Film Schedule: Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
5:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Stories We Could Have Told You (USA)
Dir: Darcy Miller
After a painful loss, four-year-old Eve can’t sleep without a bedtime story. So night after night, her mother spins tales of lonely sea creatures and broken treasures. Through the stories, the two share in a tragedy that slowly reveals itself. As they arrive at the final story, the two discover that although they’ve lost something that can’t be replaced, they have found each other.
5:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Th3 Little Pigs and One Bearded Dragon (USA)
Dir: Kevin Jones
This film is a re-imagined version of the classic Three Little Pigs story. In this version we’ve replaced the Big Bad Wolf, with a bearded dragon, which creates a different outcome for the pigs than in the traditional version.
6:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
The Payphone (USA)
Producer: Taylor Morden
An experimental film in which a young woman receives a mysterious phone call.
6:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Mangia! (USA)
Dir: Rictor Riolo
This short film was made for the last and final class at Portland State University for a BA Degree in Film. It was for Professor Pam Minty’s Sound Design Class where the film is audio-centric in its storytelling. I had footage from a Pixel 2000 cassette video recorder from 1989 of my family and I decided to incorporate that 34-year-old video into what’s happened to me in life… being the last man standing in my family.
6:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
The Mall Man (USA)
Dir: Dustin Morrow
“Death of a Salesman” goes to the mall in this darkly comic satire of American consumerism and the fading status of shopping malls in contemporary society. In “The Mall Man”, a shopping mall manager undertakes a marathon session of wheeling-and-dealing in a last-ditch effort to bring life back to his failing mall.
6:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Real AF (USA)
Dir: Pearson Kunz & Anderson Carr
When Lizzie takes a downward spiral in her relationship with Marcus, she seeks the help of her friend Nate in order to find a more "real" her. Unable to help due to their preoccupation with work, Nate leaves Lizzie alone in an open house, letting her get some space and the alone time she needs to truly discover herself, upon the agreement that she leaves after only an hour of being there so that Nate can prepare for their open house showing. After hours of self-care, self-loathing, and a little fun, Lizzie wakes up to find that her true self is revealed, not to the amusement of Nate. What happens when the real us are left alone to ponder our own existence? Is our own perception fake? If a tree falls in the woods, does anyone see it?
6:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
The Gorgon Cycles (USA)
Dir: Miles Inada, Devyn McConachie, Tessa Brinckman
The Gorgon Cycles is a fever dream – an intricately layered animation invoking the return of the long-banished visionary, Medusa. Built around a mesmerizing original score for alto flute and electronica, and with a supporting cast of fish, snakes, dinosaurs, a cat, a monkey, and a magician, The Gorgon Cycles is a statement of violent optimism – a contemplation of life amidst global catastrophe.
7:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Night Shift (USA)
Dir: Karlee Boon
"NIGHT SHIFT" follows 18-year-old Cheryl and best friend Darcy as they waste away the Summer of ’85 waiting tables at the only diner in their middle of nowhere Oregon town. Suffocated by small-town conservatism and her sexist high school reputation, Cheryl longs for the day that she can finally ditch Myrtlewood and her vengeful ex, Scottie, for good. But after falling victim to a mysterious late-night animal attack, Cheryl undergoes a strange transformation that pushes her friendship with Darcy to the brink and forces her to bite back against her tormentors once & for all.
7:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Overtide (Canada)
Dir: Jordan Barnes-Crouse
Cursed with eternal life, a boating accident long ago left Loomis stranded in the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean, until he one day finds himself tangled in a fishing net and washed up on a desolate coast. But his newfound fortune is cut short when he spots the figure of Kanthus — the ancient being who first offered him this "gift", and who beckons him now to unite on a quest that will send him truly into the unknown.
8:00 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
The Boy Who Never Tangoed (USA)
Dir: Mike Brown & Akira Talaba
A coming-of-age story written and directed by two 17 year olds about an awkward loner high school boy who, in an attempt to win the heart of a girl, embarks on a comedic journey as he strives to become a stand-up comedian within a mere week, following the footsteps of his Idol, Wolfe. B Collins. With the talent show looming on Friday, he must prepare to deliver the performance of a lifetime.
9:30 PM - Wednesday, Sept 27th 2023
Freedom, Wisconsin (USA)
Dir: Molly Preston
Freedom, Wisconsin is the directorial debut of Portland-based filmmaker, Molly Preston. The film is a coming-of-age dark comedy that takes place in small-town Wisconsin. Penny, a death-obsessed young woman, forms an unlikely friendship with Ephram, a struggling writer from Chicago. Intrigued by Ephram’s seemingly endless supply of optimism, Penny allows him to camp in her front yard, while keeping him at a safe emotional distance, a distance that is Ephram’s goal to shrink. The film was shot entirely on location in Wisconsin with love.
