The Confluence

“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.

The PDX Rotating Art Program is featuring a new mural commissioned by Oregon Film that honors more than a century of filmmaking in Oregon. Digitally created by artist Nick Stokes and printed as a large-scale mural, the work salutes the state’s film history, the crews and creatives who power production, and the Oregon locations that bring stories to life.

The mural is now on view at Portland International Airport, post-security within Concourse B (Level 2). Travelers encounter a visual timeline that spans seasons, eras, and landscapes.

Salem Cinema presents a Reel Change For Our Community Benefit Screening for the OSH Museum of Mental Health!

FILMED IN OREGON! When Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) gets transferred for evaluation from a prison farm to a mental institution, he assumes it will be a less restrictive environment. But the martinet Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist, keeping her patients cowed through abuse, medication and sessions of electroconvulsive therapy. The battle of wills between the rebellious McMurphy and the inflexible Ratched soon affects all the ward’s patients.

Part 2: MAKING THE MOVIE

I was fortunate to have support from angel investors for my first film. And yes, I know how incredibly lucky it was that this came together easily on the financial side, I’ve seen the fundraising process from many angles (crowd funding, studio films, independent financing with massive strings attached, impossible budgets from streamers). Wherever the money comes from, remember these people (or companies or family members) signed on to support YOU. And frankly, this is the theme of this entire section regarding the creative process.

Join Creatives of Color Oregon (COCO) for an engaging evening with content creator Jonathan Riley, whose creative storytelling and entrepreneurial spirit have helped shape Portland’s cultural and visual landscape.

In this session, we’ll get to know Jonathan beyond the lens—exploring the businesses he’s developed, the vibrant community he continues to build, and his approach to authentic content creation.

Together, we’ll view an episode of The Portlanders, a project Jonathan produced in collaboration with Travel Portland, offering a fresh perspective on the city’s creative scene.