The Confluence

Oscar Nomination For Skye Fitzgerald’s “The Hunger Ward”

Oregonian, Skye Fitzgerald, (now based in Portland and grew up in Eastern Oregon) has an impressive collection of documentaries under his belt including, “Lifeboat” which was nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category 2019. Fitzgerald’s latest documentary, “The Hunger Ward” just garnered a nomination for “Best documentary short subject” in the 93rd Oscar lineup. The documentary, set against the backdrop of a forgotten war, takes a startling look at the human-caused famine in Yemen and follows health care workers as they work to save the lives of hunger-stricken children in two therapeutic feeding centers.

The New Normal – How Our Production Community Is Adapting to Covid-19 – Gary Nolton at Limbo Films

In our series of blog posts – the “New Normal” – we are looking at what creative options have been put in place to offset the disruption that Covid-19 has caused for production businesses here in Oregon. This month we caught up with Gary Nolton, Owner/Director at Limbo Films.

Oregon Film (OF): Assuming the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted your business, like so many others, what aspect would you say has been the most surprising?

Limbo Films (LF): The surprising thing to me is that even though our industry reacted swiftly to design and distribute Protocols for safe, responsible sets production that has not seemed to relax client fears, and consequently Production is still far slower than normal.

Some Creative Responses To #OregonParkBenchStory. Video Game Writing Presentation Now Expanded.

Late last year, the Oregon Made Creative Foundation, Willamette Writers, Soma Games, and Travel Oregon came together and asked people to help unpack 2020 by imagining sitting on a favorite Oregon park bench, reflecting on 2020, and posting an image to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using one of the prompts below:

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself for 2020?

What genre would you name your year in 2020?

If 2020 were a video game, what 3 items would you have prepared yourself with?

The McMinnville Short Film Festival 2021

From February 18-28, we’re excited to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the McMinnville Short Film Festival – going entirely virtual for the first time ever! While COVID-19 restrictions necessitated the shift from our typical in-person festivities, pivoting to an all-virtual format means our film festival can be streamed from anywhere in the world. We love a good silver lining. Bringing our beloved McMinnville to the global film stage, by expanding the reach of our annual festival virtually, is something we’re really proud of for our community.

18th Season Of “Top Chef” Set In Portland & Also Featuring Other Oregon Locations – Premieres April 1st!

The popular Bravo series, “Top Chef”, is based in Portland for its 18th season. The show that was filmed last fall is set to celebrate Oregon’s varied and acclaimed culinary scene by also visiting the Tillamook coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Tualatin and Willamette Valley wine country. The new season will feature Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons who will serve as the judging panel, as well as some former winners and finalists, in fact, Bravo is touting this season as its most packed yet with (maybe) the “best collection of chefs the show has seen in 18 seasons”.

Stories From The Oregon Film Trail – How Are The Oregon State Museum Of Mental Health, The Oregon Dept. of Corrections & Depoe Bay Harbor Linked?

Film Tourism is growing, becoming a more robust niche sector of cultural tourism every year, and remarkably Oregon has hundreds of incredible locations that have starred in films, TV series, and high-profile commercials since the silent movie days of 1904. In order to build upon this growing tourism niche, the Oregon Film Trail has been slowly rolling out Trail stops over the past two years (currently at 33) all highlighting the State’s important contribution to the film and TV industry and (seemingly unlikely) community partnerships all across Oregon.

#EOFF2021 Is Open For Film Submissions

Eastern Oregon Film Festival will take place October 21-23, 2021 in and/or via La Grande, Oregon. Filmmakers are invited to submit their work for consideration for screening at our twelfth edition, #EOFF2021.

Submit your film at https://www.filmfreeway.com/eofilmfest

View the EOFF FAQ, Residency Information and festival archives at https://www.eofilmfest.com

LA GRANDE – Established in 2009 and named one of the “25 Coolest Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2017, the Eastern Oregon Film Festival typically combines three days of intimate screenings, live conversations with filmmakers, video Q&A, and special presentations from visiting artists.

The Northwest Film Center’s 44th Annual Portland International Film Festival

The 44th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 44) is proud to announce the first wave of titles and special events. Taking place March 5 – 14, 2021, PIFF 44 is a program of the Portland Art Museum’s Northwest Film Center, one of the oldest and most distinguished media arts centers in the country. The festival centers on both artists and cinematic storytellers who are bold enough to interrupt the status quo, and focuses on those changing for whom, by whom, and how cinematic stories are told.

Ashland & Portland Again On MovieMaker’s List – “Best Places To Live & Work 2021”

MovieMaker magazine published their 2021 rankings for “Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker” – both Portland and Ashland made the list for the Large City and Small City categories respectively.

Here’s what they said about Portland: ” famous for all things handcrafted and artisanal, and that extends to filmmaking. The city is home to two stop-motion-animated films due in 2021: Guillermo del Toro’s bold new take on Pinocchio and the Key & Peele reunion Wendell and Wild, from Coraline director Henry Selick.

Tag! Queer Shorts Festival 2021 Set For February 18-28

The Tag! Queer Shorts Festival (formerly Corvallis Queer Film Festival) presents its 7th season in a virtual format from February 18-28. Tag! features shorts of all genres (15 minutes and under) made exclusively by trans- and queer-identifying filmmakers from around the world with an emphasis on stories from queer communities of color. This year’s festival includes 41 shorts divided into four blocks that trace a thematic pathway toward enlightenment and happiness: Isolation; Impulse; Ritual; and Ecstasy. Viewers can choose programs separately or purchase a festival pass to see all four blocks of shorts.

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Eastern Oregon Film Festival will take place October 21-23, 2021 in and/or via La Grande, Oregon. Filmmakers are invited to submit their work for consideration for screening at our twelfth edition, #EOFF2021.