(Photo | by Steve Addington)
CHEERS TO A FANTASTIC FEST!
We cannot thank you enough for participating in or contributing to another thrilling, thought-provoking, and community-centered film festival. We are beyond grateful for our volunteers, attendees, sponsors, filmmakers and the whole film community for helping make it all possible.
In expanding virtual access to the fest, we reached far outside of Bend: thousands of festival-goers streamed films this year in nearly 40 states and over a dozen countries. Our mission to foster a diverse community celebrating independent film has never felt stronger, and as we look toward the future, we’re filled with excitement for what’s to come.
In taking time to reflect on this year’s festival and browse the photos, the BendFilm staff gathered a few of our favorite moments from #BFF21. These are the mementos of festival magic that we’ll hold on tight to until we gather again next year.
“My highlight of the 18th Annual BendFilm Festival was…
…the spirited pitches of the BIPOC Woman Filmmaker Grant Finalists and the passionate and supportive responses from the judges. It’s wonderful to be able to extend such an opportunity to a filmmaker to make their film possible.”
…being a part of a festival where a board member is also down to DJ at a new music video category premiere turned into a drag show. Majorly cool. And majorly hip.”
…providing local filmmaker Jeff Harasomwicz with a local premiere at the Tower which attracted the largest in-person audience. With the starring high school basketball team in attendance, we could have kept the great Q&A going on for a while longer.”
…jetting from film to film just like old times. The pace of a film festival is so fun and being able to see three movies and the debate and think about them while walking to the next is the best feeling.”
THIS YEAR’S AWARD-WINNING FILMS
We were thrilled to announce the 20 award-winning films and filmmakers from this year’s festival, as well as the audience award for best feature and short, virtually last week.
BendFilm Festival is now recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of 64 film festivals in the world (27 festivals in the USA) that is Oscar qualifying for short films. Following the festival, our programmers will share the winning Indigenous, Narrative and Animated short films with The Academy screening committee for Oscar® consideration.
Check out the list of winning films below, and be sure to keep an eye out for them this year if you didn’t get a chance to watch with us.
SAVE THE DATES
Don’t miss the magic of BendFilm Festival next year! Mark your calendar now with the following dates so you don’t miss your chance to submit a film or attend the fest.
THE 19th ANNUAL BENDFILM FESTIVAL — OCTOBER 6-16, 2022
- January 3, 2022: Film submissions open on FilmFreeway
- February 11, 2022: Early bird submission deadline
- April 22, 2022: Regular submission deadline
Tin Pan Theater
NOW PLAYING
LANGUAGE LESSONS — A FESTIVAL ENCORE!
When Adam’s (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he’s unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño — but do you really know someone just because you’ve experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest and at times darkly funny, Language Lessons is a disarmingly moving exploration of platonic love.
VIEW SHOWTIMES
LAMB
In rural Iceland, a childless couple discover a strange and unnatural newborn in their sheep barn. They decide to raise her as their own, but sinister forces are determined to return the creature to the wilderness that birthed her.
VIEW SHOWTIMES
THE ALPINIST
The Alpinist is an intimate documentary of a visionary climber who follows the path of his own passion, despite the heaviest of possible consequences. Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old Canadian makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Leclerc’s approach is the essence of solo adventure.
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CURE
A string of shocking, seemingly unmotivated murders — each committed by a different person yet bearing the same grisly hallmarks — leads Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) into a labyrinthine investigation to discover what connects them, and into a disturbing game of cat and mouse with an enigmatic amnesiac (Masato Hagiwara) who may be evil incarnate. From critically acclaimed Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Cure is part atmospheric crime film and part philosophical meditation.
VIEW SHOWTIMES
THE THING
In remote Antarctica, a group of research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.
Wednesday, November 3 at 7pm in the alley.
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