By Cornelia Laakso In a short preface to the Portland International Film Festival screening of The World is Full of Secrets (2019, U.S.), attending director Graham Swon advised that the film has a “strange rhythm,” and suggested that the audience relax and let it get into their bloodstream. The film, which follows five girls atContinue reading “Indecipherable Secrets”
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Shorts Two: Filmic Records, Done Six Ways
By: Cornelia Laakso The six films in “Chronicles,” the 43rd annual Portland International Film Festival’s second block of shorts, are linked in one common trait; as the title suggests, they can each be described as documenting an occurrence which might otherwise recede into historical or cultural obscurity. The first film in the series, Remembrance (Oregon,Continue reading “Shorts Two: Filmic Records, Done Six Ways”
PIFF 2020: It Must Be Heaven, drawing Palestine through the different worlds.
A cynical but heartwarming message for Palestine and for people all around the world. The opening sequence of It Must Be Heaven has something out of the ordinary. The sacred religious procession is blocked and goes wrong because of the greek orthodox church gatekeeper’s absurd excuse. This opening sequence makes the audience laugh and givesContinue reading “PIFF 2020: It Must Be Heaven, drawing Palestine through the different worlds.”
Purple Rain: Community Building Through Camp
Film Festivals above all else are meant to bring people together. They are meant to create conversations, create a community, celebrate filmmaking and spectacle. The retrospective on Purple Rain was fun, energetic, and campy. Prince’s film debut celebrated his talent and theatrics and above all brought people together to dance and laugh. This retrospective setContinue reading “Purple Rain: Community Building Through Camp”
The Good, The Impactful and The Problematic: PIFF’s Short Program Number Three
By Charlie Faulkner For the PIFF the shorts programming was guided by specified themes; for shorts program number three, the theme was longing. The structure of the night was divided into nine shorts (two of which were not listed on the program for shorts three and came as a bit of a surprise to myselfContinue reading “The Good, The Impactful and The Problematic: PIFF’s Short Program Number Three”
Thunderbolt in Mine Eye: Coming of Age in the “Me Too” Era
by Karlee Boon Thunderbolt in Mine Eye is a local feature film directed by Portland-local brother/sister directing duo Sarah and Zachary Sherman. The film had its World Premiere on Tuesday, March 10 at the Whitsell Auditorium, with both directors and the lead actress all in attendance. The film follows Harper (Anjini Taneja Azhar) as sheContinue reading “Thunderbolt in Mine Eye: Coming of Age in the “Me Too” Era”
The Climb at Cinema 21
In a post-screening Q&A, writer, producer, and actor Kyle Marvin described contemporary comedy in cinema to be focused on fitting as many jokes into the script as possible. In The Climb, Marvin and his director/co-producer/co-star Michael Angelo Covino come together to create a different kind of contemporary buddy comedy, one with uniquely long takes, slowContinue reading “The Climb at Cinema 21”
It Must Be Heaven (2019)
There is a misconception of festival films as being eternally stuffy and self-important, but director Elia Suleiman couldn’t be farther from such concepts. In his return to film, It Must Be Heaven, he tackles the Israel/Palestine conflict through a global perspective. Before walking into the film, I heard one festival-goer complain that “every festival hasContinue reading “It Must Be Heaven (2019)”
Life as We Know It: A Review of Anna at 13000 Feet
Anna at 13,000 feet directed by Kazik Radwanski is a heartbreaking story that revolves around the concept of loneliness and anxiety. The narrative is built around the character Anna (played by Deragh Campbell)beginning to live on her own while starting full time employment at a local Seattle daycare. Anna as a character is reluctant toContinue reading “Life as We Know It: A Review of Anna at 13000 Feet”
The World is Full of Secrets (2019): An Eerie and Nostalgic Exploration of Female Friendships
Do you remember your childhood sleepovers? The ones where you would stay up with your friends, eat pizza, pierce each other’s ears, and try to prank and scare each other all night? The World is Full of Secrets by US director Graham Swon immerses us into this nostalgic experience, while succeeding as an unconventional horror. Continue reading “The World is Full of Secrets (2019): An Eerie and Nostalgic Exploration of Female Friendships”
PSU School of Film @ PIFF 