The Confluence

Last month our friends at Travel Oregon highlighted the autumn as a great time to get out, see all of Oregon and watch films.

Film buffs already know that Oregon is a great place for a movie. Filmmakers have shot more than 700 films in the state, including beloved classics like “The River Wild,” “Free Willy,” “Goonies” and “Stand By Me.” You can find many of the sites on the Travel Oregon-sponsored Oregon Film Trail on a road trip, or you can cozy up inside and check out some of Oregon’s latest, most creative releases.

The New Times Times recently focused on Oregon’s North Coast and its deep connection to movie making.

Decades’ worth of fans have made pilgrimages to Astoria, Ore., the small town where “The Goonies” was set and mostly filmed. For the 40th anniversary of its release, an estimated 10,000 people gathered in Astoria over one June weekend this year.

Astoria, in turn, has mostly embraced the fans of the movie — which has a Facebook page with more than two million followers — aiming to turn them into a boost to the local economy.

“Bampire” – The Bambi horror movie your mom warned you about and weird uncle loves, just released the first official trailer.

The story of Bampire revolves around a hapless professor and a pack of misfit students who head into the woods in search of a legendary fanged deer; they instead unleash a bloodthirsty half-deer, half-human nightmare in a 90s throwback horror comedy where nobody passes survival class.

Bampire was filmed in Oregon in late 2023 and was completed in August of 2025.

The Sundance Institute has revealed the 10 projects selected for the inaugural 2025 Sundance Institute Filmmakers Fund.

Eugene based Filmmaker and U of O assistant professor Masami Kawai was among the grantees. Kawai received the grants for her feature film “Valley of the Tall Grass” which was also recently announced as a winner of the inaugural Oregon Film Impact Grant.

Sponsored by Chase Sapphire Reserve, the fund awards $120,000 grants to artists from various backgrounds working on feature films worldwide.

Join us for a special Oregon homecoming of “Twinless,” the darkly funny new film from James Sweeney. Presented in partnership with PAM CUT, the Tomorrow Theater and Oregon Film, this free community screening celebrates the local creative talent that helped bring the film to life.

Reserve your seat NOW!

Join us for an unforgettable evening of cinema and conversation around Anaiah Orlando’s new film “The Man Who Married a Robot” on Wednesday, October 8.

Stay after the screening for a Q&A with the filmmaker and the team at ANSWRS, as they share insights into the film’s themes and creative process.

Get your tickets here.

Directed by Courtney Hermann, “Outliers and Outlaws” is a story of lesbian world-builders, Outliers and Outlaws uncovers the fabulous history of a large and vibrant lesbian community in Eugene, Oregon. Women who migrated to this small town in the 1960s-80s candidly share stories about the power of courageous and creative world-building. Intimate portraits—both then and now—model living in hard times with hope, humor, and commitment to social change. Narrated by musician Jody Bleyle, Outliers includes a rich archive of images documenting this groundbreaking community.

Portland Based Pander Brothers have released their feature film “Altered Ego” on Prime Video. Originally titled “Selfless” the movie stars Mo Gallini (2 fast 2 Furious), Joshua Rengert and Jen Hong.

Check out the trailer below:

Coinciding with the opening of Portland Art Museum’s campus transformation in November, PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow announces a reimagined yearly festival experience like no other, PLUS PLUS. Through this additive, ever-evolving celebration of artists who dissolve boundaries and defy easy categorization, this year’s lineup of ten groundbreaking media arts premieres and one-night-only events will take place over two weekends—November 13–23, 2025—at both the PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater and Portland Art Museum.

PLUS PLUS is the festival of Tomorrow—a world-class gathering in Portland that further amplifies and expands PAM CUT’s vision where storytelling, tech, media artists and creative communities collide to explore new ideas and form new audiences charting fresh ways to move our city and our world forward.