The Confluence – Page 258 – The Oregon film community's official blog.

Oregon Producer Named Honorary Co-chair of Wisconsin Film Festival

I’m proud to announce that I have been invited to be an honorary co-chair of the 2011 Beloit International Film Festival. Affectionately known as BIFF, the festival is in its sixth year and has been touted as a “must-attend event” by Moviemaker Magazine showcasing both big releases and indie films. The festival has played host to filmmakers from around the world and, in a short time, has established itself as a truly international festival. The festival will kick off Thursday, February 17th and will continue through until Sunday, February 20th.

DIVA Screens 2011 Oscar Nominated Live Action & Animated Shorts

Eugene, OR. The DIVA Center offers film enthusiasts the only local screening of the 2011 Oscar nominated live-action, and animated short film nominees February 18-19-20 and again on February 25-26-27. All screenings will take place at the UO Baker Center at 325 East 10th in Eugene. Admission: $7. Students: $6.

Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) recognizes non-feature length animated and live action films. These short cinematic gems are rarely seen outside international film festivals and yet represent some of the most imaginative and insightful filmmaking today.

“Portlandia” Renewed for Second Season

Both TV Squad and the Huffington Post have announced that Portlandia has been renewed for a second season, while still having two of the six season one episodes yet to air. The network has ordered 10 new half-hour episodes to premiere in January 2012.

“We’re thrilled with the success of Portlandia and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from
our viewers,” IFC’s senior vice president of original programming Debbie DeMontreux said in the announcement. “Fred and Carrie’s humor is perfectly in line with the sensibility and comedic tone of IFC which makes this show such a great fit for us.

“Portlandia” – A Tourism Destination

There have been a few naysayers who have stated that “Portlandia” is bad for Portland’s image. Some have said that the video “The Dream of the 90’s” on YouTube is going to ruin the business climate and dive us deeper into a recession. Well for all of you who believe this myth and those who think all this fuss is silly, look no further than the Irish Times. I was sent this article today by Jennifer Yocom from Mayor Adam’s office which is a great tourism piece for Portland and Oregon.

“COLD WEATHER” opens Friday, February 25th in Portland

The acclaimed new film COLD WEATHER Opens Friday, February 25th at Cinema 21. Shot on location in and around Portland, COLD WEATHER premiered at last year’s SXSW Festival. It opened to rave reviews in New York on February 4th and was a New York Times Critics Pick by Manohla Dargis. Filmmaker Aaron Katz (a Portland native) will be at Cinema 21 for Q&As at select showtimes opening weekend.

View the trailer here:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/coldweather

BendFilm 2011 Opens Submissions

Now in its 8th year, BENDFILM FESTIVAL celebrates independent cinema’s brave voices by bringing thought-provoking, inspiring, and engaging films from all over the world to Central Oregon’s scenic mountainous town of Bend. Unmistakably filmmaker-friendly, BendFilm has been deemed one of “25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine, and declared “an important creation for filmmakers” by Gus Van Sant. BendFilm has garnered acclaim from industry, media, audiences, and filmmakers alike.

HB 2167 – My Written Testimony

Several people asked me to make available my written testimony in yesterday’s hearing on HB 2167. It was a spirited hearing despite the fact that we only had 30 minutes. We have also provided online information related to our office and the bill here. The remaining testimony and questions will continue on Friday but in the meantime, here’s what I provided.

Testimonial Videos from the Local Film Community in Support of Oregon’s Film Incentive Programs

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/19796506[/vimeo]

The videos embedded here are just two examples of testimony from local companies that have directly benefited from Oregon’s film incentive programs. These videos will be played for the Oergon State Legislature at the continuation of the initial house hearing (on HB 2167) this Friday. HB 2167 proposes increasing the annual amount allocated to the Oregon Production Investment Fund (OPIF).

The testimonial videos from Mark “Sparky” Haleston of STP/Elite and Lana Veenker of Lana Veenker Casting will be submitted along with personal testimony from several other people from the Oregon Film community.

Vince Porter Talks Oregon Film Incentives on KSRV Radio

This morning on KSRV radio in Ontario, OR, Oregon Film Executive Director Vince Porter spoke with Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz and Dale Jefferies about Oregon’s Film Incentive Program.

You can listen to the full interview in the link below [Interview begins around the 10 minute mark.]

Listen to the interview here…

Eastern Oregon Film Festival Astounds, Impresses and Continues to Grow

As Eastern Oregon Film Festival gears up for it’s third year, we take a look at the success of last year with a recap piece by Charles Trowbridge, writer for La Grande Life as well as EOU’s newspaper The Voice.

La Grande’s second annual Eastern Oregon Film Festival came off with few hitches and to raucous, widespread approval.

Though the festival had many sponsors, both local and regional, the main thrust behind the event came from the countless volunteer hours from the seven-member board, headed by Chris Jennings, EOFF board president.

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