Istari Pictures

October 7 - 10, 2010

Bend Film Festival

37 NW Irving
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-3378
http://bendfilm.org

Now in its 7th year, the BendFilm Festival has evolved into a must-attend event. It brings together independent filmmakers and savvy media consumers for a life-enriching experience that educates and entertains. The work of BendFilm has drawn acclaim from both the film industry for its bold support of alternative cinema, and the Central Oregon community for its jammed-pack, four-day event of film viewing, lectures and other special events.

January 28-29-30, 2011

OpenLens Film Festival - Eugene, Oregon

DIVA Center - 110 W. Broadway
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 344-3482
http://openlens.proscenia.net/

The Seventh Annual OpenLens Festival is a celebration of the independent spirit in Oregon filmmaking. It has become an umbrella event that hosts two juried events including the OpenLens Festival’s Short Film/Video Competition and Youth Visions’ Teen Video Challenge. The festival includes seminars, screenings, receptions and a special guest filmmaker/host.

OpenLens 2011 is a state-wide event that focuses on the emerging film-video artists. It is a small festival dedicated to the showcasing of new work and providing the opportunity for artists to network.

Details will be announced on this web site as the 2011 event is planned and developed. Meanwhile, visit previous programs as outlined below and listen to interviews with the festival hosts.

February 10-26, 2011

Portland International Film Festival

Northwest Film & Video Festival
1219 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
thomas@nwfilm.org
http://nwfilm.org/festivals/nwfvf/

April 6-10, 2011

Cinema Pacific Film Festival

Cinema Pacific
1277 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
(800) 824-2714
cinemapacific@uoregon.edu

CINEMA PACIFIC is an annual film festival based at the University of Oregon in Eugene that is devoted to discovering and fostering the creativity of international films and new media from Pacific-bordering countries, including the U.S. Through onsite and online presentations, the festival connects stimulating artists and ideas with a diverse public, furthering our understanding of world cultures and contemporary issues.

April 7-11, 2011

Ashland Independent Film Festival

PO Box 218
Ashland, Oregon 97520
(541) 4880-3823
info@ashlandfilm.org
http://ashlandfilm.org

The ashland independent film festival is five days of the highest quality independent film in this historic town the Washington Post called “a dream you’ll never want to leave.”  Every Spring, Southern Oregon is buzzing with the excitement of the AIFF.  Over 6000 film lovers gather at the historic art-deco Varsity Theatre in downtown to watch over 80 films in five days. Filmmakers of the documentaries, features and shorts come from around the world come to engage with the audience after each screening and at the festival’s Opening Night Bash and Award Celebration parties with local wine, beer and gourmet food. Special guests have included Helen Hunt, Albert Maysles, Bruce Campbell and more. The film festival is one of the reasons Ashland is included in the popular travel guide A Thousand Places to See Before You Die.

The Oregonian newspaper’s Shawn Levy, said the AIFF “offers movie lovers that same sense of being in a magical place…Southern Oregon doesn’t have anything else like it — nor, in fact, do most places on Earth.”

Festival membership passes are available year round and individual tickets go on sale in March.  Members of the AIFF have access to our ticket pre-sale, the members-only line for first entry into the theatres, ticket discounts and more.

If you’re going to be in the Eugene area from January 9-11, 2009, you might want to think about attending the OpenLens Festival at the DIVA art center in Eugene, Oregon.

From the DIVA website:
“The Fifth Annual OpenLens Festival is a celebration of the independent spirit in filmmaking. The Festival has become an umbrella event that hosts two juried contests including the South West Oregon Short Film and Video Competition and Youth Visions’ Teen Video Challenge. The festival includes seminars, screenings, receptions and a special guest filmmaker/host.”

Coraline, an upcoming stop-animation film, is getting close to being released. With Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas) and Mike Cachuela in charge of direction and animation, my hopes are set HIGH - WAY HIGH!!! Coraline is also being produced at Laika Studios - just 100 miles north of here - in Portland, OR, and could be the biggest cinematic release Oregon has seen in quite a while.

Trailer

From Wikipedia:
Coraline is the story of a young girl (Dakota Fanning) who unlocks a mysterious door in her new home in Ashland, Oregon, and enters into an adventure in a parallel reality. On the surface, this other world eerily mimics her own life—though much more fantastical. In it, Coraline encounters such off-kilter inhabitants as the morbidly funny Miss Forcible (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Spink (Dawn French), and a counterfeit mother—who attempts to keep her. Ultimately, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home.

Note: at the present time you’ll need to enter a code to get into the Coraline website. You’ll see what I mean if you click-through via the link below.

Here are some of the codes (thanks to Drawn.ca):
stopmotion
moustachio
puppetlove
armpithair
sweaterxxs

Visit the Coraline website
Visit the Laika website

The Portland International Film Festival is the largest film event in Oregon. With more than 35,000 people in attendance and more than 100 features and shorts, this is the one to attend. Istari Pictures plans to submit “Little One” to the film festival for consideration.

More information can be found at the NW Film School’s website:

http://www.nwfilm.org/festivals/portland_international.php

OregonFilm.org is a great resource for aspiring and professional filmmakers alike. Funded by the Governor’s Office in Film and Television, the website provides extensive information ranging from incentives and programs to production resources, upcoming events, news and filming on location. If you are looking to make films in Oregon, www.oregonfilms.org would make a great starting point.

Here are some of things that caught my interest:

• Grant Information: this page provides a list of available film making grants. Grant funding and opportunities range from a variety of organizations including: the Oregon Media Arts Fellowship, ACE/Silverdocs, Disney, Roy W. Dean, Sundance Documentary Fund, Phelan Art Award, and so many others. If you are looking for funding, this page would be a great starting point.
• Oregon Incentives: provides a 20% tax rebate for Oregon-based goods and services, and an additional cash payment of up to 16.2% of wages paid to production personnel. Unlike other states’ programs, these incentives are cash rebates as opposed to tax credits.
• Fee-free State Parks, Cities, and Counties: Oregon State Parks will waive filming fees in exchange for acknowledgment in the credits or other scenarios that would be beneficial to the parks. There are more than 200 parks around the state, encompassing over 96,000 acres of incredible Oregon scenery and 362 miles of Pacific shoreline.
• Regulatory Information

: features information pertaining to laws, permits, regulations, transportation and insurance.