The Confluence

Level UP Workshops: Film Festival Strategy

Desert Island Studios will be offering their final, free, Level Up workshop. This one will focus on Film Festival Strategy. Join them on Thursday, December 5, 2024 from 6p to 9p. Further details and registration link below. Space is limited so sign up soon.

“Film Festival Strategy” with Bojana Sandic.

For anyone wondering if a film festival strategy matters, this workshop will answer the question with a strong affirmative! Through an overview of the film festival landscape, annual deadlines, and mapping a strategic plan for festival application, outreach, acceptance, attendance, and marketing, film professionals who attend this workshop can learn how to uplevel their chance at success on the festival circuit.

#OregonMade “Out Come the Wolves” Announces Cast

Up-and-comers Orlando Norman and Spence Moore II along with Heidi Grace Engerman and Cassady McClincy Zhang are starring in “Out Come the Wolves,” an indie drama which is marking the directorial debut of producer Danny Peykoff.

Sam Rechner, West Mulholland and Curran Walters are also cast in the feature that began shooting in Portland, Oregon this week. Big Newport Studios, founded by Peykoff, is financing and backing the production, which is also the company’s inaugural project.

Set against the East Bay punk music scene in the mid 1990s, Wolves is a story of grit and dreams in a world of violence and desperation.

“Amplify Portland” Announces Grant Winners

In partnership with Travel Portland the Portland Events and Film Office announced today the three recipients of the 2024 Amplify Portland grant. This grant was created to uplift filmmakers who use local talent, crews and vendors – building opportunities for professional growth and bringing exposure to Portland through unique, diverse storytelling both on screen and behind the scenes.

After a thought provoking and spirited review process led by industry professionals, three top scoring productions were awarded $10,000 each to bring their visions to life.

“Hasaan Hates Portland” Garners Accolades

Two years ago, in the thick of winter, Mischa Webley filmed the first episode of what would become “Hasaan Hates Portland,” an eight-episode web series starring Hasaan Thomas as its titular character. The show premiered Oct. 3 and has since garnered hundreds of thousands of views across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

The series is Webley’s first venture into comedy, a genre choice that felt necessary given the material, he said.

Race, Thomas said, is an issue inundated with shame, guilt and negativity, truths that make open conversation difficult.

Short Film Shooting in Ashland

A local production team led by New York University graduate-turned-Ashland-based screenwriter Monica Lynn Cortez is shooting a film placing Ashland’s sister city of Guanajuato, Mexico, at center stage. The project also has help from SOU’s Digital Cinema students and a star-studded local cast featuring Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors.

Filming started Friday morning at the Lithia Park pickleball courts, continuing Saturday, including at Hannon Library, with plans to shoot at SOU’s Digital Media Center over the weekend. Filming is slated to wrap up by mid-November.

OCF Community Grants Spring Cycle Opens Dec. 3

Oregon Community Foundation is pleased to announce our Community Grants program will open applications for its 2025 Spring Cycle between Dec. 3, 2024 – Jan. 14, 2025. This cycle’s grants will provide general operating support.

Key dates and program guidelines for the 2025 Spring Cycle are now available on the Community Grants website. This information includes:

Funding priorities
Application questions
Sample answers for a competitive application
Review criteria

Funding for the Spring Cycle of Community Grants will prioritize small rural organizations, culturally specific organizations and culturally responsive organizations.

“Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” Raised $244,000 For OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital!

Last week an auction of all 31 “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” sculptures took place at The Judy and raised a total $244,000 for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

LAIKA, the Visit Downtown Campaign, Wild in Art, and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital joined forces to bring Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail to the Rose City last August in celebration of “Coraline’s” 15th anniversary.

Donations can still be made on the dedicated site for the trail: OHSU Foundation – Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail.

Gorge Impact Film Festival Coming November 9 & 10

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend at the Gorge Impact Film Festival. Based in Hood River the Gorge Impact Film Festival is a place to experience the celebration of creativity and resilience through powerful films that inspire joy, hope and optimism.

Find out more at www.gorgefilm.org

#OregonMade “Cellar Door” Out Now

The Portland shot thriller “Cellar Door” is out now in select theaters and on streaming platforms. In this suspenseful thriller, a city-dwelling couple (Jordana Brewster, Scott Speedman) is looking to relocate to the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. While visiting the grandiose home of Emmett (Laurence Fishburne), a mysterious man with a talent for pairing the right property with the right people, the couple is suddenly gifted the house of their dreams with one nonnegotiable condition — they must never open the cellar door.

Women in Film Portland Announce Vision Grant Finalists

Congratulations to the Women in Film Portland 2024 Vision Grant Finalists. This year the Vision Grant will include two post-production grants – one for short docs and one for short narratives.

The finalists for the documentaries are:

Nisha Burton and Jessica Daughtery with “Over the Kitchen Table”

Jean Herbold with “The Pumpkin Lady of Fond du Lac”

Carrie Lederer with “Wild Horses at the Door”

The short narrative finalists are:

Fuschia Lin with “Future Cosmos Flow”

Eva Moss with “Controlling the Narrative”

Evlana Vergara with “Orgullo”

Finalists will be pitching their projects to the WIF PDX community panel and the winners will be announced at the WIF PDX Holiday Party & Fundraiser on November 15.

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