The Confluence

One of the highest regarded films of all time will be celebrated Dec. 6 in Eugene.

Based on Oregon author Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel of the same name, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was released in theaters 50 years ago. Having worked on set, Katherine K’iya Wilson helped bring one of the most well-regarded films of all time to life. “When Kesey published One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it changed the world,” Wilson says. The novel and film hold a special place in her heart for finally dismantling the “silent Indian” trope that had long been cast over Native people in movies and television.

The Portland shot and #OregonMade feature “Twinless” received three nominations for Film Independent’s Indie Spirt Awards. The film was nominated for “Best Feature” while film’s writer/director and co-star, James Sweeney was nominated for Best Screenplay and lead actor Dylan O’Brien was nominated for Best Lead Performance.

We could not be more proud of all of the Oregon based talent that helped to make this powerful and funny film.

Read more about all of the nominees here.

Most likely, you’ve heard of the Oregon Trail, but there’s another trail Oregon is becoming known for: The Oregon Film Trail. The Beaver State has been home to several movies, like The Goonies, Stand by Me and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Established in 1968, Oregon Film is the country’s oldest continuous state film office, and in 2016 it established the world’s first physical film trail. The Oregon Film Trail has signs throughout the state at locations where films were shot.

“Portlanders love old movies. That’s obvious each weekend at our independent cinemas, where crowds line up coffee in hand for noir matinees at Cinema 21, slosh IPAs onto the carpet of the Hollywood Theatre while hitting a 35 mm kung fu feature, and sell out revival showings everywhere from the Academy to Cinemagic. There’s a reason why WW’s weekly film coverage is anchored by a repertory screenings column. We never have to look far to find a flick—from 1910 to 2010—that absolutely slaps.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was first released in the U.S. on Nov. 19, 1975, and won all five major Academy Awards the following year. Based on the 1962 novel by Oregon writer Ken Kesey, it tells the story of a struggle against authoritarian control, embodied in the clash between free-spirited patient Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, the tyrannical head nurse of an Oregon psychiatric hospital.

Eugene veteran filmmaker Katherine K’iya Wilson still remembers a private screening of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” she attended at Salem’s Elsinore Theatre in December 1975.

Lana Condor (To All the Boys franchise) has signed on to star in Whodunnit, a new romantic comedy to be directed by Nora Kirkpatrick (A Tree Fell in the Woods) for BuzzFeed Studios, CaliWood Pictures, Fortitude International, and Nickel City Pictures, which heads into production in Oregon this month.

Written by Jessica Kravitz and Chelsea Catalanotto, with revisions by Kirkpatrick, the film follows Tess Klein, whose life was supposed to follow the plan: love by 25, marriage by 30, baby by 32.

The horror fantasy film “His Monster,” directed by Washington native Erich Cannon and shot along the Oregon coast and parts of Astoria will screen at FantaFestival in Rome, Italy later this month.

Production company Compassionate Disaster Films announced today that the feature film “His Monster” has been selected to compete in the 45th annual FANTAFESTIVAL in Rome, Italy on Saturday, November 22nd at 4PM.

Erich Cannon’s thriller story follows a struggling alcoholic, played by “Killers of the Flower Moon” actor Gabe Casdorph, whose daughter is attacked and mysteriously swept into the ocean, Casdorph’s James Streeter, remains living in the woods, alone, hunting for what he believes is responsible.

“You might not expect a rural mountain town four hours east of Portland to be a haven for indie filmmakers with big dreams, but that’s exactly what you get when you attend the Eastern Oregon Film Festival,” says filmmaker H. Nelson Tracey, whose film Breakup Season is set in La Grande. The festival supports moviemaking, he notes, through “programs including Filmmaker Field Trips, Filmmaker Residency, and Fiscal Sponsorship.” Tracey credits the festival’s support of one of his early shorts with helping him make the leap to directing a feature.

MOSMA PRESENTS:
The Nightmare Before Christmas at Hollywood Theatre
December 1, 2025 7:30pm

The Museum of Stop Motion Animation presents Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

This groundbreaking stop-motion feature-length film has become a timeless classic. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town and his schemes after discovering the existence of Christmas Town.

Following the film there will be a Q&A with special guests, animator Anthony Scott and Brian Capati (President/Founder MOSMA).

Anthony Scott is a legendary stop-motion animator with credits on The Night Before Christmas, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Coraline and most recently Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

We recently asked Pathways participant and @desertislandstudiospdx member, filmmaker DJ Schaller, to interview some DIS members and past Pathways participants and mentors.

DJ’s interviews include filmmaker Roberta Cumbianchera, Writer/Director/Gaffer Haley McCoy, Production Designer Erin Eskila, Filmmaker & DIS co-founder Devin Febbroriello and filmmaking team Fran Bittakis & Betty Alcaraz.

Check out the things they are all up to and help support their work in every way you can.

See them all in November and December on IG @OregonFilm. You can also check them out on our YouTube and Vimeo pages.