The Confluence

BendFilm Opens Next Week!

Connect, explore and escape with us!

We look forward to kicking off our most unconventional festival yet on October 8 and thank you for coming along on this journey to foster connection through the power of film. While the BendFilm Festival will look different from past years, we continue to believe strongly in the power of film to entertain, illuminate, build empathy and spark crucial conversations.

Over the course of the Festival, we encourage you to get lost in a film you may not otherwise see, and call a friend to discuss the themes and issues you discover.

Outdoor Adventure Film Grant 2021 – Winner Announced!

The OAFG21 winning team on the set of “Ash Land”, from left to right – Adrian Alea, Shariffa Ali, & Courtney Williams.

The fourth annual Outdoor Adventure Film Grant – “Oregon’s Outdoors Are For Everyone” (OAFG21) is pleased to announce the winning application, entitled, “You Go Girl.”

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.

Ashland Independent Film Festival: Varsity World Film Week

The Ashland Independent Film Festival is expanding Varsity World Film Week, its annual fall festival of new international films, into a two-week “Varsity World Film Weeks – Virtual Edition.” The festival will run online from Oct. 2 through Oct. 15 via the organization’s website: ashlandfilm.org, and is co-sponsored with Coming Attractions Theatres. Thirteen film selections can be viewed throughout the United States, while two films (The End of Love and Kuessipan) are available only to Oregon viewers.

Erica Thompson, Executive Director of AIFF, released a statement addressing the organization’s response to the recent tragic fires in Ashland and neighboring towns: “We have questioned just how relevant a film festival is in a difficult time for our community that has endured such significant loss.

The New Normal – How Our Production Community Is Adapting To Covid – Conversation With Koerner Camera

First Assistant Camera, Jerry Turner on the set of “Chad”. (Photo: @tysonwisbrock)

Like so many other businesses, the Oregon production community has been hit hard by the havoc that Covid-19 has wreaked. Many community partners have come together to provide up-to-date information on safety procedures and new protocol guidelines that are being improved upon on all the time. (OMPA has the latest here.) As production has slowly begun to come back we wanted to check in with some of our production support businesses to ask how they have been adapting to this new normal.

NW Documentary Announces a New Online Community Space

During these difficult times, one of the things that has affected NW Documentary the most is feeling disconnected from their community. They miss the drop-in visitors, the edit-lab regulars, the event hosts, the podcasters, the busy working filmmakers, the curious first-timers, and everyone else.

So! They’ve tried to create a place where everyone can all come together at least a bit like they used to.

This virtual space is designed to recreate as much of the function of our in-person community space as possible, including:

Virtual Rooms: an edit lab for chatting and co-working, meeting rooms, and screening space
Virtual Events: weekly co-working time, casual film screenings every Thursday, and more to come as the space evolves and grows!

Oregon Scream Week – Horror Short Film Festival

October 8-10 will bring screenings of over 100 short horror, dark sci fi, dark animation and horror comedy films at the Sunshine Mill Winery and Drive-Up Theater as part of the Oregon Scream Week.

This is a live outdoor screening you can enjoy from the comfort of your own vehicle. Masks are required if you enter the Winery building and bathrooms. Tickets are only $30 per car per session. Please bring friends and family. There are yummy food and drink options that will be available to order as well.

Portland, Tillamook Coast, The Gorge, & Oregon Wine Country Is The Setting For 18th Season Of “Top Chef” !

The popular Bravo series, “Top Chef” will be mainly based in Portland for its 18th season. They will also be making the most of Oregon’s varied culinary scene by 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. Kristi Turnquist (OregonLive) caught up with the Bravo production in its 18th season.

Northwest Film Center Announces PIFF 2.0

The Northwest Film Center announces PIFF 2.0, reimagining the final days of the 43rd Portland International Film Festival.

From October 1 to 3, 2020, PIFF 2.0 will present 10 films, talks, and happy hours from Northwest and International filmmakers, offered in virtual screening and events as well as new additions to the Film Center’s popular Cinema Unbound Drive-In series.

The series includes #OregonMade feature films “The Dark Divide” and “Young Hearts.”

“While we can’t go back to the way things were, in the spirit of PIFF, we’re offering ten films, talks and happy hours from Northwest and International filmmakers to bring some closure to the festival and open a door to next year’s festival.”

Deep Sky Animates a Five-Part Series for The Smashing Pumpkins

Episodes 1 & 2 of The Smashing Pumpkins’ new five-part animated series “In Ashes,” animated by Portland’s Deep Sky, are now available.

Deep Sky collaborated directly with Billy Corgan over the last 6 months to translate his narrative vision into cinematic form, set to the soundtrack of the band’s newest song releases.

Episode 1 – As The Crow Flies (Set to the soundtrack of The Colour Of Love):

Episode 2 – Inspirations, Aspirations (Set to the soundtrack of Confessions of a Dopamine Addict):

All videos released on The Smashing Pumpkins YouTube Channel

About Deep Sky
Deep Sky is a creative studio, based in Portland, Oregon, focused on design-driven animation and live action.

High Vis Film Fest: Celebrating BIPOC Cyclists & their Stories (Oct 3 on YouTube Live)

Tickets are pay-what-you-can and benefit Brown Hope and our BIPOC Filmmaker Grant, supporting new and emerging filmmakers to share their bike stories

Co-Produced by Courtney Williams of The Brown Bike Girl, the People’s Bike Mayor of NYC

Saturday, October 3
6:00-8:00 pm – Pacific Time
A YouTube livestream event. Watch live or later!

About the Event

Here at Filmed by Bike, we spend eight months of the year connecting with our global community of filmmakers and scouring the internet and social media for interesting independent bicycle films.

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About the Event