(Photo courtesy of Old Mill District)
On October 7-11, the Bend Film Festival is making its way to theaters and event spaces across Central Oregon for its 23rd year and film fans, filmmakers, industry professionals and other creatives are already securing their passes and planning their itineraries for the five-day event. To help festival-goers make the most of the weekend, we’ve created a brief guide to answer some of the questions that may come up before anyone calls “action!”
Bend Film Fest Screening Locations
Every year, the city’s creative and theatrical community comes together to welcome locals and visitors from across Central Oregon and other parts of the region for the annual Bend Film Festival. Here’s where you’ll be headed:
McMenamins Father Luke’s – 700 NW Bond St., Bend.
Oxford Ballroom by Flip Flop – 10 NW Minnesota Ave., Bend.
Regal Old Mill ScreenX & IMAX – 680 SW Powerhouse Dr., Bend.
Tower Theatre – 835 NW Wall St., Bend.
Tin Pan Theater – 869 NW Tin Pan Alley, Bend.
Wyam Youth Center – 2130 Warm Springs St., Warm Springs.
Film Genres & Categories
Bend Film Fest always has a variety of film categories, each filled with inspiring, creative works suited to a range of interests. Here’s what you have to look forward to:
Animated Short
Documentary Feature Competition
Documentary Short
Documentary Spotlight
Environmental/Outdoor Feature Competition
Environmental/Outdoor Short
Feature Film in Attendance
Indie Filmmaker of the Year
Indigenous Feature Competition
Indigenous Short
Indigenous Special Screening
LGBTQ+
Local Focus
Narrative Feature Competition
Narrative Short
Narrative Spotlight
PNW Spotlight
Shorts Filmmakers in Attendance
Woman Director
To see the full schedule and film lineup, visit https://bendfilm.org/festival.
Panels – Discussions with the Filmmakers
All panels are free to attend and will be hosted at Scalehouse Gallery, 550 NW Franklin Ave., Suite 138, in Bend. These panels offer a chance to go behind the scenes through discussions with filmmakers, programmers and producers and dig into the creative process of filmmaking. This year’s panels and dates include:
Conquering Indie Filmmaking – Friday, October 9 at 11:15 am
Risky Business: Landscape of Making and Distributing Docs – Friday, October 9 at 1:15 pm
Short Films, Long Game: Building a Career on the Festival Circuit – Saturday, October 10 at 11 am
Industry Panel: Development, Packaging & Financing, Distribution – Saturday, October 10 at 1 pm
Ticketing and Passes
Bend Film Festival has a variety of tickets, passes and packages to choose from. To purchase tickets individually, visit the Film Guide or Schedule, or find a breakdown of Bend Film Festival passes and ticket packages here. Perks may include access to the Opening Night Party and Closing Night Ceremony, as well as admission to film screenings at all venues!
With a good baseline for where to start with this year’s Bend Film Festival, it’s time to start building your own itinerary so you can get the most out of the films.
More information can be found on BendFilm’s website and Instagram page. For a full list of FAQs, including information on pass holders, ticketing, seating, Eventive and more, find your answers here.
Kick back with a bucket of popcorn and happy film watching!
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