The Confluence

Netflix Lands #OregonMade Sundance Title “It’s What’s Inside”

Netflix has just closed a deal in the $17 million range for worldwide rights to It’s What’s Inside, the thriller written and directed by Greg Jardin that has been one of the Sundance Film Festival’s buzziest titles. It’s the second 8-figure deal of Sundance, after the Jesse Eisenberg-directed A Real Pain sold to Searchlight for $10 million. Both those deals were brokered by CAA.

“It’s What’s Inside” shot in Oregon in 2023. Congrats to the filmmakers and the entire creative team.

Portland is on the “Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker” US List

MoveMaker Magazine just released its annual list of Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker and Portland has made the list again. Coming in at #15 (just under our friends and colleagues to the southeast in SLC), Portland stands alone on the list for the PNW.

Here’s an excerpt from MMM:

Portland is making it easier to get film permits in its efforts to grow as a filmmaking destination, and a sizable crew base means it can handle up to four feature films and commercial work at the same time.

“Black Stories” Short Films coming to Kennedy School February 6

Mark your calendars for Feb 6th at McMenamin’s Kennedy School. Portland Film Festival is launching their Indie Film Series for 2024/25 with powerful narratives from the Black community. ✨

Featuring:
🎬 “Windows” by Mischa Webley, A journey of self-discovery behind unfamiliar walls. (Recent winner of Portland’s Amplify Grant.)
🎬 “So Misunderstood” by Seretse Njemanze & Jehnovah Carlisle – Office life meets personal upheaval during the pandemic.
🎬 “Akata” by Iyore Odighizuwa, A tale of cultural identity and unity.
🎬 “13” by Danielle Nicolet, A poignant quest for closure and truth.

#OregonMade “Sometimes I Think About Dying” Opens Locally on Feb 2nd

#OregonMade and Astoria shot SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING, starring Daisy Ridley, is being released by Oscilloscope Laboratories in the US (it opened theatrically in France on January 10th and will be playing in theaters in Canada, the UK and hopefully lots of other places in the near future) on January 26, but the film will be at theaters locally on February 2nd.

Portland
Regal Fox Tower
Opens Friday 2/2. (Q&A screenings with Rachel Lambert, Director and Dave Merheje, “Robert” at the 7pm shows at a special screening on Thursday and on opening night Friday, 2/1 and 2/2).

#OregonMade Feature “My Dead Friend Zoe” to Premiere at SXSW

It was recently announced that My Dead Friend Zoe, an Oregon-shot upcoming film starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman will have its WORLD PREMIERE at South by Southwest in March.

The exact date of the premiere isn’t set yet but expect more details in the coming weeks.

“My Dead Friend Zoe” is a dark comedy drama feature which is unlike any film about veterans that we’ve seen before. At its core MDFZ is a buddy film about a complicated friendship, a divided family and the complex ways in which we process grief.

Oregon-produced “Bad Fish” to host Sneak Previews in January

Filmed along the Southern Oregon Coast, the fourth feature film from Barbed Wire Media, “Bad Fish,” is set to release in 2024. Ahead of an official release, producers Brad Douglas and Ray Robison are letting local audiences enjoy a sneak preview of their latest horror-thriller film.

(L-R) Producer Ray Robison and Writer/Director Brad Douglas stand outside the Redwood Theater in Brookings, OR

Principal photography took place in and around Brookings, Oregon, and the oceanside community who supported filmmaking efforts will get to enjoy a big-screen viewing at the Redwood Theater on Tuesday, January 16th, 2024.

Script to Screen Grant Opens for Submissions on Feb. 3

Catalyst Film Collective has announced their Script to Screen Grant Program which will be open for submission starting February 3, 2024.

This grant will provide:

$10,000 to make your film.
Massive production and outreach support from our filmmaking collective.
Valuable in-kind donations
An Executive Producer

And, even if you don’t win, every submission gets feedback from our panel of professional screenwriters.

You must be a Catalyst FC member to apply. Find out more here.

This project was supported by a grant provided by the Creative Opportunity Program and Oregon Film.

Oregon Film – Who We Are, What We Do – January 2024 Update

As we head into a new year, it is a good time to reflect on our work and mandates and share what we’re up to here at Oregon Film. Do You Know What (Y)Our Film Office Does?

Who Are We? We are a small (4 people) semi-independent state agency. We work closely with other agencies such as:

Business Oregon
Travel Oregon
Department of Revenue
Oregon Parks & Recreation (Oregon State Parks)
Oregon Governor’s Office

We are overseen by a 5 member board of directors that is appointed by the Governor.

WIF-PDX Launches Innovative Educate/Incubate Program

Women in Film Portland (WIF-PDX) is proud to announce the launch of a new program, Educate/Incubate, designed to advance the careers of local women and nonbinary filmmakers in the Portland film community. The program will be one of the largest in scope ever run by WIF-PDX. It will include public educational events, a cohort of hand-picked resident filmmakers, and a community screening. The organization is hiring a part-time coordinator position to assist with the program.

“We were thinking about ways to make an impact in the community and what the needs are,” said Stephanie Hough, board president of WIF PDX, “Through the Educate/Incubate program we’ll be able to activate the amazing sense of community that exists in Portland around filmmaking, and connect incredible emerging talent with the resources they need.”

U of O’s Mat Johnson makes a spine-chilling splash on Netflix

If you have been watching Netflix recently, you might have noticed the hit show “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The series, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, captured 14 million viewers in just two weeks after its release this fall. And it has an Oregon connection — Mat Johnson, a professor of English and creative writing at the University of Oregon. He and director Mike Flanagan together wrote the script of the episode called “The Black Cat.”

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