In the heart of Eugene, one non-profit organization is striving to offer aspiring filmmakers unique opportunities this winter.
The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts, or DIVA Center, will kick off a series of filmmaking events this weekend with its fourth annual OpenLens Festival.

The festival, which was created specifically to highlight emerging filmmakers outside of Portland, will span three days and feature several workshops.
This year’s special guest is independent filmmaker Aaron Douglas.
On Friday, Douglas will screen a documentary he co-produced called “Monster Camp.” The film focuses on a group of “World of Warcraft” fanatics who engage in live role-playing.
“Monster Camp” follows the group as they pretend to be gaming characters for 48 consecutive hours at an annual event in Seattle.
Douglas will also instruct two workshops about the various stages of documentary production this weekend.
Other OpenLens workshops include a celebration of last year’s teen video competition called the YouthVisions Project and an admission-free, Eugene-minded seminar presented by Al Gore’s global peer-to-peer channel Current TV.
DIVA Center Program Manager Eric Ostlind said Current TV “heard about us and wanted to be involved” in the event.
The OpenLens Festival screening begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, with an encore matinee presentation on Sunday.
There will also be a post-screening discussion and an awards ceremony to celebrate the Best Juried, Honorable Mention and Audience Choice selections.
Ostlind said OpenLens is a great opportunity for students and admirers of film.
“It’s a chance to support emerging artists,” he said.
In addition to OpenLens and weekly screenwriting seminars, the DIVA Center is offering several other filmmaking workshops this season, including “Guerilla Marketing and Self-Distribution of Your Film,” “Star Trek: Behind The Scenes (Writing for Science Fiction Television)” and “Make Your Own Damn Movie” with Troma’s own Lloyd Kaufman.
The DIVA Center provides a place for artists to promote and screen their work, Ostlind said.
“It’s an educational opportunity for student filmmakers.”
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