BendFilm Announces Winner of BIPOC Woman Filmmaker Grant
Filmmaker Rosanna Peng Awarded Grant for Her narrative short film “Bowling Bao”.
BendFilm, Inc announced the winner of its annual $10,000 BIPOC Woman Filmmaker Grant. This annual program created by BendFilm awards a filmmaking grant to a woman of color to promote diversity and inclusion in the film industry. The 2024 winner is director Rosanna Peng for her project ‘Bowling Bao’: a short film that captures the internal struggles of identity, belonging, and self-expression, offering a raw, authentic look at how societal expectations—rooted in class, gender, and culture—can stifle one’s sense of self.
MovieMaker magazine’s list of Best Places to Live and Work in as a Filmmaker in 2025″ is now out – Portland makes the cut at #14 on the Big Cities” list. Here is what they had to say, “Portland offers a blend of beauty and flexibility — both the ocean and mountains are close drives away, and parts of the city can easily double as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and a host of other cities. Residents’ emphasis on good food and good living also make it a pleasant place to decompress from industry stress, though it has its share of key players, including David Cress, producer of Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal,Portlandia actress and Sleater-Kinney band member Carrie Brownstein, and Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant.
Great things happened in 1992: MTV released the first Real World, Crystal Pepsi was introduced and Digital One started crafting sound in Portland. While the past 33 years have brought countless changes, one thing has remained the same: our devotion to Portland’s vibrant film and creative scene. Where else can you mix sound, creativity, and a little beer-fueled nostalgia?
Inspired by a true story, MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE (SXSW 2024 Audience Award, Woodstock Grand Jury Prize) is a dark comedy drama about a complicated friendship and a divided family. Merit, an Afghanistan veteran who’s engaged in a mysterious relationship with Zoe, her wise-cracking (dead) best friend from the Army, is summoned to the family’s ancestral lake house to care for her ailing Vietnam vet grandfather and, thanks to a persistent VA counselor and an unexpected love interest, is forced to confront her past once and for all.
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Coming May 14th-18th, The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival is a juried international competition in the cultural heritage film genre, bringing you the world’s best films relating to the human past and our shared cultural heritage. These are great films for the whole family!
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For those of you who don’t know,