Southwest Oregon doesn’t usually register as a place rich in burgeoning young filmmakers, and it’s unlikely that most people living in the Willamette Valley recognize that cinematic creations are happening in this state in places beyond Portland – places like Linn, Benton, Coos, Douglas, Jackson and Lane Counties.
Eugene’s Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts, or DIVA Center, has ensured that aspiring directors, cinematographers and writers from the lower valley down to the California border do not go unnoticed. Its fifth annual installment of the OpenLens Festival, which runs for three days starting Friday, will provide a platform for dozens of teen and college student filmmakers to have their works viewed by an audience and judged by a panel of jurors.
The festival, created specifically to highlight emerging artists outside of Portland, will feature two separate competitions and seminars by two industry professionals.
The Youth Visions Teen Video Challenge will highlight short films of less than five minutes by youth ages 13 through 18 living in Lane County. Winning videos will go on to be shown at other festivals and be part of a 2009 Youth Visions Festival compilation.
“Last year was the first time Youth Visions films were screened at the festival,” said DIVA Center Program Manager Eric Ostlind. “The goal has been to give teens a voice to tell their story (and) to show their perspective.”
The Southwest Oregon Short Film & Video Competition is the festival’s signature event and will showcase short films of 10 minutes or less from all over Southwest Oregon. Prizes for the competition include “Best Juried” and “Audience Choice” awards.
Supplementing the competition will be the 2009 festival host and filmmaker in residence, animator Joanna Priestly. In addition to a Friday night screening of an extensive compilation of her animated shorts, ranging from drawings on paper to puppets to computer animation, she will also lead an interactive seminar on Saturday afternoon that will include a discussion on the most important components of animation and a demonstration of Adobe Flash and the Wacom tablet.
Sunday will feature a seminar tutorial by game designer Simon Strange. He will describe what goes into the creation of successful games and cover animation specifics such as avatar composition and how to create player feedback loops for character simulations.
Ostlind said that as video games have evolved, they have become more like an interactive form of storytelling and movie making.
“As technology advances and video games look more realistic, many of the same talents and skills used in making movies are in demand in game design.”
Regular admission to the seminars is $40, or $25 for students and those who purchase the $5 festival admission.
OpenLens, and DIVA in general, Ostlind said, is about building and supporting community.
“Most of the filmmakers will be at the festival and it’s an opportunity to meet them and for filmmakers to get support and feedback on their works,” he said.
There will be post-screening discussion and encore Sunday matinées of all the works presented at the festival.
Film Reporter
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