WELCOME TO THE THIRD ANNUAL
Thank you to the following sponsors, without whom this event wouldn’t be possible:
PRESENTING SPONSORS
BAG&BAGGAGE PRODUCTIONS
DODGE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
NIK of TIME PRODUCTIONS
THIS YEAR'S SPONSORS
Bianca McCarthy
FOUNDING SPONSORS
Cindy Cozenzo, Just Create Community
Krystal Michaels-Monroe, Puppernickel
Jake Mead, Mead Agency & Associates
Aimee Thompson, InRoads Credit Union
Titonian Wallace, Sr., Nesace Media
Bridie Harrington, City of Hillsboro Cultural Arts District
Barry Johnson-Smith, BJS Consulting
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday, April 24, 6:30-8:30pm — Festival Kickoff Screening
Friday, April 24, 6:30 - 8:30pm — Festival Kickoff Screening
(Screening order of films is subject to change)
Total Runtime 2:01
Let It Be Me
3 Minutes
Written and Directed by Rick L. Sadle and Ian Stout
An older gentleman leaves a record store with more than he bargained for after showing up for a job interview.
Ageism is rampant today as younger people decide that youth and enthusiasm outweigh wisdom and experience. We tell a story using song titles and comedy to show that youth doesn't always win.
With:
Rick Sadle - Johnny
John Armour - Herbert
Anita Clark - Melody
Lone Buck Motel
2 Minutes
Directed by Sarah Rae Franklin
After receiving an ominous invitation, Kat arrives at a seemingly empty motel off the highway. She doesn't know who or what she will find in the dark of room 13, her demise, or her wildest dreams, but there is only one way to find out.
No Black Dancers in Portland
14 Minutes
Directed by Shareina Chandler
No Black Dancers in Portland is an intimate look into the lives of Black and Brown strippers in one of the Whitest major metropolises in America: Portland.
Northpass
9 Minutes
Directed by Kaden Reams
After an airplane crashes in the wilderness, a determined man attempts to make it back to civilization.
Duck & Cover
4 Minutes
Directed by Vincent Truman
Safety in schools has never been more important. Follow these easy instructions and make your education more fun than ever!
Once A Second Time
8 Minutes
Directed by Sarah Rae Franklin
Lump is a reclusive 20-something, trying to enjoy her fragile life with her lone friend, Jar. What little stability she has is shattered when her past finally catches up to her and she throws up a salmon in a dingy bar bathroom. To begin to thrive, she must decide if she can embrace vulnerability and open up not only to herself but to those who wish to help her.
It Wants to Come In
8 Minutes
Directed by Tim Blough
A man under psychiatric care believes something is after him. Maybe it's not just his imagination.
With:
Tom Avila — "Carlos"
Tim Jaeger — "Dr. Bently"
My Burning Pianist
20 Minutes
Directed by Andy Batt
When music meets flame, anything can happen. This blazing episode follows the creation of My Burning Pianist, a jaw-dropping performance piece where piano keys trigger 33-foot fire bursts and sound waves dance as flames—staged by clowns, artists, and chaos.
Fire & ICE
4 Minutes
Directed by Jim Hall
Some Kings like to Kill a Dream...
Fire & I.C.E. wrestles with the Soul of America.
It’s time once again to 'get into GOOD trouble, necessary trouble.'
What We Imagined
3 Minutes
Directed by Shubhavi Arya
In a magical park, two children meet across a divide — one fast like a cheetah, the other once feared. Through questions, sketches, and a desktop of dreams, they invite us into a story of transformation, truth, and imagination. Their message is simple but powerful:
Be who you are. Even if you're still figuring it out.
Created by two young girls (8 and 9 years old), this story reflects their hopes for a world where differences are celebrated, mistakes don’t define you, and imagination opens the door to friendship and change. Through magical characters and a handmade digital world, they tell a story many individuals long to live — where being different means being brave, and everyone belongs.
Darkpool No. 0036
15 Minutes
Directed by Josiah Newbolt
Darkpool follows Freddie, a violin player with Tourettes who is suffering from the cost of living crisis and the rising rents in London. He takes it upon himself to rid the world of his greedy landlord, Mike Simmons. Freddie is a confused loner in an unforgiving world trying his best to fight back. His Tourettes making him scary to people but he’s only truly looking to be understood and have his voice heard.
American Teenager
10 Minutes
Directed by Rachel Gosselin and Nili Yosha
Tonya, a teenage girl who is living in a motel with her drug addict mom, is searching far and wide for a cigarette.
American Teenager was produced by first-time filmmakers from Outside the Frame (OTF), an organization that trains homeless and marginalized youth in filmmaking. American Teenager is OTF's largest production to date. All major roles were filled by youth paired with a professional mentor to work by their side.
With:
Sixela — "Tonya"
Tooth-Hurty!
16 Minutes
Directed by Jude Madonna
People-pleaser Lucy has a life-changing appointment with Big Smiles Dentistry.
Katie Small — "Lucy"
Rewind & Rewrite Me
5 Minutes
Directed by Derich Hartfeil
Rewind and Rewrite Me is a youth-focused short film confronting the emotional toll of bullying. It transforms silence into courage, turning pain into connection-and sparks empathy, healing, and action in schools and advocacy spaces.
Saturday, April 25, 12-1:30pm — Screenwriting Panel (FREE)
Interested in screenwriting, either as a film viewer or a film maker? Come hear stories and ask questions of our panelists, experienced screenwriters Cynthia Whitcomb & Dustin Morrow!
Cynthia Whitcomb is a celebrated screenwriter, playwright, author and teacher of writing. She has had thirty full-length scripts filmed and six plays produced. She has been nominated for the Emmy, Edgar Allan Poe, Writers Guild of America and Oregon Book Awards. She has created roles Martin Sheen, Anjelica Huston, Gena Rowlands, Jason Robards, Ellen Burstyn, and many others. For more on Cynthia you can go to cynthiawhitcomb.com
Dustin Morrow is an award-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, programmer and media artist. His work frequently explores the relationship between music and the moving image; intersections of traditional cinema and emerging media; the actor-director relationship; and genre filmmaking. He was born and raised in western Illinois, and received his MFA from the Department of Cinematic Arts at the University of Iowa. He is currently a tenured faculty in the School of Film at Portland State University, where he teaches courses in screenwriting and digital cinema production. He previously taught at Temple University, Monmouth College, and the University of Iowa. He has led film education programs in Dublin, London, and New York City. He is the founding Director of the Portland Music Video Festival, and he has received grants for his work totaling more than half a million dollars.
Saturday, April 25, 2-4pm — Special Screening and Q&A
Saturday, April 25, 2-4pm — Special Film Screening & Filmmaker Q&A
Outliers & Outlaws
A documentary film from The Eugene Lesbian History Project
The hundreds of lesbians who migrated to Eugene, Oregon from the 1960’s-80’s agreed on one thing: everything was going to be different.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director and Cinematographer Courtney Hermann!
Outliers and Outlaws uncovers the history of a large and vibrant lesbian community in Eugene, Oregon. Women who migrated to this small town in the 1960s-90s candidly share stories about the power of courageous and creative world-building. Intimate portraits—both then and now—model living in hard times with hope, humor, and commitment to social change. Narrated by musician Jody Bleyle (Team Dresch and Hazel), Outliers includes a rich archive of images documenting this groundbreaking community. Featured songs: “Song of the Soul” by Cris Williamson, “Ode to a Gym Teacher” by Meg Christian, and a little known ode “Eugene, Oregon” by Dolly Parton accompany this previously untold story.
Courtney Hermann (she/they) is a documentary filmmaker with decades of experience directing, producing, and shooting short and feature-length documentary films. Courtney is co-author of the 7th edition of the foundational textbook Directing the Documentary (2020) with Michael Rabiger and an Associate Professor of Film at Portland State University. Courtney’s feature documentaries include Standing Silent Nation (nationally broadcast on POV/PBS, programmed at the Smithsonian Institution); Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival (selected for dOCUMENTA 15, featured daily at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum); and Crying Earth Rise Up (broadcast on PBS stations nationally). Courtney’s many short films include There’s Heart Here (featured at United States Conference on AIDS and at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health conference) and Burton Before and After.
To see more about the film Outliers and Outlaws, visit the film's website
Saturday, April 25, 5:30-7:30 — Award-Winning Block and Award Ceremony
Saturday, April 25, 5:30-7:30 — Award-Winning Block and Award Ceremony
(Screening order of films is subject to change)
Total Runtime of Films: 1:47
Honorable Mention:
Whoopsies
2 Minutes
Directed by Keeya Wiki
Native Performing Arts Network Youth Camp Film
THIRD PLACE WINNERS:
I Have a Soul
5 Minutes
Directed by Deborah Seitz
“I Have A Soul” is a short experimental film focusing on the ways this film is “real” and can be touched. I have been yearning for ways to be able to touch my art in more ways than just digitally. My new found love of analog filmmaking inspired not only this concept but also an exploration on all the ways I could manipulate video physically. With this project I experimented with a process called chemigrams on top of 16mm film. With this project I was able to let go of the total control I was used to having with digital manipulation and just let the different chemicals on the physical film speak for itself. Same with filming on 8mm film with a camera– in some ways, it was the same as shooting digitally, but it was also challenging because I couldn’t review my footage right away. I had to force myself to let go and trust myself as an artist. This project pushed my comfortability in filmmaking as the more control I had to let go of, the more abstract and aesthetically appealing the film became. As I edited this piece, in more ways than one, I found that this film had a soul of its own.
The Theatre Machine Reunion
24 Minutes
Directed by Theresa Robbins Dudeck and Alicia Robbins
In the early 1960s, the very first improv troupe was started in London called The Theatre Machine which pioneered much of what we recognize in improv today. Created by the legend, Keith Johnstone (author of Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre), who recently passed away at 90, has often been referred to as the God of Impro. He began finding the rules of impro that would go in his book at the Royal Court Theatre with The Theatre Machine. This documentary is the reunion, at the Royal Court Theatre, with three of the original members and Keith.
Zonked
5 Minutes
Directed by Johnny Franco
Johnny Franco's uneasy feeling leads to a shocking discovery about his real brother Dom.
With:
Johnny Franco
Dom Franco
Ural Thomas
SECOND PLACE WINNERS
Digging My Own Grave
4 Minutes
Directed by J.B. Lawrence
In the midst of a storm, a man struggles between burying his fears or facing them head on.
With:
Sam Donald
Heron’s Embrace
9 Minutes
Directed by Therese Gietler
In a warehouse filled with sparks and noise, a team of artists brings a heron to life. Heron’s Embrace is a story about creation through chaos, finding form in uncertainty, and how something extraordinary can take flight when many hands build as one.
Goose Woman
12 Minutes
Written and Directed by Jude Madonna
Aiming to save the world by saving one of its littlest creatures first, the Goose Woman is a paradoxical gift even to herself.
With:
Ariel Pastore-Sebring — "Katie"
Cyndi Rhoads — "Goose Woman"
Katie Small — "Janet"
David Hendrick — "Boss"
Locke Curtis — "Doctor"
Joe Cullen — "Nurse"
FIRST PLACE WINNERS
The Crow and the Butterfly
7 Minutes
Directed by Jude Madonna
Jax looks back on the first time they ever saw Jill and the passionate love affair that followed. As Jax unravels what went wrong, their side of the story becomes ever more tangled.
With:
Alisha Lorentz — "Jill"
Jude Madonna — "Jax"
Andrew Arasaki — "Toothpick Man"
Ashley Arasaki — "Headband"
Keasha Brown — "Jill's Best Friend"
Amelia Ralston-Okabayashi — "Tarot Card Reader"
Alex Howell — "Mustache"
Kendall Watkins — "Gal on Sofa"
Harlee Case — "Girl With Hat "
Kyle Farook — "Tattoos"
Annie Trevisan — "Host"
Mary Krantz — Fran"
Am I An Artist?
10 Minutes
Directed by Sam Forencich
The word "artist" is thrown around so much these days it’s become almost meaningless. Does doing art at any level make you an artist? Is there a standard that confers the title? Is it cool to label yourself an artist? Are you a fine artist, a starving artist, or a scam artist?
While on a philosophical level some might argue that we are all “artists”, what room does that leave for the massively skilled and highly creative practitioner? Please join internationally celebrated metal sculptor Brian Mock as he navigates the question: Am I an artist?
Avagunthan
22 Minutes
Directed by Dhani Jhankal
A talented singer, Akla Bai, belonging to the singing community of Rajasthan, sees the dream of becoming a famous singer who sings without her veil. Her biggest roadblock is the community she belongs to who is intolerant towards women ever discarding their veil or singing in public.
She along with her husband, Nazar, apply to a singing contest that they get selected for and make a plan to run to Mumbai. The night before they are about to leave, they get caught by their aunt, Grushma Bai, who gives her blessings to Nazar but stops Akla Bai from going as she has suffered the consequences of seeing a similar dream.
Supported by original soulful Rajasthani folk music, the movie is about women who dare to dream but have their wings cut off by the unjust and cruel traditions of society, that hasn’t moved forward even though the world has seen tremendous progress in all other spheres. Unless the society makes a change and breaks a generational cycle, this tradition will continue from one generation to another and we will continue losing the voice of these women to these customs.
With:
Ravi Jhankal — "Bhawani"
Sunita Rajwar — "Grushma Bai"
Annapurna Soni — "Akla Bai"
Basu Soni — "Nazar"
Festival Lobby Showcase
The following films from these emerging artists will be showcased in the lobby during the festival weekend!
Bones & Ashes submitted by Tanis Parenteau
Paper Face directed by Silver Hescock & Liliana Jackson
Snag Splat directed by Journey George & Alicia Medina
Lacey directed by Kaulana Hamilton Dworschak & Marisa Sanchez
Shadows directed by Niyla Redwillow
Walk Home submitted by Tanis Parenteau
Life After directed by Gia Fisher
Eyes From Beyond directed by Chloe Powless & Cecilia Arnoux
2020 submitted by Tanis Parenteau
Massa-Cookie Massacre submitted by Tanis Parenteau
Addicted to Comedy directed by Monty Video
A Couples First Christmas: A Christmas Sketch directed by Taizah Lea Reed
AFTERPARTY: Saturday, April 25th, 8pm
Filmmakers and audience alike are welcome to join us at the Film Festival Afterparty, right across the street at the Hillsboro Bar & Grill! From 8pm till whenever, come talk about your favorite films and maybe even plan your own submissions for next year's festival!