of art. Continue reading... “LAIKA Committed To Keeping Staff On Payroll Through Studio’s Temporary Closure”