The Confluence

“Wildwood” is set to arrive in theaters on October 23, 2026. Producer LAIKA has partnered with Fathom Entertainment for U.S. theatrical distribution and FilmNation Entertainment for international sales, marking a new phase in the studio’s global release strategy.

“Wildwood” is a handcrafted epic fantasy that transports audiences into a secret, dangerously alive world. A girl’s desperate quest to save her baby brother becomes a high-stakes journey into a forbidden forest filled with enchanted creatures, unlikely allies, and formidable adversaries, where an entire hidden realm hangs in the balance.

The McMinnville Short Film Festival (MSFF) runs February 26 – March 1, 2026. Founded in 2011 to celebrate the art of independent film with the goal of introducing emerging creative voices to one another and to our audiences, the internationally recognized MSFF, focuses on a range of narrative topics, including Native American, Drama, LGBTQ, Comedy, Horror, Experimental, Animation and Documentary films.

Check out the “Locals” block on Thursday and the “Oregon” block on Friday. And, spend the whole weekend in Oregon Wine Country!

LAIKA recently released a new trailer for their upcoming feature film “Wildwood” that feature the iconic Pittock Mansion in Portland. The Mansion, one of Portland’s most iconic landmarks, has been reimagined from the ground up for the film. In this exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette, LAIKA’s artists and artisans reveal how they transformed a historic home into a symbol of mystery, power, and magic.

For more than a decade, LAIKA’s craftspeople have been shaping the world of Wildwood through meticulous hand-built sets, intricate animation, and boundless imagination.

MIXED* is a first-of-its-kind storytelling showcase in Portland that brings this question to the big screen: “How will Portland’s creative community help shape the future of global storytelling—in the age of AI?”

Drawn from 211 film submissions representing 44 countries, the event presents a curated selection of hybrid films exploring the messy middle between traditional cinema and generative AI—placing Portland at the center of a global creative conversation.

At a moment when film and creative industries are experiencing rapid technological change, MIXED* offers a grounded examination of how artists are actually working today.

Both Ashland and Portland were once again named to MovieMaker’s “Best Places to Live & Work as a Filmmaker” lists for 2026. Ashland is on the small cities list and Portland is on the large cities list. We are proud of the consistently recognized quality of these cities for creative work and thank their local communities for making them such a great place to live for filmmakers.

As for the process, MovieMaker says it created this list by asking cities about factors like their industry spend, tax incentives, crews, sound stages, local film scenes, and recent productions.

The Oregon Film Trail and SetJetters were recently highlighted in NW Travel & Life Magazine as one of the 52 Getaways in the Northwest. Moving through highlights in Bend, Salem, Astoria, Baker City and Lan Grande, author David and Sarah Greenberg discover the many signs, sites and meals that Oregon has to offer.

Get ready to learn about everything from humpback whales to razor clams, because the Big Blue Film Festival is returning to Newport for its fourth year.

The festival will be held Jan. 23-24 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the Newport Performing Arts Center.

It will showcase 37 films created by local and international filmmakers that aim to educate audiences about the ocean.

The films will be divided into six different themed two-hour blocks for patrons to enjoy. These themes cover topics such as coral reef restoration or how the ocean can affect community cultures.

Film returns to the Portland Art Museum on January 10 as the renovated Whitsell Auditorium reopens as a destination for PAM CUT programming in film, new media, and visual storytelling.

As part of the Museum’s recently completed campus expansion and renovation, the Whitsell has been thoughtfully upgraded with improved accessibility, enhanced seating, and state-of-the-art projection and sound.

Launching with a film series inspired by the artist Marco Bramilla’s massive installation Heaven’s Gate just outside the auditorium, Maximalist Dreamscapes celebrates films that embrace excess, spectacle, and immersive world-building—works that transport viewers through bold visuals, heightened emotion, and expansive imagination.

#OregonMade “Twinless” was nominated for an Artios Casting Award. Portland casting director Simon Max Hill did the local casting for the indie feature film and is acknowledged in the nomination.

Casting Society’s Artios Awards celebrates the global casting community and members of the entertainment industry and acknowledges the year’s best casting work in film, theater, commercials, and unscripted programming. Creative, inclusive, and impactful projects from the world’s most innovative casting professionals (CSA members) are celebrated when this inspiring community gathers for a night honoring history-making creativity and achievement in casting.

The Cascade Festival of African Films shows us Africa through the eyes of Africans, rather than a vision of Africa packaged for Western viewers. The films celebrate Africa’s achievements, expose its failures, and reveal possibilities for a hopeful future. Although the films cannot represent an entire continent, we hope to encourage American viewers to become interested in and study African cultures.

Find out more.