Oregon has many top-tier festivals and venues that support all types of visual storytelling. These festivals connect filmmakers to one another as well as to the creatives and producers working in Oregon. On top of that, they connect all parts of this state to creative decision makers looking for their next inspirational location. And Film Festivals bring tourists and spending to the locations that they are held in. In fact, just a few years ago, Oregon Film commissioned the University of Oregon to look at the economic impact of local film festivals. The results were enlightening showing a direct spending impact in all festival destinations. That report can be found here.
Oregon’s festivals include BendFilm in Central Oregon, Ashland Independent and Klamath Independent Film Festivals in Southern Oregon, the Eastern Oregon Film Festival in LaGrande, the McMinnville Short Film Festival and the We Like ’em Short Film Festival in Baker City as well as DisOrient Film Festival and The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival in Eugene. On the coast there is the Wild Rivers Film Festival in Brookings in the south and the Astoria International Film Festival in the north, to name just two, and then turn down the Columbia River to get to the Gorge Impact Festival in Hood River. Portland hosts many of its own festivals from the Portland Film Festival to the Cinema Unbound Awards at PAM CUT. Portland also has many community or subject specific festivals like Filmed By Bike, QDocs, Cascade Festival of African Films, TAG! Queer Shorts Festival amongst many, many others.
Many of these festivals provide year-round programming in dedicated spaces like the Tin Pan theatre in Bend, the Ross Ragland in Klamath and the Varsity theatre in Ashland.
We strongly believe in Oregon’s film festival ecosystem and try to support as many as we can as sponsors and attend them to ensure there is a direct connection between the films and filmmakers and our office. In some years, that means nearly 10,000 miles in travel up and down and across this state visiting the nearly 50 different festivals that call Oregon home.
If you have questions about the festivals here in Oregon or if you have a festival you are running in the state, please reach out to us and let us know how we can help.