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.Continue reading... “Ashland & Portland Again On MovieMaker’s List – “Best Places To Live & Work 2021””
The 18th and 19th signs on the Oregon Film Trail are now installed in the City of Ashland – they celebrate the town’s starring role in “Wild” and the historic Oregon Shakespeare Festival as inspiration for “Coraline”. The signs are now located in the Downtown Plaza, and at the intersection of Pioneer Street and East Main Street in front of OSF’s Black Swan Theatre and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.
“Coraline,” the first feature created by Hillsboro-based animation studio, Laika, was released in 2009 to much critical acclaim and box office success. Recently, Oregon Film reached out to the film’s screenwriter and director, Henry Selick, to find out how the movie, based on a book by NeilGaiman, came to be set in the small southern Oregon town of Ashland.
Selick said, “I began writing my screenplay for “Coraline” years ago at my home in Northern California.
At a cabin on Hyatt Lake, 12 miles east of Ashland, the crew sets up a scene for the pilot episode of The Stem starring Abby Wathen, Marlyn Mason and Clive Rosengren. Photograph by Ray Nomoto Robison
For the 6th year in a row Ashland is in MovieMaker Magazine’s top group of small and cities and towns in which to be a filmmaker – congrats!
The 17th Annual Ashland Independent Film Festival runs April 12-16, 2018. photo by Al Case
The Ashland Independent Film Festival has announced its lineup for the five-day festival, April 12-16, 2018, screening in venues across Ashland and—for the first time—Medford. The year’s lineup includes over 120 films chosen from nearly a thousand films submitted to the festival, or specially selected by AIFF Artistic and Executive Director Richard Herskowitz. The entire program, including information about show times, live performances, art exhibits, filmmaker TalkBack panels, children’s programs, Community Conversations, and more is now online at ashlandfilm.orgContinue reading... “Ashland Independent Film Festival Announces 2018 Program Details”
Adapted by Ian McEwan from his bestselling novel, ON CHESIL BEACH centers on a young couple of drastically different backgrounds in the summer of 1962. Photo courtesy of the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival will announce its 2017 film and event lineup at their Festival Preview Night on Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. at the SOU Music Recital Hall in Ashland. This is the first chance to see clips from festival films, pick up the Pocket Guide, and get insider information on special guests and new events for AIFF2017. This event is FREE, and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
This is what MovieMaker had to say about Ashland: ” The great Pacific Northwest… my, how screenwriters, directors and cinematographers love you. While Vancouver, Portland and Seattle battle for the blockbuster flicks and moody TV shows, this scenic, low-key small town in Oregon of around 20,000 people keeps building a hearty film community.
In years gone by, Moviemaker Magazine lumped together big city and small town to compete for the sought after title of, “Best Places To Live and Work as a Moviemaker”. This year, the magazine has split their list into three components:
Top Big Cities (they define as more than 50,000 residents)
