Off the Map: The Western Oregon University Experimental Film Festival

Portland's film scene is internationally known for its commitment to independent, alternative, and experimental media. Please join us for three fantastic events featuring work by filmmakers based in Portland, OR.

Portland Filmmaker Andy Blubaugh
In person - Weds. May 20, 5pm, Hammersly Library, Room 107

Portland Filmmaker Vanessa Renwick
In person - Weds. May 27, 5pm, Hammersly Library, Room 107

Program of Short Films & Videos - Thurs. May 28, 8pm, ITC 211
Curated by students in the Art Department, this program includes short films and videos by Andy Blubaugh, Rose Bond, Carl Diehl, Gretchen Hogue, Ryan Jeffery, Marc Moscato, and Steven Slappe. Several filmmakers will be in attendance.

All events are free and open to the public.
Contact: Julie Perini (perinij@wou.edu) or Paula Booth (boothp@wou.edu)

A heady blend of creative and cinematic excellence comes to Salem April 17-26 with the fourth annual Salem Film Festival, which will treat moviegoers to a kaleidoscopic selection of 70 films and visits from some 40 filmmakers.

Among the highlights is a grand opening night April 17 with director Jeff Lipsky showcasing his latest feature, "Once More With Feeling," a romantic drama starring Chazz Palminteri and Linda Forentino.

Also coming opening weekend will be Oscar-winning documentary director Megan Mylan, with her winning film "Smile Pinki," and director Irene Taylor Brodsky with her documentary "The Final Inch." Both filmmakers have Oregon roots.

The opening weekend also features illustrious cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and director James Chressanthis with the director's debut film, the documentary "No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo (Kovacs) & Vilmos." Zsigmond and Chressanthis will be part of "A Celebration of Cinematography," an Arpil 18 forum on cinematography. Other highlights include a NW Emerging Artist Feature and Shorts Competition and an April 24 evening with clay animation guru Bruck Bickford, whose collaboration with Frank Zappa is explored in the documentary "Monster Road." Bickford's new animated release, "Cas'l," will include live musical accompaniment by Salem musicians.

Animated films, features, American and foreign films, documentaries and shorts are part of the festival, which includes several Oregon and Northwest premieres.

Many films will have two showings, with filmmakers appearing for Q&A sessions with their films on weekends.

A local highlight of the festival is the opening of its new venue, a new three-screen Salem Cinema at 1127 Broadway NE, part of the new Broadway Town Square development. The theater, owned by festival coordinator Loretta Miles, features rocking chair seats, Art Deco fixtures with a Cirque du Soleil flair and new projection equipment. The theater, which replaces a one-screen facility, will open with the festival. Some opening weekend films will be shown at the Grand Theatre, a historic theater at 191 High St. NE.

Admission ranges from $8 a film to $125 for a 10-Day All-Access VIP Pass, including priority seating, opening night festivities, all parties and receptions and exclusive backstage access to the Filmmakers' Lounge. Other ticket options include a $60 Weekend Pass.

More information is available at http://www.salemfilmfestival.com or at info@salemfilmfestival.com.

Advance tickets are now on sale at Travel Salem, 181 High St. NE, and online at www.boxofficetickets.com. A small service charge applies. Advance tickets are available until two days before the festival. After that, tickets will be available at the Grand and Salem Cinema.

• International Festival of Film on Art and Artist's Biographies
• Film on Art - Artist's Biographies - Architecture & Design - Video Art & Computer Art -
• Productions by Cinema Schools - Harmony and Territory

For more information, including how to format your films and videos for European video players and broadcast, go to: http://www.asolofilmfestival.it or e-mail: 28edition@asolofilmfestival.it

Contact Shaun Huston for more information (hustons@wou.edu, 503.838.8296).

The Minor in Film Studies is built around a three course core that introduces students to social scientific, literary, and contextual approaches to film. Additional course work is required in "theory, tools, and methods" for analyzing and interpreting film, and in topical areas, including studies in national cinemas, film genres, and the social contexts of film. The relationship of film to other media and to larger historical, social, and artistic movements and practices is the unifying theme within the program of study.

Matt McCormick is an artist and filmmaker who has made several award winning short films in recent years. His work blurs the lines between documentary and experimental filmmaking to fashion witty and abstract observations of contemporary culture and the urban landscape.

Matt’s work has screened in film festivals, art museums, and microcinemas around the globe, appeared on MTV and the Sundance Channel, and has received positive reviews from Art Forum, The New York Times, and Film Comment magazine. Matt has worked and collaborated with many artists and musicians, including The Shins, Miranda July, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and Calvin Johnson. Matt has had three films screen at the Sundance Film Festival, and been included in the traveling group exhibitions “Uncertain States of America” and “Baja to Vancouver.” He has received awards including Best Short Film from the San Francisco International Film Fest, Best Experimental from the New York Underground Film Fest, and Best Short from the Ann Arbor Film Fest, and his film ‘The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal’ was named as a ‘Top 10 Film of 2002’ by both The Village Voice and Art Forum magazine.

Matt is also the founder of the video label Peripheral Produce and the Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival.

http://www.rodeofilmco.com/

http://www.peripheralproduce.com/

McCormick is a guest in ART 406W: Video: Art, Theory & Politics.
Thank you to the WOU Art Department Faculty, Staff, and Students.
For more information contact Julie Perini at perinij@wou.edu.

Art History 406: Video: Art, Theory, and Politics
Spring 2008, Tues/Thurs, 3:30pm - 5:20pm, 4 credit hours
Instructor: Julie Perini

This course will provide a selective introduction to the history of artistic experimentation with video imaging technology. In little more than forty years, video is a medium that has moved from small screenings in alternative art spaces to dominance in international exhibitions. The study will include topics such as experimental film’s influence on video art, the role of popular culture and television, social critique and identity politics, relationships between art and technology, video installation, media preservation issues, and new practices in digital media.

For information about other Spring Film Studies courses, contact Shaun Huston or 503.838.8296, or a member of the Film Studies faculty in your major area.

30 October Backstage
6 November Chats Perchés
13 November Contact Shaun Huston for information about this evening's title.
20 November La Plafond de Verre
27 November Avenue Montaigne

All films at 7:00 pm in ITC 211. The Tournées Festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC). The festival is sponsored locally by the Film Studies program.

Contact:
Shaun Huston
503.838.8296

CRN: 1308 HST 450D POP CULTURE/CHINA 4 1120-1250 MTWR Hsieh, Bau TODD 347