The Confluence

Dru Holley’s “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts” Makes Portland Premiere

In 1866, six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after congress passed the Army Organization Act. They came to be known as Buffalo Soldiers.

Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts explores the often-contradictory role played by the Black soldiers throughout American history, emphasizing the settling of the American West and colonialism abroad.

Director Dru Holley is a Vancouver, WA-based filmmaker, and the documentary features interviews with Quintard Taylor (Ph.D. Historian at UW), Ryan Booth (Ph.D. Candidate, WSU), and members of the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle (based in Roy, WA), among many others.

Peek Behind-The-Scenes On #OregonMade “Pinocchio”

#OregonMade “Pinocchio,” directed by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, has released a beautiful behind-the-scenes peek at the making of this stop-motion animated musical. “Pinocchio” is a co-production of del Toro, The Jim Henson Company, and Portland-based ShadowMachine. ShadowMachine also created the popular Bojack Horseman and The Shivering Truth, among other shows. The film features Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, and Gregory Mann, other cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton.

OregonLive Discovers Some Background To “Outdoor School”

Kristi Turnquist (OregonLive) spent a day last month on set of the independent film “Outdoor School” talking to the creative team about the inspiration behind the film. (Read here.)

The Film tells the story of, Vin Shambry, “a Black 12-year-old boy in Portland, Oregon. Homeless, Vin sleeps under a tree in the park with his mother and baby sister, by day palling around with his school-yard friend, the daughter of a famous shoe designer.

“The GrimmCast” – A New Podcast Re-Watch Party Goes Down Memory Lane

Sean Hayes and Todd Milliners’ Hazy Mills Productions has announced a new podcast slate. One on the list is, “The GrimmCast,” described as a re-watch party and behind-the-scenes discussion with Erik McCormack and stars, Claire Coffee, Bitsie Tulloch, and Bree Turner.

“The Road” is the Next #OregonMade Screening at The Hollywood Theatre

On Monday October 24, 2022, Viggo Mortensen walks the titular path with son Kodi Smit McPhee trying escape fires, famine, road warriors, cannibals and the memory of Charlize Theron in this post-apocalyptic road movie adapted from the Cormac McCarthy Novel as part of the #OregonMade Film Series at the Hollywood Theatre.

John Hillcoat directs the long trek of “the good guys” that takes in parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mount St. Helens and the Columbia River Gorge culminating on the Oregon coast at the moody wreck of the Peter Iredale at Ft.

China Forbes to Release New Solo Material

THE VOICE OF PINK MARTINI, CHINA FORBES, IS RELEASING HER FIRST NEW SOLO MATERIAL IN 13 YEARS

THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “RISE,” THE SECOND SINGLE FROM FORBES’S UPCOMING NEW ALBUM, PREMIERES WORLDWIDE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Pink Martini, Portland Oregon’s globetrotting, self-described “little orchestra,” is excited to announce that lead singer China Forbes, the Voice of Pink Martini since 1995, is releasing new solo material on the band’s label Heinz Records for the first time since her autobiographical album 78, which came out in 2008.

#OregonMade “Significant Other” Set To Stream On Paramount+

“A young couple take a remote backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest and face sinister events leading them to realize that everything about the place is not as it seems.”

Just in time for the spooky season, the #OregonMade, Paramount Pictures’ sci-fi horror movie, “Significant Other,”will World Premiere at the 2022 New York Comic Con, and will debut on Paramount+ on Friday, October 7th in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Italy (and later this year in additional international territories where Paramount+ is available.)

Willamette Writers Fall Programming Begins!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the end of August. We had such a great time at the Willamette Writers Conference (have you seen some of the pictures?) and are now getting ready for a new year of programming.

Keep checking in on that events calendar. Right now, you’ll see a workshop coming up with Eric Witchey, Coffee at Your Kitchen Table, Graphic Novels for our young writers, plus our Write Place Productivity Meeting.

And, of course, there is a brand new feature up in the menu bar – our HILLSBORO CHAPTER!

Klamath Independent Film Festival includes Animal House extravaganza

For the 10th anniversary of the annual Klamath Independent Film Festival (KIFF), exclusively showcasing made-in-Oregon films, a grand celebration will commence honoring arguably the greatest comedy film in history and shot on location in Oregon – National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Taking place Sept. 16-18 at the Ross Ragland Theater in Klamath Falls and streaming online via Eventive, the film festival will feature over 30 films shot in Oregon or made by Oregon resident filmmakers, including several world premieres and multiple films made in the Klamath Basin.

Eastern Oregon Film Fest Official Selections Announcement

Eastern Oregon Film Festival will be celebrating its thirteenth year of independent film, music, and conversation in La Grande and has released the Official Selections for #EOFF2022. The Festival opens Thursday, October 20 and runs through late Saturday Evening, October 22.

This year’s call for entries saw a record number of submissions, of which 33 films were selected for physical and virtual exhibition. Filmmakers whose work has been selected are invited to La Grande to celebrate with the EOFF community, connect with other artists, and represent their work in-person.

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