Oregon Indie Film

On this episode I chat with a trio of guests. Robert Lester a professional adventure athlete, Braxton Mitchell, his cousin who had never been in a canoe and Neil Larson the Director and Cinematographer who captured the story of the Columbia River Canoe Project. You may have been lucky to catch this documentary at one of its sold-out screenings last year in Portland.

Robert and Braxton paddled their canoe from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean on a journey that spanned 1300 miles over 52 days, braving rapids, weather and some unexpected challenges.

This documentary from Compassionate Disaster Films and Mountain King Industries is set to release later this summer to streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

The project follows their long and tough journey while focusing awareness and attention to the health of the river basin and how dramatically the use of the river has changed since the native peoples who lived with and on these waters.

Buckle in for an enjoyable conversation with these three adventurers.

LINKS:

Watch the trailer

Compassionate Disaster Films

Mountain King Industries

Instagram

Robert Lester on Instagram

Braxton Mitchell on Instagram

Neil Larson on Instagram

This episode features Jared Bumgarner, the Producer of AstroNot about an absurd day-in-the-life of a man trapped in his own delusions until he finds the power of collaboration. We chat about this short comedy that is a collaboration itself, with live action and animation and a collaboration between Jared and his friend Zach Sheehan who wrote and directed the film. AstroNot is a love letter to low budget physical effects, hand made animation, and very silly jokes. This film uses a comedic lens to explore the dysphoria in comparing one’s own life to another’s success and the growth that can come from friendship and creative collaboration. These have all been hard won lessons for me as an artist and human. My hope is that anyone watching this film gets to the credits and immediately wants to go make a film with their friends. Never give up on your goals.We also talk about Jared’s other work as a first assistant director and production scheduler with Shadow Machine on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio which won the Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards among others for Best Animated Feature. This interview is the final one in a series of conversations this summer with filmmakers whose work will be screening at the Portland Festival of Cinema Animation & Technology.LINKS:Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology WebsitePFCAT TicketsTickets for the Comedy Shorts ShowcaseSunday, August 23, 2026 6:00 PM PDTPFCAT Creator ExpoSaturday, August 22 at OMSI11am-2pmFREE with registration hereZach Sheehan on InstagramShadow Machine WebsiteShadow Machine on Instagram

Dawn Jones Redstone is a self-taught Portland filmmaker who is best known for their film Mother of Color, streaming now on major platforms. But as you will hear, she writes and directs a wide range of both commercial and narrative films known for their emotional resonance, imaginative storytelling, and a commitment to centering women of color.

Dawn’s latest film Hostile Work Environment has been selected to screen at The Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology in the Comedy Shorts Showcase at OMSI on Sun, Aug 23rd, 6:00 PM

When fridge politics spiral out of control, Liza isn’t sure if her passive-aggressive co-worker is just a jerk or actually undead. With barricades, microaggressions, and donuts on the line, survival in this office comedy gets gross.

This interview is one in a series of conversations this summer with filmmakers whose work will be screening at the Portland Festival of Cinema Animation & Technology also known as PFCAT.

LINKS:

Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology Website

PFCAT Tickets

Be sure to get you tickets to the Comedy Shorts Showcase

PFCAT Creator ExpoSaturday, August 22 at OMSI11am-2pm

FREE with registration here

Dawn Jones Redstone Website

Dawn Jones Redstone on Instagram

As part of the work Shannon Breen and Justin Oliphant do with The Long Now Foundation, their documentary Elders of Time is a fascinating look at the philosophy of time. Specifically, Bristlecone Time a conceptual, climate-aware measure of time created by artist and philosopher Jonathon Keats in collaboration with The Long Now Foundation and the Nevada Museum of Art. It is calibrated to the slow and irregular annual growth of ancient Great Basin bristlecone pine trees on Mount Washington in Nevada.This interview is one in a series of conversations this summer with filmmakers whose work will be screening at the Portland Festival of Cinema Animation & Technology.Elders of Time will be Screening Friday, August 21st 6:00pm in the Portland Documentary Shorts block of PFCAT at OMSI.My apologies, I refer to this documentary as Elders in Time a couple of times during the interview - the correct title is Elders of Time.LINKS:Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology WebsitePFCAT TicketsBe sure to get you tickets to the Portland Documentary Shorts block on Friday, August 21, 2026 6:00 PM PFCAT Creator ExpoSaturday, August 22 at OMSI11am-2pmFREE with registration hereShannon Breen & Justin Oliphant and their work:Shannon Breen Website Justin Oliphant and Explorer’s Guild Explorers Guild on Instagram The Long Now Organization Website The Long Now Organization on YouTube Linked In

Shannon

Justin

This interview is one in a series of conversations this summer with filmmakers whose work will be screening at the Portland Festival of Cinema Animation & Technology.

I sat down with Winslow Crane-Murdoch the director and Kyle Von Hoetzendorff with Lucky Day Post production house to talk about Oh Whale.

When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence OR on November 12th, 1970, he had no idea that the story he was about to tell would forever define his career. Following a small Oregon town, an exploding whale, and the man who made the story famous, Oh Whale is about how we don’t get to choose our fate, only what we make of it.

Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology Website:

https://pdxfestofcinema.com/

PFCAT Tickets

Be sure to get you tickets to the Portland Documentary Shorts block on Friday, August 21, 2026 6:00 PM

PFCAT Creator Expo

Saturday, August 22 at OMSI

11am-2pm

FREE with registration here.

Winslow Crane-Murdoch and his work:

Website

Side Yard Studios

Oh Whale the movie

Instagram

Oh Whale Movie on Instagram

Linked In

Kyle Von Hoetzendorff - Lucky Day

At the age of 57, Rob Garrott quit his swanky job and enrolled in the character animation program at Animation Mentor to learn how to bring polygons to life. Now in his 60s, Rob is on a mission to learn, create and grow for as long as he can. His first animated film “Sweet Enough to Eat” has been selected to screen at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology.

Rob joined me from his home in Bend, Oregon to chat about his film, his animation career and how it feels to have his first film premiering at PFCAT.

SHOW NOTES:

LINKS:

Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology Website

PFCAT TicketsTickets for the Adventures in Becoming Block Sun, Aug 23rd, 2:00 PM @ The Empirical Theater

PFCAT Creator Expo

Saturday, August 22 at OMSI

11am-2pm

FREE with registration here

Rob Garrott and his work:

Bending Pixels

Instagram

Facebook

Linked In

This summer I am doing a series of interviews with filmmakers whose work will be screened at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology – also known as PFCAT , happening August 18th through 23rd at OMSI in Portland. At PFCAT you’ll experience 170 indie films from 30 countries, filmmaker Q&As, educational panels and networking events. It’s 6 days of events that brings our local community together through visionary film and animation. Find the full schedule and tickets at pdxfestofcinema.com.

This episode features Therese Gietler (producer) and Andy Batt (Director). Their short documentary - My Burning Pianist – has been nominated for an award and will be screening on Friday, August 21st at 6:00pm

“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.”

SHOW NOTES:

Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology Website

PFCAT Tickets

Tickets for the Portland Documentary Shorts block

PFCAT Creator Expo

Saturday, August 22 at OMSI

11am-2pm

FREE with registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pfcat-creator-expo-tickets-1987246003291

Therese, Andy and their work:

Sparking Creativity

Therese Gietler

Andy Batt or Andy Batt art

My Burning Pianist website

Follow on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sparkingcreativity.art/

https://www.instagram.com/twistymaurice/

https://www.instagram.com/andybattportfolio/

https://www.instagram.com/theaskaproducer/

This summer I am doing a series of interviews with filmmakers whose work will be screened at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology – also known as PFCAT, happening August 18th through 23rd at OMSI in Portland.

At PFCAT you’ll experience 170 indie films from 30 countries, filmmaker Q&As, educational panels and networking events. It’s 6 days of events that brings our local community together through visionary film and animation.

Find the full schedule and tickets at pdxfestofcinema.com

Today’s guest is the first in this series:

Erika Bolstad is a journalist, author, and documentarian. Her short documentary The Elk will be screening during the opening night at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology.

The subject of her 30 minute documentary is Portland’s Thompson Elk Statue and the unfolding fate of the elk and other monuments, telling the story of a nation divided over who and what belongs on a pedestal.

Erika shares how this project came to be and her other projects, as well as her experience in the recent Sundance Collab and traveling around the country researching monuments, their effect on communities, and the stories they tell.

If you are watching this interview you’ll notice the t-shirt Erika is wearing with artwork of The Elk – you can get your own t-shirt and support Erika’s film at MakingMonumental.com

SHOW NOTES:

Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology WebsitePFCAT TicketsTickets for the Portland Documentary Shorts block

Erika's WebsiteMaking MonumentalPurchase The Elk t-shirtErika Bolsted on InstagramErika Bolsted on FacebookErika Bolstad on Linkedin

Elena and Simon King, founders of the Lake Oswego Film Festival sit down for a conversation with Oregon Indie Film as they embark on their first year of the festival. We talk about how the idea developed and the plans they have not only for this first year but their hopes for the growth of the festival. We also chat about Simon’s career as a screenwriter and filmmaker, working in Oregon and their plans for filming in Europe.

SHOW NOTES:

Festival website

The Lake Oswego Film Festival on Facebook

The Lake Oswego Film Festival on Instagram

Film Freeway – to enter your short film https://filmfreeway.com/LakeOswegoFilmFestival

Clearstream Entertainment Website

Clearstream Entertainment on Facebook

Clearstream Entertainment on Instagram

Silver Falls Film Festival – Mike Turner

Michael Turner is an independent filmmaker and the creator of the award-winning autobiographical documentaries The Way We Talk (2016) and Monument (2023), which have screened around the world in many languages. He is a past Oregon Media Arts Fellow and has worked with The Immigrant Story, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, and many other impactful organizations. He is currently with Silverton Arts Association.

Mike is producing the 4th Annual Silver Falls Film Festival at the Palace Theater in Silverton, Oregon on August 20th, 2026

The festival is open now for submissions via Film Freeway Showcasing short films and providing opportunity to network and enjoy the small community of Silverton, Oregon.

We chat about how the festival began, the growth it has experienced over the last four years, and thoughts on the festival’s future.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mike Turner.

LINKS: Mike Turner Real Light Films

The Palace Theater Film Freeway – to enter Silver Falls Film FestivalSilverton Arts AssociationCollective Eye Films

Silverton Arts Associationhttps://www.silvertonarts.org/Collective Eye Filmshttps://www.collectiveeye.org/