northwest film center presents the 41st northwest filmmakers' festival schedule

november 7–15, 2014

41st Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival

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Each fall The Northwest Film Center eagerly anticipates this opportunity to share the bounty of outstanding work that is being produced by filmmakers living in our corner of North America. The 41st Nor thwest Filmmakers’ Festival is chock-full of stellar examples of the creative voices in our community and we are pleased to offer this best of the best to you.

Helping us br ing this treasure trove to the community are many longtime sponsors who share our suppor t of the region’s dynamic media arts community and are doing their part to ensure that it continues to thrive. This year a special shout-out to the Regional Arts & Culture Council for their contribution to the Northwest Filmmakers’ Un-conference, a now annual event that brings the filmmakers together to share inspiration and information maker to maker.

We are doubly excited to extend the Film Center’s ongoing Global Classroom venture—where we fill our theater with local high school students eager to experience compelling international cinema—and give it a regional turn during the Festival as we offer a program of Northwest-made films examining the theme of homelessness.

The Fest i val has a t radi t ion of br inging a distinguished filmmaker, critic or programmer—usually from outside the region—to generously offer his or her eye in selecting the short film program and prizewinners. This year we asked an esteemed visual artist—Portland photographer, Blue Sk y Galler y founder and curator, and passionate filmgoer Christopher Rauschenberg— to appraise the state of the field. We offer Chris our appreciative thanks for sharing his curatorial expertise and his love of the moving, and still image.

As is with the Film Center’s year-round Northwest Tracking programs, we hope that whether you are a filmmaker, film lover, or just curious about our creative community and l ife around us, you’ll dig into the many worlds woven into the schedule—the screenings, the workshops, the Un-conference, the parties—to meet the makers and see what truly independent filmmaking looks like.

Thomas Phillipson, Festival ManagerBill Foster, Director, Northwest Film Center

When Bill Foster asked me to judge this year’s Northwest shorts, he told me that they’d like to end up with three programs (c. four and a half hours), but that if I only liked one and a half hours worth of film, that would be okay too. I had the opposite (non) problem. Cutting the hours down wasn’t just about trim-ming the fat —alas, there are a lot of good and meaty shorts being left on the cutting room floor. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that what you’re seeing is what excited me as the best of the best.

I found no predominant Northwest style among these films, although perhaps I saw more can-do joie-de-vivre and less gloom and doom than the cinematic average. The Northwest is lucky to be flowering with such a wealth of filmmaking talent in every style, from the most professionally slick to the most funkily handmade, from the most sincere documentaries to the most eccentrically personal creations, plunging into explorations from our own backyard to the far corners of the world (and to worlds beyond). We have great theaters too —Portland alone has the Northwest Film Center, Cinema 21, Hollywood, Clinton Street, Living Room, Cinema Project, Fifth Avenue, and more. Go to those theaters, watch lots of independent cinema, pitch in to those Kickstarter campaigns, pull out your phone, and start filming. There are great things afoot here, and it’s rewarding and fun to be part of it.

JUDGE’S BIOGRAPHY

With a B.A. in photography from The Evergreen State College, Christopher Rauschenberg has been a photographer since 1973. Along with over 100 solo shows around the world, he has been a central figure in the regional arts community, co-founding Portland photography festival Photolucida, Blue Sky Gallery, and co-op Nine Gallery. Along the way, he has been involved in curating over 700 photography exhibitions and competitions and edited and produced over 50 art and photography publications. The winner of numerous awards and recognitions, his work is in the collections of 11 major museums. He is also a voracious lover of films of all persuasions.

WeLCome judge’s statement

judge’s aWards

THE SERIoUS JUICE oF LIFE AWARd: reZ CarZWe all know what is meant by “if these walls could talk” but really, how much narrative juice is a wall going to bring to its storytelling? Now, “if these cars could talk” starts to really bring the juice - and when “these cars” are cars from the Native American Rez, we’ve hit the jackpot. This movie makes me glad to be alive.

THE AESTHETIC GHoST AWARd:beYond murder This true story is a tawdry tale of the banality of evil. Instead of “telling” us that story, though, this film shows it to us through the somewhat uncomprehending eyes of one of the many available ghosts. Watch it for the transcendence; you can look up the banality of evil part on Wikipedia. (I did.)

THE JoHN CAGE SyNESTHESIA AWARd:Commute The term “experimental film” usually conjures up an expectation of impulsively dense wild creative abandon. A scientist will tell you, though, that the way to run an experiment is to set an initial condition that you are interested in, then take your hands off the wheel and just let it run. CoMMUTE does this beautifully and simply. This film made me jealous that I didn’t make it myself.

Past FestivaL judges

Michael AlmereydaFreude BartlettEllen BartowJames BenningPhil BorsosErnest Callenbach

John CooperKaren CooperJo Ann danzkerSteve dejarnettGill dennisSam Green

Matt GroeningAndrea GroverTodd HaynesJim Hobermandan IrelandHeike Kuehn

Edith KramerStan LawderTed MaharLeonard Maltindavid MilhollandMarv Newland

Pat o’NeillMike PlantBill PlymptonKelly ReichardtB. Ruby RichRachael Rosen

Norie SatoSteve SeidMaureen SelwoodJill SprecherAmy TaubinKenneth Turan

Christine VachonGus Van SantJane VeederCarmen VigilMelinda WardGene youngblood

THE dELICIoUS MEdICINE AWARd:LaYover We’re used to the seeing massive amounts of toxins pour out of a smokestack. It surely is the best medicine to see the inverse - great masses of beautiful swifts pouring into a smokestack. Vanessa is a shaman who knows her business. (Now it’s Hayao Miyazaki’s turn to be jealous.)

THE GIANT ANIMATIoN AWARd: a taLe oF momentum and inertiaIt’s hard to think of a better way to spend seventy seconds than this. Enjoy.

THE LET IT CooK HoNoRABLE MENTIoN:a Love storYThis is a great movie about what love is (and how it can bloom where red staters wouldn’t imagine). It spends eight minutes packing a huge amount of emotion into its powerful, heartfelt, and soulful climax, but cuts that climax off well before the full two minutes and forty five seconds it earned. It’s got us all marinated and spiced just right but could use another two minutes to let Sam Cooke cook us all the way through.

Christopher Rauschenberg


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events

FRI, NoV 7, 9 PM

the 41st northWest FiLmmakers’ FestivaL oPening night PartY

NORTHWEST FILM CENTER SCHOOL OF FILM

We are throwing open the doors of the Film Center’s School of Film and taking over the classrooms and halls for a celebration of Northwest Filmmakers that will launch this ten day feast for the curious. Grab a drink at the cash bar and dig into conversation with the many filmmakers around you.

FREE AdMISSIoN. AGES 21+ oNLy.

Sponsored by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and North by Northwest Winery.

SAT, NoV 8, 10 AM-4 PMnorthWest FiLmmakers’ un-ConFerenCeMILLER GALLERY, MARK BUILDING, PORTLAND ART MUSEUM1119 SW PARK AVENUE

The Northwest Filmmakers’ Un-Conference is a Barcamp-style event organized by filmmakers/par-ticipants for filmmakers/participants. The process begins before the Festival, when participants come together online to introduce themselves, suggest topics, and explore discussion ideas. Past ses-sions have included conversations on self-distribution, archiving work, navigating festivals, building social communities, and more. This is an event where novice filmmakers might meet their next crew and accomplished filmmakers might meet their inspiration. The Northwest has a wealth of filmmak-ing resources—none as invaluable as the filmmakers themselves—so pull up a chair and take part. Breakfast provided by KINd Healthy Snacks; lunch vouchers offered by Chipotle Mexican Grill. Lunch vouchers offered by Chipotle Mexican Grill. Contact Festival Manager Thomas Phillipson at [email protected] to connect with your comrades-in-film. Sponsored by The Regional Arts and Culture Council. Free admission.

SAT, NoV 8, 4 PMWhat’s Wrong With this PiCture?MILLER GALLERY, MARK BUILDILNG, PORTLAND ART MUSEUM1119 SW PARK AVENUE HOSTED BY WARREN ETHEREDGE

So, you worked hard and bled a little but your film isn’t exactly burning up the festival circuit. Is it you? Is it them? Is it something that might be easily fixed? you may have had plenty of unsolicited advice to go along with the rejection letters, but how about some straightforward advice from a cinematic sage? We’ve invited Seattle film guru Warren Etheredge back to the Festival to take a look at the first few minutes of brave filmmakers’ films and offer his (brutally honest) insight, delivered with his trademark wit and good will. (90 mins.) Free admission.

SUN, NoV 9, 2-4 PMWorkshoP: deveLoPing the doC-maker’s ear For storYSCHOOL OF FILM, 934 SW SALMON STREETTuition: $15IRENE TAYLOR BRODSKYInteresting people, compelling social issues, and heroic tales can all tug on our filmmaking hearts crying out to be THE story that wins over our blood, sweat, and tears for the next weeks, months, and even years. of all the possible stories that intrigue and inspire, how do you know which ones have the potential to blossom into artistic and critical success? Is there a sorting process separating the good ones from the less good ones? In her two decades of documentary filmmaking, oscar-nominated, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning director, producer, writer, and cinematographer, Irene Taylor Brodsky has followed her heart to develop a sharp ear, and perhaps a bit of a third eye, for character-driven stories that offer new perspectives on who we are and how we think. This afternoon Brodsky will discuss her strategies and film projects in detail, commenting on the critical interplay of story selection and col-laboration with other filmmakers in achieving success. Tuition includes admission to The Emmy Award-winning oNE LAST HUG (…ANd A FEW SMooCHES): THREE dAyS AT GRIEF CAMP, which immediately follows the workshop.

FRI, NoV 14, AFTER 5 PMmuseum $5 FridaYsEach Friday after 5 pm, enjoy $5 admission to the Portland Art Museum (The Northwest Film Center’s sister organization). Tonight, the Festival will be screening LUCINdA PARKER: WATER ANd CLoUdS at 5 pm and 6 pm with a Q&A with director Michael Annus between shows. Admission is free with ticket to the Portland Art Museum.

SAT, NoV 15, 10 AM-3 PMWorkshoP: inside the WorLd oF FiLm ComPosingSCHOOL OF FILM, 934 SW SALMON STREETMARK ORTONTuition: $45This workshop delves into the business of writing original music for film and focuses on how the film director can best communicate with a composer. Starting with an overview of the instructor’s film palette and style, it will discuss such topics as: the types of film scores (original, licensed, public domain, live captured, sound design); film music budgeting; what happens before a composer is hired (the temp score, the cue sheet, demos, typical contracts, and budgets); how to work with a composer (the spotting session, what a composer needs technically, the adjusted cue sheet, giving notes, film music vocabulary, filing a finalized cue sheet, the illusive locked picture); and different types of music licenses and rights scenarios. MARK oRToN, founding member of the genre-bending acoustic chamber ensemble Tin Hat, has written original scores or contributed music to numerous films includ-ing My oLd LAdy, NEBRASKA, SWEET LANd, BoXTRoLLS, THE REAL dIRT oN FARMER JoHN, BUCK, THE REVISIoNARIES, Fernando Meirelles’s 360, Ken Burn’s THE RooSEVELTS, and dRyLANd (see p. 12), which screens at 3:30 PM following the workshop.


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opening night

shorts iFRI, NoV 7, 7 PM | WEd, NoV 12, 8:30 PM

snareDIRECTOR: LISA JACKSON / VANCOUVER, BC(EXP) Evocative and haunting, this performance captured conveys the brutality of violence against Canada’s indigenous women. (4 mins.)

breathing in WartimeDIRECTOR: CURTIS TAYLOR / SEATTLE, WA(NAR) When wartime is a perpetual state, life goes on, but is gentrification progress? (11 mins.)

Painting johnDIRECTOR: AUDREY HALL / LIVINGSTON, MT(doC) Through the intimacy of life portraiture, a lone rancher and a wandering artist forge an improbable bond. (10 mins.)

maikaruDIRECTOR: AMANDA HARRYMAN / EDMONDS, WA(doC) With inspirational optimism, Maikaru doesn’t let a childhood filled with violence and human trafficking dictate his future. (7 mins.)

the beast insideDIRECTOR: AMY ENSER, DREW CHRISTIE / SEATTLE, WA(ANI) Told through spoken word rap and illustrat-ed with hand-drawn animations, a teen in a home-less family describes his challenges and cel-ebrates the triumph of his creative self. (4 mins.)

reZ CarZDIRECTOR: CLANCY DENNEHY / VANCOUVER, BC

(NAR) Abandoned cars rest silently in fields for decades, still holding secret conversations within their bod-

ies. Starring an all-native cast, Tantoo Cardinal (dances with Wolves) and Gary Farmer (dead Man) are unseen ghosts breathing life into pivotal moments of sex, birth, and death. (7 mins.)

CooPedDIRECTOR: MIKE A. SMITH / PORTLAND, OR(ANI) only a doorknob and a non-opposable thumb stand in the way of a housebound dog. (9 mins.)

misContraCePtionsDIRECTOR: CASSIE MORIARTY / BELGRADE, MT(doC) Moriarty and her husband discuss the bene-fits of the Rhythm Method in this cleverly crafted, funny, and informative piece. (10 mins.)

dave’s beardDIRECTOR: EVANGELINE LAROQUE / EUGENE, OR(ANI) A catchy song elucidates the nocturnal secret life of dave’s adventurous beard. (4 mins.)

anXious osWaLd greeneDIRECTOR: MARSHALL AXANI / VANCOUVER, BC(NAR) oswald Greene visits a fantastical clinic to address his crippling anxiety and his fate falls into the hands of a blind nurse, a talking fly, and an eccen-tric doctor with a knack for rhyming. (15 mins.)

ToTAL RUNNING TIME 81 MINUTES

shorts iiSAT, NoV 8, 6 PM | THURS, NoV 13, 7 PM

the greatest giFt: biking siX kids to haPPinessDIRECTOR: JOE BIEL / PORTLAND, OR(doC) A mother gives up her car to, rather hero-ically, transport her six kids by bike. (16 mins.)

godheadDIRECTOR: CONNOR GASTON / VICTORIA, BC(NAR) A broken family learns to cope when their autistic son shows them everything they need without saying anything.

CoLd Light daYDIRECTOR: DAYNA HANSON / SEATTLE, WA(E XP) In this dreamy dance f i lm, t wo men exchange cake and dance steps on a quiet marina dock. (6 mins.)

CatsDIRECTOR: NEELY GONIODSKY / KIRKLAND, WA(ANI) This poem by A. S. J. Tessimond receives an absurd interpretation. (2 mins.)

sheLL gameDIRECTOR: LOU KARSEN / SEATTLE, WA(doC) Kathleen Flenniken grew up near, and later was an engineer at, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and is now Washington State’s Poet Laureate. (6 mins.)

diamond boXDIRECTOR: RODRIGO VALENZUELA / SEATTLE, WA(doC) Valenzuela lived three years without docu-mentation and hired day laborers from the park-ing lots he used to haunt for this film of stories from the migrant community. (5 mins.)

a taLe oF momentum & inertiaDIRECTOR: KIRK KELLEY, KAMERON GATES / PORTLAND, OR

(ANI) Rock Giant holds the fate of a small coastal village in his hands. (1 min.)

morning LightDIRECTOR: ERIK ANDERSON / VICTORIA, BC(doC) This triptych follows the adventures of the filmmaker’s grandfather who sailed the Atlantic alone, his father, a reporter who died on Mt. Everest, and finishes with his grandmother’s rec-ollections of both men.

Fire seasonDIRECTOR: COURTNEY SAUNDERS /MISSOULA, MT(NAR) during a dr y, hot summer in a small Montana town, two sisters share a brief, intense relationship with a young man who sweeps into their lives like a forest fire. (17 mins.)

ProXimitYDIRECTOR: JOSHUA COX / PORTLAND, OR(ANI) A Victorian gentlemen and a sixties cowgirl explore the kitschy depths of love and betrayal.


shorts

shorts iiiSUN, NoV 9, 6:30 PM | FRI, NoV 14, 7 PM

the smithsDIRECTOR: NEELY GONIODSKY / KIRKLAND, WA(ANI) The story of how a family falls into and is res-cued out of homelessness comes to life through hand-drawn animation, digital cutouts, and paint-ings. (3 mins.)

beYond murderDIRECTOR: ZACHARY T. SMITH / PORTLAND, OR

(NAR) This chilling true crime mystery reenacts the modus operandi of the oldest couple in American history to be sentenced to death. (8 mins.)

ChaPeL oF restDIRECTOR: BEN MERCER / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Two mischievous young brothers attending their grandfather’s wake experience the surreal ceremony of death. (8 mins.)

CommuteDIRECTOR: LOU WATSON / PORTLAND, OR

(EXP) Watson suggests looking side-ways at the everyday to become re-enchanted with place and self. (5 mins.)

From the skYDIRECTOR: IAN EBRIGHT / SEATTLE, WA(NAR) A humble father and his troubled son strug-gle to cope with the effect of drones in the Middle East. (18 mins.)

rougarouingDIRECTOR: MICHAEL PALMIERI, DONAL MOSHER / PORTLAND, OR(doC) Eunice, Louisiana, surely a colorful commu-nity (here shot in splendid black and white), has a raucous rural Mardi Gras celebration. (11 mins.)

the unCLuded organsDIRECTOR: ROB SHAW / PORTLAND, OR(EXP) A song from the rock band The Uncluded espouses organ donation with the help of stop motion insects. (3 mins.)

the bear’s ProgressDIRECTOR: MALIA JENSEN / PORTLAND, OR(EXP) An inhabited bear costume wanders in the landscape doing what bears do and do not do. (9 mins.)

one night in FLoridaDIRECTOR: TESS MARTIN / SEATTLE, WA(ANI) Martin illustrates President obama’s speech reacting to the case involving George Zimmerman shooting an unarmed black teenager in 2012. (1 min.)

LaYoverDIRECTOR: VANESSA RENWICK / PORTLAND, OR

(EXP) Swirling in enchanting flight, the Vaux’s Swifts layover for three weeks in Portland, oregon each fall on their migration to South America. (6 mins.)

baLing baLingDIRECTOR: LAWRENCE JOHNSON / PORTLAND, OR(doC) In rice fields of the Indonesian island of Bali, farmers keep the birds away with rhythmic noise-makers, plastic bags, and scarecrows. (5 mins.)

a Love storYDIRECTOR: BRANDY SVENDSON / VANCOUVER, BC

(doC) This moving story of loss in the early days of the AIdS epidemic cel-ebrates the timelessness and and uni-versal qualities of love. (9 mins.)


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beLLa vista

SAT, NoV 8, 4 PMbeLLa vistaDIRECTOR: VERA BRENNER-SUNG / MISSOULA, MT(NAR) Hav ing recently moved to Missoula, Montana to teach English to a group of interna-tional students, thirty-something doris finds her-self alone. She wanders listlessly, but her stu-dents possess courage, purpose, and grounding and understand what it takes to belong. Inspired in part by director Brenner-Sung’s experience moving to Montana in 2011, BELLA VISTA is a meditation on displacement and adaptation in the contemporary American West exploring both the perils of rootlessness as well as the optimism of new beginnings. (83 mins.)

SAT, NoV 8, 8 PMFriendshiPDIRECTOR: NATHANIEL BENNETT / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Alex, Todd, and Stephen are three hard-working friends who are content with spending their paychecks on hunting, beer, and women. Their simple l ife is soon disrupted when an strange band of brothers begin antagonizing them. (64 mins.)

PrECEDED by taCo nightDIRECTOR: KYLE EATON / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Two old friends who haven’t kept in touch drop by a party where they encounter a combative couple. (16 mins.)

SUN, NoV 9, 4:30 PMone Last hug and a FeW smooChes: three daYs at grieF CamPDIRECTOR: IRENE TAYLOR BRODSKY / PORTLAND, OR(doC) Brodsky’s unflinching documentary pro-files a unique camp where grieving children find comfort in one another to deal with their pain. (36 mins.)

with

LuCinda Parker: Water and CLouds(See p.12 for details.)

TUE, NoV 11, 6 PM—VETERANS dAymending the LineDIRECTOR: JOHN WALLER / PORTLAND, OR(doC) Tough as nails, gentle as a poet, and determined as a badger, 90-year-old Frank Moore has always loved to fly fish. In 1944, he landed with 150,000 other troops on the beaches of Normandy, France for the d-day invasion. despite the war around him, he couldn’t help but notice the fishing potential of the rivers he and his fellow troops crossed as they made their way into France. Seventy years later, reflecting on his life, Moore is compelled to return to Normandy, this time armed not with a gun but with fly rod and reel. Waller’s inspirational film follows Moore on his arduous physical and emotional journey from home on the North Umpqua River to the battlefields of his youth. (40 mins.)

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Features

SUN NoV 9, 8:15 PMbFeDIRECTOR: SHAWN TELFORD / SEATTLE, WA(NAR) In his debut feature, Seattle filmmaker Shawn Telford follows four individuals living in a small town dominated by drugs and brutality and their lasting desire to mold their lives into something more meaningful. In an attempt to escape his failing health, Grampa embarks with his grandson Ian on an adventure full of shady deals and risk taking. They meet Ellie, a troubled teenager searching for love and salvation from Zack, a young romantic whose future hinges on how he reacts to temptation. While Ellie, Zack, Grampa, Ian, and their comrades have had very different life experiences, they all need to get out of BFE. (98 mins.)

MoN, NoV 10, 8 PMreturn oF the riverDIRECTORS: JOHN GUSSMAN AND JESSICA PLUMB / PORT TOWNSEND, WA(doC) When frontiersmen came to Washington’s olympic Peninsula to “conquer” the untamed landscape, they paid little attention to the eco-logical consequences on the Elwha River and even less attention to the social impact on the indigenous Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. dams were built and the river was re-routed, creat-ing bustling new towns while destroying tribal lands and decimating the critical salmon popula-tion. With the river’s ecosystem on life-support, it seemed unlikely that anything could remedy the situation. But a group of environmental advo-cates, scientists, politicians, and dedicated Klallam crusaders reversed the tide of public opinion and initiated the largest dam demolition in history. (70 mins.)

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mind ZoneDIRECTOR: JAN HAAKEN / PORTLAND, OR(doC) Filmmaker/Psychologist Jan Haaken’s MINd ZoNE follows therapists with the 113th Army Combat Stress Control detachment as they carry out two conflicting missions: protecting soldiers from battle fatigue and keeping these same soldiers in the fight. With psychiatric casualties mounting, the United States Army ups the deployment of mental health detachments to war zones—an undertaking on a scale previously unimagina-ble. As the 113th is deployed to Afghanistan and trains for their dual roles as soldiers and healers, Colonel david Rabb and his team of therapists are equipped with a wide arsenal of psychological techniques. The documen-tary moves between the battle zone and the home front, offering a rarely seen glimpse of heated debates within the field of psychol-ogy over diagnosis and treatment of combat conditions and the limits of using categories such as post-traumatic stress disorder to capture the psychological impacts of war-fare. (50 mins.)

TUE, NoV 11, 8:15 PM—VETERANS dAyin CountrYDIRECTORS: MIKE ATTIE AND MEGHAN O’HARA / SEATTLE, WA(doC) Weaving together vérité footage of men recreating the Vietnam War in the woods of oregon with archival footage and observa-tions of them going about their daily lives, IN CoUNTRy blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy, past and present, to tell a story about men—many combat veterans of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan haunted by their own experiences on the frontline. “Then there’s the final jaw dropping casting of one platoon member: a Vietnamese guy who actu-ally fought for the losing South Vietnamese Army. Why on Earth would he want to relive those experiences? The filmmakers ask him, and his answer speaks to a mix of pride, youth, nostalgia, and the sound of rain on his tent. But maybe there’s never a simple explanation for why men go to war.”—Seattle Weekly (80 mins.)


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WEd, NoV 12, 7 PMFreeLoadDIRECTOR: DANIEL T. SKAGGS / BILLINGS, MT(doC) “Hobos to me, represent an American pas-time—a story told through the lyrics of Woody Guthrie and writers from the dust Bowl era. Historically, men of The Great depression rode trains out of necessity. I, however, had been riding freight trains for nearly a decade seek-ing adventure. In the summer of 2011, I hopped a freight out of Missoula, Montana. Armed with camera equipment, a pack, and a vision, I criss-crossed the nation’s railroads, encountering the characters of this documentary. This movie is about Blackbird, a lost teenager searching for the answers to life; Ponyboy and Rachel, young lovers who attempt to settle down in Texas but the freedom of the road lures them back; broth-ers Skrappe and Christmas—separated most of their lives—try to rekindle their distant brother-hood; and dice who will risk everything to ride the rails.”—daniel Skaggs. (66 mins.)

THU, NoV 13, 8:45 PMthe Further adventures oF anse and bhuLe in no-man’s LandDIRECTOR: BARRY L. HUNT / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Created by Portland’s award recognized Sowelu ensemble, filmed on majestic landscapes in rural oregon and Southern Washington, and shot in a 70’s retro art-house style, ANSE ANd BHULE is an original drama of two cultures that survive a cataclysm. In this post-apocalyptic love story, a group of boys living in a cave develop a unique ritual culture and language influenced by religion, childhood fears, and superstition. Through ritual vision quests, they decide to travel the earth killing diseased creatures, making the world “clean” for their brotherhood. on their way, they discover a “her”, the first woman they have seen. Though sick, she speaks to Bhule and awak-ens ideas about the world he has never enter-tained. (100 mins.)

FRI, NoV 14, 5 PM & 6 PMLuCinda Parker: Water and CLoudsDIRECTOR: MICHAEL ANNUS / PORTLAND, OR(doC) during the course of three years and three sets of paintings, we enter the working world of noted Northwest painter Lucinda Parker. In part using a drywall mudder as a paintbrush, she cre-ates athletic and poetic work that emerges in these paintings from her fascination with clouds and water. (21 mins.) This screening is free with admission to the Portland Art Museum, which is $5 after 5 PM on Fridays.

FRI, NoV 14, 8:45 PMhouse oF Last thingsDIRECTOR: MICHAEL BARTLETT / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Alan is a successful classical music critic. His wife Sarah is an obsessively grieving woman, struggling with an unspoken tragedy even after months of institutionalized therapy. The couple embarks on a recuperative trip to Italy and arrang-es for a house sitter, Kelly. young and lonely, longing for commitment and the better things in life, Kelly is quickly joined by her younger brother Tim (RJ Mitte from BREAKING BAd) and her trashy boyfriend Jesse. It’s not long before the trio find themselves drawn into a web of disturbing rev-elations when Jesse suddenly decides to kidnap eight-year-old Adam from the supermarket. But not all is what it seems with Adam. There is noth-ing of him in the news, and from the moment he arrives, he seems to radiate innocent control over the house’s hapless occupants. (119 mins.)

SAT, NoV 15, 1 PMgLenaDIRECTOR: ALLAN LUEBKE / PORTLAND, OR(doC) “Glena Avila is a single mother from The dalles who decided in her 30s to pursue a career as a mixed martial-arts fighter. devoting herself to a grueling training regimen that puts her rela-tionship with her boyfriend and her children at risk, and fending off a custody battle with her ex-husband and the foreclosure of her home, this 5-foot-4-inch, 115-pound dynamo never gives up in her quest for cage-match glory. Sounds like an inspirational, even sappy, Hollywood script treat-ment, right? Wrong. Luebke filmed Avila for more than a year and then spent three years editing the footage into this astonishing real-life saga of grit, tears, and vicious competitive combat.”—The oregonian (84 mins.)

SAT, NoV 15, 3:30 PMdrYLandDIRECTORS: SUE ARBUTHNOT, RICHARD WILHELM / PORTLAND, OR(doC) Josh Knodel and his best friend Matt Miller helm JAWS, a tr icked-out, welded up, baby blue farm combine-in-retirement in the annual farm Combine and demolition derby in Lind, Washington. This raucous and quirky barn-raising spectacle is not only great fun, it also helps build and support the struggling rural community. Family farming is in Josh’s genes, but his dream shatters when he learns the family farm can no longer support him due to advancing technology and increasingly severe climate. Filmed over a decade and set in the American West, dRyLANd traces a young man’s quest for victory in a ram-bunctious contest while battling to preserve a threatened way of life. (61 mins.)

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the Winding stream

duende: suit oF Lights

SAT, NoV 15, 5:30 PMthe Winding streamDIRECTOR: BETH HARRINGTON / VANCOUVER, WA(doC) “THE WINdING STREAM begins at the source of what we know as classic countr y music—the or iginal Car ter Family from the Appalachian foothills. Unlikely superstars, A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter had their first success on the radio in the late 1920s. Maybelle brought up the next generation (Anita, June, and Helen) and they toured as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters in the 1960s and ‘70s, influenc-ing much of the folk revival. When June Carter married Johnny Cash, their combined family kept the musical legacy flourishing. George Jones, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, and many others cite the influence of what began as a small mountain stream and ended up a worldwide ocean.”—Film Society of Lincoln Center. (90 mins.)

CLoSING NIGHTSAT, NoV 15, 8 PMduende: suit oF LightsDIRECTOR: JEFF ROWLES / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) After fleeing the trappings of fame, for-tune, and success in the bullfighting arena, an orphan turned beloved matador navigates the afterlife. on the advice of a mystic healer he jour-neys into the desert to perform a ritual of rebirth and burns his suit of lights, the traditional bull-fighting costume. Upon waking he is joined on his path through limbo by three joyful yet mischie-vous companions—guiding spirits in the form of rodeo clowns. As the clowns begin to tease out the matador’s secrets and ease him into his new life, they are meanwhile being closely pursued by their age-old rivals in the struggle for souls, three dark sirens who seek the matador for their own purposes. (89 mins.)


13

Fresh FiLm northWestages 13–19

Winning ProgramSAT, NoV 8, 2 PM—WHITSELL AUdIToRIUM FREE AdMISSIoN

burL PatroL FILMM A K ERS: GAV IN BR A DLE Y, A NTON LIAKHOVITCH, DARMIS TARAGHI, RACHEL W ILLIAMS / N W DOCUMENTARY, OMSI, PORTLAND, OR(doC) A theft alert arrives from deep inside the forest. (7 mins.)

a Wing, a biLL, or a FootF I L M M A K E R S : B A I L E Y, E VA N , D A N A , DIANA, GWYNN / NW DOCUMENTARY, OMSI, PORTLAND, OR(doC) Bird population behavior is revealed in sur-prising ways. (5 mins.)

raven roCkFILMMAKERS: RACHEL COLE, JAYA FLANARY, MEAGEN TAJALLE / BALLARD HIGH SCHOOL, SEATTLE, WA(doC) Equine therapy’s dual effect on rescued horses and at-risk youth. (8 mins.)

CLiPPed Wings FILMMAKERS: LEO PFEIFER, DUNCAN GOWDY, COLEMAN ANDERSON/ BALLARD HIGH SCHOOL, SEATTLE, WA (doC) on the journey to Eagle Scout, discrimina-tion gets in the way. (8 mins.)

abduCtionFILMMAKER: HAYLIE BOLTE/ VANCOUVER S C H O O L O F A R T S A N D A C A D E M I C S , VANCOUVER, WA(ANI) A loved one goes missing. (1 min.)

ParadoX ProbLemFILMMAKERS: “THURSDAY THING” VIDEO CLUB / PORTLAND COMMUNITY MEDIA, PORTLAND, OR (NAR) The wild journey of experimental time trav-el. (5 mins.)

the briLLiant mind oF CedriC kuZnetZovFILMMAKER: SPENCER SLOVIC/ PORTLAND, OR(NAR) A rule-bound scientist cures himself while curing others. (7 mins.)

air PressureFILMM A K ERS: LEO PFEIFER, C OLEM A N ANDERSON, JOSH VREDEVOOGD / BALLARD HIGH SCHOOL, SEATTLE, WA (NAR) A man and his balloon art are under pres-sure, on and off stage. (7 mins.)

FLight FILMMAKER: ALEX FORTMANN / LAKE OSWEGO, OR(NAR) The power of imagination bridges childhood and adolescence. (2 mins.)

buster Was a man FILMMAKERS: ADAM MACARTHUR, ETHAN SENEKER / EVERETT, WA(NAR) What it takes to break out of a daily rou-tine. (5 mins.)


honorabLe mentionTo VIEW, PLEASE VISIT VIMEo.CoM/SCHooLoFFILM STARTING NoV 8

audio inPutFILMMAKERS: SHO SCHROCK, DUNCAN BOSZKO, PIPER PHILLIPS, JACK O’NEAL / BALLARD HIGH SCHOOL, SEATTLE, WA(doC) What lurks behind the microphones of podcasters. (7 mins.)

PiP the CuPFILMMAKER: ADAM MACARTHUR / EVERETT, WA(ANI) The infinite lifecycle of a Styrofoam cup. (5 mins.)

sCreen ProteCtionFILMMAKER: HOPE ALEXANDER, CALEN COATES, KATIE YATES / SABIN-SCHELLENBERG TECHNICAL CENTER, MILWAUKIE, OR(doC) Breaking the cycle of cyber bullying. (15 mins.)

adoLesCenCeFILMMAKER: GILLIAN THOMAS / PORTLAND, OR(NAR) Pushing the boundaries and having some fun. (5 mins.)

muFFinsFILMMAKER: HADLEY HILLEL / SEATTLE ACADEMY, SEATTLE, WA(NAR) A hit man plays host to his victims. (6 mins.)

WeLComeFRESH FILM NoRTHWEST is a juried survey of work by up-and-coming teen filmmakers living in oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. Now in its 38th year, the Festival recognizes individual talent, showcases model examples of how film arts can be taught in schools, and engages all of us in helping to build the Northwest regional youth media community of 13 to 19-year-olds. Congratulations to these young filmmakers, whose work has been selected from nearly 100 entries, and to the high schools, community organizations, and mentors who supported their efforts. May this glimpse into the heart and spirit of the next generation be a refreshing reminder that filmmaking is first and foremost about people encouraging each other, and showing the way.

Ellen S. Thomas, Education DirectorNorthwest Film Center

jurors’ statementAs we watched this year’s entries, we quickly came to appreciate, and to remember, that adolescence is a very unique moment. you have some of the world under your belt, while the entire rest of your life lies ahead. To make a film at this time of life is ripe with possibilities.

our favorite films were those that put a story in a new skin, made apt use of whatever technology was available, and marched confidently onto the screen, inviting us, even demanding us, to watch them again. Some weren’t afraid to show their raw edges, and we were moved by that. Especially captivating were the ones that captured the essence of adolescence itself—throwing a wink and a nudge to the past, while simultaneously imagining the form’s thriving future. Stay curious. Make mistakes and be grateful for them. Know your strengths. do your research. don’t worry about reinventing the wheel because those coming behind you are going to reinvent it again anyway. Just keep picking up the camera and aiming high.

We are in our seats, excited, ready for the lights to go down. Kyle Aldrich

Stephanie HoughMelissa Tvetan

THE JURoRSMelissa Tvetan is an independent animator/filmmaker with a background in editorial management for LAIKA/house and the Sundance Institute director’s Lab. Kyle Aldrich is the department director for the Art Institute of Portland’s digital Film & Video and Photography & design programs. A graduate of the School of Film’s Certificate Program in Film, Stephanie Hough is an award-winning media maker with a bent for experimental film.

Special thanks to Emily Mercer and Elise Smart for their behind-the-scenes help in preparing this year’s festival.

the aWardsFRESH FILM NoRTHWEST recognizes individual talent, showcases model examples of how media arts can be taught in schools, and engages all of us in helping to build the Northwest regional youth media community of 13- to 19-year-olds. In addition to being included in this year’s line up, selected works are recognized with one of three awards:

Creative self-expressionFor outstanding achievement in cinematic storytelling

integrative LearningFor innovation in integrating media into academic content

heartFor authenticity and humane treatment of a subject


14

Fri, nov 7

WhitseLL auditorium

7 Pm shorts i

sChooL oF FiLm

9 Pm oPening night PartY

sat, nov 8

miLLer gaLLerY

10 am northWest FiLmmakers’ un-ConFerenCe

4 Pm What’s Wrong With this PiCture?

WhitseLL auditorium

2 Pm Fresh FiLm northWest sCreening

4 Pm beLLa vista

6 Pm shorts ii

8 Pm FriendshiP & taCo night

sun, nov 9

sChooL oF FiLm

2 Pm deLveoPing the doC-maker’s ear For storY

WhitseLL auditorium

4:30 Pm one Last hug and a FeW smooChes & LuCinda Parker

6:30 Pm shorts iii

8:15 Pm bFe

mon, nov 10

WhitseLL auditorium

8 Pm return oF the river

tues, nov 11—veterans daY

WhitseLL auditorium

6 Pm mending the Line & mind Zone

8:15 Pm in CountrY

Wed, nov 12

WhitseLL auditorium

7 Pm FreeLoad

8:30 Pm shorts i

thurs, nov 13

WhitseLL auditorium

7 Pm shorts ii

8:45 Pm the Further adventures oF anse and bhuLe in no-man’s Land

Fri, nov 14

WhitseLL auditorium

5 & 6 Pm LuCinda Parker: Water and CLouds

7 Pm shorts iii

8:45 Pm house oF Last things

sat, nov 15

sChooL oF FiLm

10 am WorkshoP: inside the WorLd oF FiLm ComPosing

WhitseLL auditorium

1 Pm gLena

3:30 Pm drYLand

5:30 Pm the Winding stream

8 Pm duende: suit oF Lights

Warren Etheredge, Michael Koerner, John Leinweber, Tom McFadden, Shannon McMenamin, oregon Governor’s office of Film & Television, oregon Media Production Association, Portland Art Museum, Mike Quinn, Stephen Rust, Matt Schulte, Eric Stolberg, darren Wiese.

ChamPion suPPorting

the Jackson foundation

FestivaL PassesPass to all Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival screenings and parties: $40

tiCketsGENERAL: $9PAM MEMBERS, STUdENTS & SENIoRS: $8SILVER SCREEN CLUB FRIENdS: $6CHILdREN (12 and under): $6

venuesSCREENINGS:NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium located inside the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park AvenueWoRKSHoPS & EVENTS: School of Film, 934 SW Salmon StreetMiller Gallery, 1119 SW Park Avenue

beCome a memberSILVER SCREEN CLUB FRIENdS receive discounted admission. dIRECToR, PRodUCER, BENEFACToR, and SUSTAINER members receive free admission with their valid Silver Screen Club cards. Join online at nwfilm.org.

Print sources available on nwfilm.org.

events sCheduLeinFo

sPonsors special thanks

northwest film center presents the 41st northwest filmmakers' festival schedule

Documents