Oregon Filmmaker’s Residency Award Winner Announced

Northwest Film Center, The Governor’s  Office of Film & Video (a/k/a/ Oregon Film), and PLAYA announce the winner of a unique residency opportunity for screenwriters, filmmakers and creative teams.

The program called for proposals from filmmakers and related creators to work on a script/film/visual narrative project during a 4-week residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon.

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The Oregon Filmmaker’s Residency Award was open to Oregon Resident filmmakers, screenwriters and other creative teams to propose a narrative project focusing on an environmental issue or under-represented community here in the Northwest region. Continue reading... “Oregon Filmmaker’s Residency Award Winner Announced”

Celebrating #OregonMadeShows

animal-house-of-blues-33-3-posterI first heard about the #OregonMade trademark at the Portland International Airport while viewing actual artifacts from several films shot in Oregon on display.

Now the Oregon Film Museum is stepping out and celebrating ‘Animal House’ with a huge party in Portland on October 30th, 2016. And the local communities, who hold their own local celebrations, are stepping up to support the Oregon Film Museum too.

Film is such a collaborative effort, but this scale of collaboration in celebrating Oregon creative projects is something I have never seen as a 47-year veteran of Oregon filmmaking. Continue reading... “Celebrating #OregonMadeShows”

Saturday Workshop With Mark Orton

mo_1-music_landing_croppedWorking with the Film Composer 
Taught by Mark Orton
Saturday, October 22, 10am-4pm
Register online

The Northwest Film Center is excited to be offering a Saturday workshop with local composer Mark Orton, who composed music for the films Nebraska and Boxtrolls, in addition to a new soundtrack for Buster Keaton’s The General and work on This American Life.

How to find, hire and work with a film composer, from the demo process to finished picture. The instructor’s musical palette and style will guide the discussion, along with real-life case studies from a variety of feature, documentary and fine art films. Continue reading... “Saturday Workshop With Mark Orton”

Central Oregon Thriller to Premiere Halloween Weekend

Official Poster - BESETMENT
Official Poster – BESETMENT

Besetment”, an indie-produced feature film from Barbed Wire Films, will have it’s first public premiere on Sunday October 30th at the Volcanic Theater Pub in Bend, OR at 6pm.

Filmed in Mitchell, Prineville, Ashland, and Bend, OR, the film tells the tale of Amanda Millard, a down-on-her-luck girl, desperate to find a job.  When she gets a call from the Oregon Hotel in Mitchell, things start to look up. Mildred Colvin, the owner of the Oregon Hotel is a kind lady, and her live-in son and local mechanic Billy, though a little slow, seems quite taken with Amanda. Continue reading... “Central Oregon Thriller to Premiere Halloween Weekend”

“Certain Women” Opened Strong & To Good Reviews

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Kelly Reichardt and Neil Kopps’ latest feature, “Certain Women” (written and directed by Reichardt) opened  to great reviews (New York Times, Variety, LA Times,Vanity Fair) and a strong box office (#2 indie box office.)

Reichardt and Kopp, have shot 4 projects together here in Oregon (“Night Moves“, “Meek’s Cutoff“,”Wendy and Lucy“, “Old Joy“) and although this film shot in Montana, it was posted here in state. Continue reading... ““Certain Women” Opened Strong & To Good Reviews”

BendFilm Festival Underway

filmevents_bendfilm-f792bec57097857d The 13th Annual BendFilm Fest is underway, October 5-9th, some tickets are still available.  Opening night (tonight) will screen an #OregonMade documentary by Portland-native, Ian McCluskey (“Voyagers Without Trace“), and Jenny Conlee of The Decemberists will perform live.

Six venues will be utilized, screening indie films, docs and shorts. “A Celebration of Independent Cinema.

bendfilm-logo-1 Continue reading... “BendFilm Festival Underway”

Cast Iron Studios, TNT & Film Offices Teamed Up To Repeat Talent Diversity Initiative

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by Georgia Luke
Last year, Cast Iron Studios and TNT–along with Act Now Studio and Scott Rogers Studios–hosted the first Northwest Talent Diversity Initiative. The 36-hour intensive acting course gave 32 performers of color the opportunity to hone their chops with two of Portland’s finest acting coaches and a myriad of guest speakers, at no cost to the actors.

Within weeks of graduation, the Class of 2015 began reporting an increase in their callback and booking rates on film, television, web and commercial projects. Continue reading... “Cast Iron Studios, TNT & Film Offices Teamed Up To Repeat Talent Diversity Initiative”

HouseSpecial’s Stop-Motion Short Takes ‘Best Animated Film’ At Oregon Independent Film Festival

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/154092195[/vimeo]Aaron Sorenson, a Director at Portland animation studio HouseSpecial, received the award for Best Animated Film for the stop-motion short Jailbreak during the award ceremony at The Oregon Independent Film Festival (OIFF) held on September 24, 2016 in Portland’s Clinton Street Theater.

Jailbreak, shot in black and white, follows the daring escape of a desperate prisoner fleeing his nightmarish cell in pursuit of sweet punishment.  Written and directed by Sorenson, this short is a German Expressionist-inspired design mash-up of stop motion with a 2D design sensibility … and a decidedly adult twist. Continue reading... “HouseSpecial’s Stop-Motion Short Takes ‘Best Animated Film’ At Oregon Independent Film Festival”

New Documentary Profiles Unique Summer Camp For Kids With Food Allergies

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A new film documentary about a unique Oregon summer camp makes its world premiere in Portland on October 16, 2016.

tlf_2Tastes Like Freedom is the remarkable story of Camp Blue Spruce, a summer camp for kids with life-threatening food allergies. The food at Camp Blue Spruce is free of the foods that cause more than 90% of allergic reactions, including dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, gluten and sesame.

“For 51 weeks of the year, food is often a source of worry and anxiety for these kids and their families,” said Louise Tippens, Camp Blue Spruce founder. Continue reading... “New Documentary Profiles Unique Summer Camp For Kids With Food Allergies”

Screenwriting ReMix For New Media With Randall Jahnson

screen-shot-2016-09-19-at-10-55-17-amThe Northwest Film Center has another new class offering this fall, Screenwriting Remix for New Media. It is a ten-session class taking place on Tuesday evenings, October 4 to December 13, that explores how traditional screenwriting can be the launching point for re-imagining plot and character in the interactive Digital Age. Can character be developed on Instagram? Can Google Maps advance plot? Can a story be told on Skype? Integrate these and other platforms into your narrative through an individual writing mash-up. Continue reading... “Screenwriting ReMix For New Media With Randall Jahnson”