The Confluence – Page 29 – The Oregon film community's official blog.

Portland Features In MovieMaker Magazine’s “Best Places To Live & Work As A Filmmaker In 2025”

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.

New Screenwriting Workshops starting soon with Jeff Rutherford

Hi everyone! Jeff Rutherford here. After eight years in New York, I’m glad to be returning to my former home of Portland. I’m very excited to offer a series of workshops starting this March. The first workshop is SCREENWRITING.

Whether you’re an experienced writer, a movie lover, someone looking for a creative outlet, and/or truly anyone, I’ll be happy to have you in this workshop. I’ll meet you where you are, and I’ll do my best to guide you toward your goals and the best versions of your ideas.

Open Studio & Creative Meetup at Digital One

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? Connect with new and old friends, get inspired by new tech, and crowd surf to one of Portland’s most iconic bands!

Meet our Emmy-winning sound supervisor and his beard.

#OregonMade “My Dead Friend Zoe” to be Released on February 28

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.

Oregon PA Pathways Training at Outside the Frame

Are you looking to break into the film and media industry? Join Outside the Frame‘s upcoming PA Pathways training session. This one day, in-person training is intended to place underrepresented filmmakers into paid production assistant positions on professional commercial, motion picture and television sets. Applications are now open and must be submitted by January 27, 2025 to be considered.

The application can be found here.

This program is made possible, in part, by Oregon Film and the Creative Opportunity Program.

Recent Updates To The Oregon Film Trail

The Oregon Film Trail has had some updates lately, most recently with the newest marker installed in eastern Oregon celebrating “Breakup Season” that was shot entirely on location in rural La Grande. This brings the tally of physical Oregon Film Trail markers to 43 across the state and adds more scenes to the hundreds that can be discovered using the SetJetters app.

Additionally, an oral histories project has been recently added to the “OFT” and collection from community members across the state has begun.

The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival Returns in May

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!

The Keynote Speaker, Dr. Eske Willerslev, will kick off the event at the Festival Banquet, on May 14, 2025, 6-9pm, at the Gordon Hotel in Eugene. This is followed by four days of juried films and videos on archaeological and indigenous topics, screened in the Sheffer Recital Hall at The Shedd Institute in Eugene.

The Oregon Coast Film Festival Returns – Submit Now!

The Oregon Coast Film Festival returns to the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay, April 5, 2025. The return of the Oregon Coast Film Festival will coincide with the 100th birthday celebration of the Egyptian Theater.

The Oregon Coast Film Festival (OCFF) began in 2013 at the Sprague Community Theater in Bandon, Oregon before moving to the Egyptian Theater in 2016. The last edition of the festival was held in January 2020, as the festival was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay, Oregon has 4K projection capability for the best audience viewing experience.

Who We Are and What We Do – Oregon Film – January 2025

Happy New Year everyone. As we often do, we’d like to give you some highlights from the past year as well as a small dose of “Looking Forward.”

For those of you who don’t know, Oregon Film, sometimes called the Oregon Film & Video Office (OFVO) other times called the Governor’s Office of Film & Television, is the oldest US state film commission that we know of. Founded in 1968 our mission is to develop, grow and support the film and media industry here in Oregon.

Gus Van Sant’s Oregon-made “My Own Private Idaho” Selected For National Film Registry

2024’s film selection for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry now includes Oregonian Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho“. According to the Library of Congress website, to be considered for this prestigious recognition, films must exhibit “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage”.

Other #oregonmade films directed by Van sant include, “Drugstore Cowboy,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” and “Elephant”.

Read more about this story in Oregon Live.

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