The Confluence

John Bergquist (photo credit J. Bergquist/Twitter)

We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Bergquist, one of the founders of Soma Games, (along with Chris Skaggs and Rande Bruhn).  John passed away recently as the tragic result of an auto accident. Soma Games is known for its Christian company culture and video game storytelling, and was the first video game studio to create a licensed game based on the well-known, and popular Redwall book series.

John was described by Soma Games as, “a true man of God, a mentor to many, a storyteller, and an amazing friend. He made the world sweeter and brighter with his earnest, sincere spirit, his tender thoughtfulness, his fierce devotion to his family and friends, and the joy he shared easily and abundantly. He will be so deeply missed.”

Oregon Film had been working with John, Soma games, and Willamette Writers on a special community project that was going to be unveiled in the fall.  John was a joy to work with, he was a natural storyteller who brought so much positivity, clarity and clever ideas to the conversation.  He will be greatly missed by us all.

A GoFundMe has been created for the family to cover funeral and medical expenses for John’s wife and daughter, who were also in the car accident that took John’s time on this earth.

OregonMade, “COVID-19 Response,” is a family drama written and directed by Andrew Jacob Brown, owner of Confound Productions.  A global pandemic hits the stock market, so a day trader hits the stores to stock his shelves. But when his teen daughter unexpectedly shows up on his door step, she wants to ransack his supply and give it away to his neighbors.

The film was inspired by the different reactions people had at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Two weeks in, Andrew was engaged in a bible teaching that talked about reacting and responding to stressful situations, and boom, the idea of “Covid-19 Response” was born.  The entire film was shot in compliance of the social distancing guidelines with a three person crew – Andrew Jacob Brown, his wife Angie Brown, and his daughter Moriah Brown, best lead actress nominee of the 2019 film “Confound.”  Despite the film being shot on a micro budget, the message it delivers packs a heavy punch.

“COVID-19 Response” was released August 16th 2020 on Christian Cinema, an American video digital store.

#OregonMade Netflix film, “All Together Now” released its official trailer for this YA drama that is set to air on August 28th.  Starring, Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”), Rhenzy Feliz, Carol Burnett, and Fred Armisen, this project filmed all over Portland and of course hired an Oregon crew.  “All Together Now” is based upon the novel, “Sorta Like a Rockstar,” by Matthew Quick, (who also wrote the novel, “Silver Linings Playbook” and who also took on the initial adaptation of “All Together Now”) the screenplay was directed and co-written by Brett Haley (“Hearts Beat Loud”, “I’ll See You In My Dreams”) and Marc Basch co-wrote.

$25.9 million to be distributed statewide by Sept. 15

Applications are now live and open for Oregon’s Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Cultural Support program. Funds allocated to the Oregon Cultural Trust will be available to Oregon cultural organizations facing losses due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The $25.9 million in funding was made available through a $50 million relief package for Oregon culture recently approved by the Emergency Board of the Oregon Legislature.

The distribution plan for the CRF Cultural Support program was approved at the Aug. 6 Cultural Trust Board of Directors meeting. Applications are due by noon on Monday, Aug. 24, and approved funds must be distributed by Sept. 15.

“We are grateful to the members of our Board for authorizing us to move forward with the distribution plan as soon as possible,” said Brian Rogers, executive director of the Cultural Trust. “We have worked hard to develop a statewide, equitable distribution plan and look forward to supporting our cultural community in surviving this unprecedented crisis.”

All Oregon cultural nonprofits and community venues are welcome to apply. Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, cultural institutions, county fairgrounds, cultural entities within federally recognized Indian Tribes based in Oregon, and festivals and community event organizations. Funds will be distributed through the Cultural Trust statewide network of County and Tribal Cultural Coalitions. Funding will be determined based on eligible request amounts, an award allocation formula that establishes a base amount of funds per county or tribe and the organization’s fiscal size. COVID-19 expenses previously reimbursed by other federal CARES Act programs are not eligible. Complete guidelines are posted on the Cultural Trust website.

The intended use of the CRF Cultural Support funds is to provide financial assistance to cultural nonprofit organizations and community venues that have canceled or postponed public programming because of public health executive orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines for the funding are in accordance with the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The federal CARES Act requires that CRF funding only be used to cover expenses that: are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency; were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act); and were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on Dec. 30, 2020.

The Cultural Trust is committed to serving Oregon’s culturally diverse and traditionally underserved communities.

Outdoor Adventure Film Grant 2021      “Oregon’s Outdoors Are for Everyone”

Oregon’s open spaces and outdoor pursuits are for all Americans and visitors, yet there is a well-documented inequity in America that is deeply rooted in our shared cultural history, and as a whole, our outdoor spaces are not equally utilized for a multitude of historical, social and cultural reasons. The Outdoor Adventure Film Grant ’21 (OAFG21) aims to help support and amplify stories and storytellers (both in front of and behind the camera) utilizing Oregon’s outdoor spaces as a backdrop. ​ The OAFG21 specifically invites experienced BIPOC filmmakers and on-camera subjects that can create a short film pitch that should be able to inform, inspire, capture and/or reveal a personal journey involving an outdoor pursuit that is set against the backdrop of Oregon’s majestic landscape.

The $20,000 Grant (the 4th in this partnership series) is being provided by the Oregon Made Creative Foundation in conjunction with Travel Oregon.

We hold these three values to be important; justice, opportunity, and community – combining together to form a more equitable future.
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Timeline:
Applications open 9 AM PST August 7, 2020
Deadline for applications: 5 PM PST September 4, 2020
Aiming to notify the winner by end of October 2020
Projected Delivery Date: Summer 2021

Find links to descriptions of previous winning projects here:
“Our Trails Too” (2018)
“Pedal Through” (2019)
“Any Oregon Sunday” (2020)​

Hinge Digital has been busy creating a number of Covid19-related spots including, “Unite in Gratitude” for Omnicom Health/Pfizer/Merck that was finished in June and launched a few weeks ago.  Mark Axton, Hinge Senior Producer, said, “It is a tribute to front line healthcare workers, combining Live action (stock footage) and our photorealistic CG/VFX Gratitude Flag. Hinge created and animated the CG flag and composited it into the shot.”

Last weekend, the Bandon, #OregonMade feature film, “The Rental” – a horror-thriller directed by Dave Franco (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) – topped the nationwide box office. It is available in select theaters and available to watch on a variety of video on demand platforms that began Friday, July 24.

The film stars Alison Brie (“Mad Men,” “Glow”), and Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”), in this horror-thriller – a couple looking to get away for a weekend of fun and relaxation with another couple — Sheila Vand (“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”) and Jeremy Allen White (“Shameless”) — but when they retreat to a house seemingly ideal for their vacation…they soon realize maybe it isn’t after all.

This #OregonMade film was not the only one to top the box office, back in April, “Phoenix, Oregon” also ranked #1!