Now in its 44th year, the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival is proud to continue its mission of showcasing outstanding new work by our region’s media artists and offer a snapshot of the thriving creative community that surrounds us. The Festival strives to nurture the growth and success of filmmakers who are pushing their voices and visions forward in engaging new personal work, and we are excited for you to see this year’s programs.
Part of the Festival experience is facilitating dialogue between artist and audience. This year we are adding a “Film Talkers’ Lounge,” open before and after screenings for informal conversation. We hope you will drop by to meet the makers, share your impressions, and make connections. In addition to the screenings and socializing, the Festival will also feature the Northwest Filmmakers’ Summit, a daylong event featuring equipment vendors, filmmaker panels and presentations, and more. Our hope is that together, this year’s Festival offers equal measures of celebration, discovery, and inspiration. We look forward to your feedback on ways we can continue to make this annual gathering an essential and animating community event.
The Northwest Film Center owes many thanks to individuals and organizations that helped in producing this year’s Festival. First off, a big thank you to Festival judge Deborah Stratman for her thoughtful singling out of works deserving of special recognition and compiling them into the shorts programs. Many thanks to graphic designer Kate Bingaman-Burt and to Nathan Sonenfeld, who created the Festival trailer. The Festival also appreciates the longtime support of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, LAIKA, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the citizens of Portland through the Arts Access and Education Fund.
All these friends, and so many more recognized in the program, have helped fashion an event we hope will make you fall in love all over again with our region’s filmmakers.
Ben Popp, Festival Manager & Filmmaker Services Manager
Bill Foster, Director
Festival Pass: $35 ($25 NWFC Friends)
Purchase your Festival Pass Audience Awards Ballot
Festival Highlights
6 Dynamic Laws for Success in Life, Love & Money
Directed by Gregory Bayne
Channeling the Coen Brothers, Bayne spins a dark comedic tale of a treasure hunt for a fortune gleaned from a …
Buzz One Four
Directed by Matt McCormick
At the height of the Cold War, the US Air Force was flying B-52 bombers armed with thermonuclear weapons on …
Chronic Means Forever
Directed by Kadazia Allen-Perry
Kadazia Allen-Perry uses her debilitating illness as a way to explore what it means to follow one’s dreams in the …
Crazy Right
Directed by Ian Fowler
With the tragic death of his wife looming heavily upon him, alcoholic artist Paul Taylor sets out to sell everything …
Ethnographic Visions: An Extended Shorts Program
Directed by Various
An extended shorts program. Observations on who we were, who we are, and who we might become.
Lane 1974
Directed by SJ Chiro
Based on Clane Hayward’s memoir “The Hypocrisy of Disco,” Lane 1974 tells the true coming-of-age survival story of 13-year-old Lane, …
Never Steady, Never Still
Directed by Kathleen Hepburn
Life on Judy's remote lakefront property has always been lonely, but beautiful. The sudden death of her husband throws her …
Northwest Tracking: Trailblazing Women of Independent Animation
Directed by Gail Noonan, Rose Bond, Marilyn Zornado, Ruth Hayes, Joan Gratz, Joanna Priestley
As a preview of the Film Center’s post-festival Northwest Tracking series showcasing six independent animation innovators, we are pleased to …
Party Killer Vs. Kodak
Directed by Various
A performance in the Whitsell by Portland band Party Killer as they create live soundtracks to Super 8 films …
Pow Wow
Directed by Robinson Devor
The film’s title comes from a country club party that takes place in a private community built on former Native …
Priced Out
Directed by Cornelius Swart
In 2002, Swart made film about his NE Portland neighborhood, which expressed hope for a community plagued by violence. Fast-forwarding …
Proof of Loyalty
Directed by Lucy Ostrander, Don Sellers
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US entered World War II, it ripped open suspicions towards Japanese-Americans who …
Removed
Directed by Kevin Forrest
In the deep Northwest woods, a young couple ventures down a winding road to find tranquility from life’s hustle and …
Semi-Iconic: The Ballad of Dick Rossetti
Directed by Isaac Olsen
Using a flurry of fast paced editing and re-imagined vignettes harkening back to the glory days of MTV and the …
Shut Up Anthony
Directed by Kyle Eaton
Anthony just lost his job and girlfriend. Rather than mope around, he takes to the woods to find peace in …
The Gentleman Bank Robber: The Story of Butch Lesbian Freedom Fighter rita bo brown
Directed by Julie Perini
Rita bo brown is a white, working-class butch from rural Oregon who became known as “The Gentleman Bank Robber” for …
The Watchman’s Canoe
Directed by Barri Chase
In 1969, Jett, a girl of mixed Caucasian and indigenous descent, is forced to move with her mother and brother …
Torrey Pines
Directed by Clyde Petersen
In his queer-punk, stop-motion animated feature, Petersen’s early life in 1990s Southern California unfolds as a series of baffling events. …
Festival Sponsors
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Events/Receptions/Parties
Opening Night After Party
Wednesday, November 1, 10:30pm
Barlow Artisanal Bar
737 SW Salmon Street
Join us at Barlow after the final screening and Q&A for our Opening Night After Party. Hosted appetizers, no-host bar, continued conversation with filmmakers!
Filmmmaker and Audience Lounge
Wed – Sun, one hr before first film until the start of the last film
Stevens Room of the Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave
In hopes of creating more dialog we will have a lounge open next door to the Whitsell Auditorium serving food and drink for both filmmakers and audiences to connect before, during and after screenings throughout the festival. Dj’s included are: Odd Monster, DJ Pizza Delivery, Justin Zero, MartiniBomb, Kitty McClaine, Verushka Music, Joshua Justice, Mel Dee.
Society Hotel Filmmaker Happy Hour
Thursday, November 2, 4-5:30pm
203 NW Third Avenue
Catch up with your fellow filmmakers and visit with audience members at this hosted happy hour!
Party Killer vs. Kodak
Saturday, November 4, 10pm
Whitsell Auditorium
Don’t miss this performance by Portland band Party Killer as they create live soundtracks to Super 8 films shot for the Moving Picture Oregon event from the Northwest Filmmakers’ Summit, ten films shot as part of a Kodak sponsored Super 8 50ft challenge, and a select few student films. Beer and wine for sale at the theater!
Northwest Filmmakers' Summit
The Northwest Filmmakers’ Summit is a single day event featuring industry vendors showcasing the latest in filmmaking technologies, as well as panels and discussions on current topics in the independent film world. Coinciding with 44th Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival, the Northwest Filmmakers’ Summit strives to be the pinnacle event for the film community in the region as we also showcase the best in short and feature length films from filmmakers living and working in the Northwest.
Saturday, November 4, 10am – 4pm and will take place at the Portland Art Museum’s Fields (Sunken) Ballroom.
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Panel/Presentation Schedule:
10:30am – 11:30am – Panel: Cameras & Lenses
What to look for by the professionals.
Featuring: Laurence Nunn (Panasonic), Eric Edwards (Cinematographer), Crofton Diack (Producer/Cinematographer), Sean Conley (Cinematographer/Media Educator), Randolph Sellars (Aero Drone)
12pm – 1pm – Presentation: The Future of Lighting
By Mark Mathers of Aputure
1:30pm – 2:30pm – Panel: Post-Production Audio
Best practices for sound design, working with composers and licensing.
Featuring: Reed Harvey (Digital One Audio), Joseph Miller (Music Supervisor and Clearance Consultant), Shawn Parke (Cathedral Sounds), Kim Henninger (Cathedral Sounds), Mark Orton (Sound Composer).
3:15pm – 4:15pm – Panel: Trailblazing Women of Independent Animation NW
Featuring: Joanna Priestley, Rose Bond, Joan Gratz, Ruth Hayes, Marilyn Zornado, and Gail Noonan.
Moderated by Sophya Vida, Vice-President of ASIFA, Portland Chapter.
In addition to the vendors listed below, we will also have a VR set up by Digital One and a special live filmmaking event titled Moving Picture Oregon in which 5 select filmmaking groups will shoot a roll of super 8 film based on a picture in the Portland Art Museum’s Picturing Oregon exhibit. The rolls of film will be developed in beer as part of the Portland Art Museum’s Art & Beer event taking place on the same day and presented that night at the Party Killer Vs. Kodak screening.
Participating Vendors include:
Visitor Resources
If you are attending the Festival from out of town, consider visiting our sponsors:
