Take a look at the full lineup below and be sure to click over to portlandfilm.org for more information.
NIGHT FILM (Narrative)
ZILLA & ZOE
Zoe, age 10, is obsessed with directing horror films, but to win a filmmaking contest, she must shoot her next film at her sister’s wedding.
Portland | 104min Director: Jessica Scalise in attendance
OPENING NIGHT FILM (Documentary)
WHEN THEY AWAKE
A generation of established and emerging indigenous musicians in a moment of cultural and political resurgence. USA Premiere
Canada | 91min Directors: P.J. Marcellino & Hermon Farahi in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM (Narrative)
CRASH PAD
About an eccentric misfit in love with an older married woman and his misadventures with her husband.
USA | 99min Director: Kevin Tent in attendance. Stars: Christina Applegate, Domhnall Gleeson, Thomas Haden Church
CLOSING NIGHT FILM (Documentary)
OUT OF STATE
Held thousands of miles from their island home, native Hawaiians inmates and their culture in an Arizona prison.
USA | 82min Director: Ciara Lacy in attendance
OFFICIAL COMPETITION TITLES
A jury comprised of industry professionals and acclaimed filmmakers will present awards to films in both the Documentary Feature and Narrative Feature competition categories. There will also be an Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Feature, and Best Short Film.
NARRATIVE COMPETITION FEATURES
Six films showcasing fresh voices telling new stories with imagination and style.
#WANDERLUST
Two friends set out on a Hawaiian adventure for Instagram fame, but ultimately discover deeper meaning in their lives.
USA | 75min Director: Maggie VandenBerghe in attendance
BROWN’S CANYON
Two life coaches set out to launch a mindfulness retreat, but soon discover that the Universe has other plans in mind.
USA | World Premiere | 95min Director: John Helde in attendance
A SIBLING MYSTERY
A brother and sister become consumed with investigating a mysterious woman they suspect has stolen their lottery ticket.
USA | 81min Director: Dan Erickson in attendance
THIRSTY
A post-queer musical film as dramatic as it is entertaining.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 97min Director: Margo Pelletier
THE VALLEY
An immigrant entrepreneur’s seemingly idyllic life is shattered by the suicide of his daughter.
USA | 100min Director: Saila Kariat
WE WERE ÍSLANDS
Strangers to lovers to strangers again.
USA | 80min Director: Amrita Pradhan in attendance
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION FEATURES
Six new films from around the world that tackle real life stories with bold vision and energy.
DAS WA$$UP
Follow the musical group ‘Yo Majesty’ through its trials and tribulations in the music industry.
UK | 96min Director: Johannes Schaff in attendance
DIRT BAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BUCKLEY
Fred Beckey is the iconic “Dirtbag” mountaineer who rebelliously conquered peaks and lived life on his own terms.
USA | 96min Director: Dave O’Leske in attendance
MASHPEE NINE
Story of injustice and vindication that emboldened cultural pride and integrity for Mashpee Wampanoag 40 years ago.
USA | 55min Director: Talia Landry in attendance
ON A KNIFE EDGE
A Lakota boy learns what it means to enter adulthood in a world where there are no sidelines.
USA | 90min Director: Eli Cane in attendance
OUT OF STATE
Held thousands of miles from their island home, native Hawaiian inmates and their culture in an Arizona prison.
USA 82min Director: Ciara Lacy in attendance
STICKMAN
A homeless man’s passion for carving walking sticks launches him on an incredible journey of transformation.
USA | 103min Director: Margaret Galbraith in attendance
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Unique films, marquee names, and highlights of the best of modern film.
20 WEEKS
A couple must decide on how to move forward when their baby is diagnosed with a serious health condition at the 20 week scan.
USA | 89min Director: Leena Pendharkar
200 HOURS
A group of graduate students conduct a sleep deprivation study in the 80s, but something goes terribly wrong with a test subject.
USA | 91min Director: Phillip Guzman
AXIS
On the morning he is set to star in a career-changing film, an Irish actor trying to live down his rocky past confronts a series of events that threaten his sobriety.
USA | 85min Director: Aisha Tyler
D-LOVE
Not all who wander are lost.
USA | 97min Director: Elena Beuca in attendance
DIM THE FLUORESCENTS
A struggling actor and playwright pour their creativity into the only work they have: office role-playing demonstrations.
USA | 128min Director: Daniel Warth
DIRTY LAUNDRY
The search for a missing mob boss’ finger is on and laundromat employees Wim and Kevin are caught in the middle.
South Africa | International Premiere | 101min Director: Morne du Toit
FIX IT! ALEXIS
When socially invisible Alexis’s “before” photo gets posted on Facebook, she’s mistaken for being pregnant.
USA | USA Premiere | 77min Director: Elizabeth Spear
FOR NOW
Four twenty somethings take a road-trip through California, only to confront their relationships with one another.
USA | 80min Director: Hannah Barlow in attendance
GUN
A washed up, ex-prize fighter makes a comeback to boxing after his top heavyweight contender son is blinded in the ring.
USA | 90min Director: Sam Upton in attendance
HER SIDE OF THE BED
When two best friends share an intimate night, everything changes.
USA | 102min Director: Bryn Woznicki in attendance
THE HOLLOW CHILD
A troubled foster teen, Samantha, works to expose a dangerous supernatural imposter in her new family.
Canadian | 88min Director: Jeremy Lutter in attendance
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING
A depressed woman discovers the bucket list of her deceased fiancé and sets off on a journey to redeem his last wishes.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 76min Director: Sarah Heinss in Attendance
KHALI THE KILLER
When white kids jack his Hyundai full of cash, an East L.A. hit man must come out of retirement for one last job.
USA | World Premiere | 86min Director: Jon Matthews
KUPAL
You can’t be alone in this world!
IRAN | 81min Director: Kazem Mollaie
LAURA GETS A CAT
Laura tries to juggle an unexciting boyfriend, an affair with a performance artist, and a vivid imaginary life.
USA | 83min Director: Michael Ferrell
SECRET SANTA
When a Xmas gift unleashes her family’s inner demons, April will try to save those she can and survive those she can’t.
USA | USA Premiere | 89min Director: Adam Marcus in attendance
THE VELOCIPASTOR
A priest gains a mysterious ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur, which he uses to fight crime and ninjas.
USA | World Premiere | 71min Director: Brendan Steere in attendance
WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT (‘AK-ZIL’)
2 Guys 1 Camera.
South Korea | World Premiere | 100min Director: James Hutson in attendance
WOL-HA: VERY BAD MOON RISING
The tombstone of the kisaeng (Korean Mistress) Wol-ha, who dies under a false accusation, is found!
South Korea | 80min Director: Inchun Oh in attendance
WOMEN & SOMETIMES MEN
Sara has some questions.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 87min Director: Lesley Demetriades in attendance
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Celebrating the best in contemporary documentary filmmaking.
#TAKEMEANYWHERE
Shia LaBeouf embarks on his latest performance art project by roadtripping across the United States.
USA | min LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner
BREAK THE CHAIN
Survivors of human trafficking provide a harrowing look at how this overly sensationalized issue hides in plain sight.
USA | 65min Director: Laura Swanson in attendance
CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA & LOUISE
Revisit the extraordinary journey of Thelma & Louise through the lens of viewers who saw the namesake film in 1991.
USA | 87min Director: Jennifer Townsend in attendance
CURTSY, MISTER
Ronnie Grant shares his misadventures through the fashion and beauty industries, overcoming drug addiction, and eventually, becoming a fashion editor at Essence Magazine.
USA | 60min Director: Angela Robinson Witherspoon
DRIFTING TOWARDS THE CRESCENT
As the diesel barges ply the Mississippi River, the river no longer needs the towns, but the towns still need the river.
USA | 84min Director: Laura Stewart
FAKE BLOOD
Rob Grant and Mike Kovac investigate their responsibility creating violent movies after receiving a creepy fan video.
USA | 81min Directors: Rob Grant in attendance
KIM SWIMS
An inspiring story of a swimmer’s attempt to become the first woman to swim the world’s hardest open water swim.
USA | 75min Director: Kate Webber in attendance
LAST SONG TO XENITIA
Centenarian poet journeys to Greece, endeavouring to pass on an ancient oral tradition to the next generation.
USA | 74min Director: Athena Scotes
LIVING ART
A captivating sensory journey into the art practices & aesthetics of seven African contemporary artists in Maputo, Mozambique.
Mozambique | 52min Director: Tina Krüger
LIYANA
Five children in Swaziland collaborate to create an original African tale about a young girl on a dangerous quest.
USA | 76min Director: Amanda Kopp & Aaron Kopp
NOT A WAR STORY
Hollywood collides with a group of veterans who decide to make an original lm without any experience.
USA | 83min Director: Tim O’Donnell
RUN WHILE YOU CAN
Sam Fox’s quest to run the 2,650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail for Parkinson’s Disease becomes a test of character.
USA | 78min Director: Marion Mauran
ZERO WEEKS
Weaving powerful personal stories with insightful interviews, explore America’s paid leave crisis and the cost of doing nothing.
USA | 87min Director: Ky Dickens in attendance
INDIGENOUS VOICES
Films that document, highlight, and celebrate Indigenous voices in contemporary cinema.
MASHPEE NINE
Story of injustice and vindication that emboldened cultural pride and integrity. West Coast Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 55min Directors: Talia Landry & William Nay in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.
ON A KNIFE EDGE
A Lakota boy learns what it means to enter adulthood in a world where there are no sidelines. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 90min Director: Jeremy Williams in attendance
UNAUTHORIZED! THE FIGHTING SIOUX
When the NCAA bans a small hockey town’s Native American name and logo, a battle begins to save the college icon. World Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 88min Director: Matt Fern in attendance
THE WATCHMAN’S CANOE
A young girl of mixed Caucasian and Indigenous descent moves to a reservation where she struggles with local bullies. NARRATIVE
USA | 101min Director: Barri Chase in attendance
WHEN THEY AWAKE
A generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians in a moment of cultural and political resurgence. USA Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
Canada | 91min Directors: P.J. Marcellino & Hermon Farahi in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.
PORTLAND LENS
Celebrating narrative and documentary films made in Portland and/or by Portland filmmakers.
ALIEN BOY
One man’s struggle with schizophrenia and examines the actions of the police officers responsible for his death. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 90min Director: Brian Lindstrom in attendance
BENEFITS OF GUSBANDRY
One woman, one man, a lot of weed, a little crying, and no sexual attraction whatsoever. NARRATIVE
Portland | 99min Director: Alicia J. Rose in attendance
BUZZ ONE FOUR
The mystery of two thermonuclear bombs crashing 90 miles from Washington DC explored by the grandson of the pilot. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 60min Director: Matt McCormick in attend.
DRYLAND
The fate of rural America reveals a paradoxical struggle between technological advancement and the dwindling family farm. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 65min Director: Sue Arbuthnot in attendance
ORACLE
A trio of sisters make a documentary film about the true nature of the world, on the eve of a possible apocalypse. NARRATIVE
USA | World Premiere | 89min Director: Hale Mednick in attendance
SOAR OREGON
Take pride in this lush, green, beautiful state with this wonderful new perspective of touring Oregon! DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 50min Director: Ryan Ao in attendance
TOMORROW, MAYBE
An ex-con father reconnects with his daughter, who might not be so willing if her life wasn’t suddenly falling apart. NARRATIVE
Portland | 84min Director: Jace Daniel in attendance
THE WATCHMAN’S CANOE
A young girl of mixed Caucasian and Indigenous descent moves to a reservation where she struggles with local bullies. NARRATIVE
USA | 101min Director: Barri Chase in attendance
WOODSRIDER
An introspective young snowboarder camps alone, anticipating a winter of adventure and self-renewal. NARRATIVE
Portland | 83min Director: Cambria Matlow in attendance
ZILLA & ZOE
Zoe, age 10, turns her sister’s wedding week into a horror film to win a filmmaking contest. OPENING NIGHT NARRATIVE
Portland | 104min Director: Jessica Scalise in attendance
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
A curated selection of special-event new films, classics and surprises.
DARKEST HOUR
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Europe hangs on the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.
UK | 2017 | 125 min Director: Joe Wright
CTHULHU
A Seattle history professor discovers aspects of his father’s New Age cult, which take on a dangerous and apocalyptic significance.
USA | 2007 | 100 min Director: Daniel Gildark
OVERBOARD
A cruel and beautiful heiress cheats over a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia, he decides to introduce her to working-class life by convincing her they’re husband and wife.
Screenwriter Leslie Dixon in attendance
USA | 106min Director: Garry Marshall
THE SINS OF MY FATHER
The incredible story of Pablo Escobar, the infamous boss of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel, told by his son Sebastian and his widow Maria Isabel Santos.
Argentina & Colombia | 94min Director: Nicolas Entel in attendance
