The fifth annual University of Oregon Cinema Pacific film festival began five days of events on Wednesday, with a wide array of films, exhibitions, receptions and performances in both Eugene and Portland.
This year’s featured guests include Taiwanese dancer, musician and filmmaker Wen-shing Ho, whose visit is part of a special focus on Taiwanese cinema.
In addition, a focus section on Chile will include a live play reading and also a film by playwright and screenwriter Guillermo Calderón and a mini-retrospective of work by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Other special guests include Korean-French comics and animation artist Jung, performance artist Deke Weaver and Portland-based media artist Vanessa Renwick. Weaver and Renwick will deliver live multimedia performances and Seattle band Tennis Pro will perform following the Eugene premiere of the new film in which they star, “Big in Japan.”
Cinema Pacific is also paying tribute to the work of James Blue, a University of Oregon alumnus and award-winning independent filmmaker renowned for his socially engaged documentaries and teaching.
In Portland, Cinema Pacific will join with the “What Is Documentary?” conference organized by the UO School of Journalism and Communication for a series of plenary talks, panels and screenings devoted to Blue’s career and legacy. Cinema Pacific will also host screenings April 24-26 at the Northwest Film Center in Portland.
Students are more than spectators in Cinema Pacific events. The Adrenaline Film Project gives 12 teams of three people a chance to showcase their collaborative creativity while also racing against the clock.
Teams have exactly 72 hours to pitch, write, shoot, produce and edit a five-minute film based on one prop and a single line of dialogue as described in a story from the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.
“As they say, if you want something done, give it to a busy person,” says Ennis. “If you want some creative genius, push them to the edge of sanity and see what they come up with. It’s exhausting, and I think creativity is sometimes born out of desperation.”
Tickets are still available for most events.