The Oregon film community's official blog.
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.
[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.
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.]
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.
OMPA Presents…
Tax Workshop for freelancers, cast and crew
Saturday, February 12th
9am reception • 10am-12noon workshop
At MotiveSpace Coalition in the Think Tank
in the Olympic Mills Building
107 SE Washington Ave., Suite 253, Portland
(Entrance at Southeast corner of building)
On Saturday, February 12th, 9:00am-12:00pm, OMPA hosts experts to speak and answer questions about taxes for actors, crew, and small businesses. Learn how to save on your taxes by knowing what you can deduct. Understand the difference between “Employee” and “Private Contractor”.
Join us for a special screening of “Meek’s Cutoff,” Tuesday, March 15th at The Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem.
All tickets are $20 and proceeds benefit the Oregon Cultural Trust. Tickets can be purchased in person (check only) at the Oregon Film office, or at Tickets West or at the Elsinore Theatre Ticket Office. Thanks to many ticket sponsors for this event, the OMPA has free tickets available. For more information, please go to their website.
Someone needs to sing their praises: you know, the men and women who mentor, intern and teach film. This last summer, I returned to the University of Oregon to attend classes being offered through the new Cinema Studies Department. I had formerly attended the U of O as a child of the 60’s, who had wanted to be a poet. As a direct result of the people I met there, I became a poetic cinema filmmaker.
In those days we had a 16mm Éclair camera, a Nagra and a Movieola, making experimental films.
I came upon a link to this article in the Washington Post about “Meek’s Cutoff”. The film is due to be released in theaters in April and I’m very curious to see how it does. The film has already made the rounds at the Venice, Toronto, and Sundance Film Festivals and by in large the critics have given the film very good reviews.
For those of you who would like to see the film in March, stay tuned since we have finalized the plans to screen “Meek’s Cutoff” at the Elsinore Theater in Salem on March 15.
What a Sundance Festival for Oregon Films! Today it was announced that Ashland based Susan Saladoff sold her documentary “Hot Coffee” to HBO. This is Susan’s first film and the success of the film is sure to make everyone believe that documentary film making is still viable. Credit does go to Susan’s ability to tell a compelling story but she also created a great on line presence for the film.
It was already a banner year for Oregon film makers at Sundance with six films represented at the festival with Oregon ties. At the final day awards ceremony, 2011 became an award winning year for Oregon film makers. Portland based director Peter Richardson won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival which as Shawn Levy described it “one of the most prestigious awards that can be won by a non-fiction film anywhere in the world.”
