(L-R: Cactus Touch, Moles, Visions)
19th Annual BendFilm Festival Set To Run in Person October 6-9
and Streaming Online October 10-23, 2022
The Oscar® Qualifying BendFilm Festival Will Present 71 Short Films and 33 Feature Films From Around The Globe
Bend, OR – BendFilm announced today the 71 short films set to screen at the 19th annual BendFilm Festival running October 6 – 23, 2022. BendFilm Festival is recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® as Oscar® qualifying for narrative, animated and indigenous short films.
Short films are curated into blocks that share a unifying theme. Some examples include: survival, familial bonds, exploration of self, connections to nature, kid centric stories, healing and indigenous traditions. BendFilm is presenting 7 short films as World Premieres.
BendFilm will continue its filmmaker-focused efforts to award over $12,000 in prizes directly to independent filmmakers in these competition categories including $5,000 for Best of Show. Passes are on sale now for the in-person festival events October 6-9 and the streaming events October 10-23.
Selin Sevinc, BendFilm Head Programmer, said, “There are films in the shorts categories that you feel on a cellular level rather than passively watching. I encourage everyone to try a shorts program to see a wide range of stories that are life-affirming, unpredictable, thought-provoking and fun.”
Upcoming BendFilm Festival announcements include Spotlight feature films, the 2022 First Features honoree and (Indie) Woman of the Year honoree. Submissions are now open for a grant offering $10,000 to a BIPOC filmmaker which will be given out after a live pitch at the Festival.
SHORT FILMS SELECTED TO SCREEN IN BENDFILM 2022:
ANIMATED SHORTS
C’est La Vie (Poland) | Directed by Jacek Olejnik, Rafał Sankiewicz, Wojciech Sankiewicz and Bartosz Terlicki
West Coast Premiere
A man faces the most peculiar moment in the art of life, balance, and choices, finding that some everyday decisions may seem meaningless, while others can turn your world upside down.
Homebird (United Kingdom) | Directed by Ewa Smyk
Oregon Premiere
Struggling to make it in a big city, a young artist finds herself retreating into the rose-tinted memories of the village she left behind.
Ice Merchants (Portugal/France/UK) | Directed by João Gonzalez
US Premiere
Every day, a father and his son parachute from their cliff-top house to the village on the ground, where they sell the ice.
More Than I Want to Remember (USA/Chile) | Directed by Amy Bench
Northwest Premiere
In southeastern Congo, 14-year-old Mugeni awakes to the sounds of bombs and finds herself completely alone. (Plays before The Game).
My Year of Dicks (USA) | Sara Gunnarsdóttir
Northwest Premiere
An imaginative fifteen-year-old is stubbornly determined to lose her virginity despite the pathetic pickings in the outskirts of Houston in the early ’90s.
New Moon (USA/France) | Directed by Jeremie Balais, Jeff LeBars, Raul Domingo
Northwest Premiere
An imaginative, surrealist journey of a Black boy and his mother on a summer evening in a West Philadelphia backyard. (Plays before Butterfly in the Sky)
Of Wood (USA) | Directed by Owen Klatte
Northwest Premiere
Carvings come alive to illustrate the uses of wood—until things get out of hand. (Plays before Path of the Panther)
The Originals (USA) | Directed by Cristina Maria Costantini and Alfie Kim Koetter
Oregon Premiere
Ten years after falling in love with their Brooklyn landlord, Matty “Square” Ruggieroand, Cristina and Alfie get back in touch with Matty to hear stories of what it was like to grow up in South Brooklyn, where money was tight but friendships were tighter.
The Record (Switzerland) | Directed by Jonathan Laska
Northwest Premiere
An antique musical instrument dealer receives a magical vinyl record from a traveler that plays lost memories and is flooded with childhood reveries.
The Seine’s Tears (France) | Directed by Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleur
Northwest Premiere
On October 17, 1961, Algerian workers took to the Paris streets to protest the mandatory curfew imposed by the police. (Plays before You Resemble Me)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Conducting Life (USA) | Directed by Diane Moore
Central Oregon Premiere
In a profession that has traditionally overlooked musicians of color, Roderick Cox is on a quest to succeed in the highly competitive field of orchestral conducting.
Fog (USA) | Directed by Michael Pedraza
Northwest Premiere
Moved by the inhumanity of homelessness on his daily walk to work, a San Francisco doctor decides to take action.
Janwaar (USA) | Directed by Danny Schmidt
West Coast Premiere
Raw talent, creativity, and unadulterated childhood find a home on four wheels, and manage to break down generations of caste and gender barriers in the process. (Plays before Au Revoir)
Kinderland (USA) | Directed by Amy Grappell
Northwest Premiere
The story of two secular Jewish summer camps that have cultivated social activists for almost a century and are still in existence today.
Meantime (USA) | Directed by Michael T. Workman
Oregon Premiere
As an isolated winter takes hold, a son returns home to reckon with the past that haunts his father. (Plays before Acidman)
One Buck Won’t Hurt (USA) | Directed by Christopher Stoudt
World Premiere
Four Black teenagers in New Orleans support themselves by tap dancing for tips in the French Quarter, navigating the reckless optimism of youth and the bitter pains of growing up fast in the incarceration capital of America.
Seeds for the Future (Spain) | Directed by Alberto Utrera
US Premiere
To safeguard their culinary heritage and family legacy, brothers and restaurant owners go on a journey where they discover the alarming rate of diminishing crop diversity.
Stranger at the Gate (USA) | Directed by Joshua Seftel
Oregon Premiere
A would-be terrorist’s plan takes an unexpected turn when he meets the people he set out to kill.
Takilma Stories (USA) | Directed by Philip Lauri and Steven Oliver
Central Oregon Premiere
Protests in the streets. Environmental crises. A madman in the White House. Welcome to 1970. In a quiet pocket of Oregon, a utopian community of hippies, midwives, and self-taught builders reflect on being one of the last idyllic and uncompromised places in America.
The Space Between Us (USA) | Directed by Gabriel Diamond
Northwest Premiere
A pair of dancers, teachers, and activists in the Bay Area take part in a radical experiment in the power of bearing witness, inviting vulnerability, and sharing movement in a time of social distancing and racial reckoning.
Unflinching Grace (USA) | Directed by Bill Frakes
Northwest Premiere
Three legendary photojournalists travel the globe in search of the truth as they seek to tell stories that need to be told, from hometowns to war-ravaged lands.
Visions (USA) | Directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper
West Coast Premiere
Three artists—a first-generation Congolese-American illustrator, a Chicanx musician and a Vietnamese visual and textile artist—find elation through art.
When the Swallows Fly Away (Belgium) | Directed by Sébastien Pins
Oregon Premiere
In a small rural village, a young boy befriends Fernand and Andrée, a farmer couple who, at 80 years old, find themselves struggling to feed their remaining livestock.
ENVIRONMENTAL / OUTDOOR
Before I Die (USA) | Directed by Mark Anders and Rush Sturges
Northwest Premiere
Following the untimely death of their father to Early-Onset Alzheimer’s, the Bussell family grapples with the life-altering decision of whether or not to find out if they too carry the gene.
JEFF (Canada/USA) | Directed by Walter Woodman
Northwest Premiere
JEFF is an Amazon delivery drone on his last mission during the apocalypse. (Plays before Unidentified)
I Am Salmon (USA) | Directed by Whit Hassett
Northwest Premiere
A longtime environmentalist and former captain of a salmon troller connects humanity with salmon and the sea through the subtle art of poetry and gyotaku, or fish rubbing.
Mandatory Gear (USA) | Directed by Emily Hopcian
West Coast Premiere
In the male-dominated sport of adventure racing, one team challenges history and stereotypes in a competition through Central Oregon’s wilderness. (Plays before Pasang)
Monumental Divide (USA) | Directed by Brian Olliver
Oregon Premiere
A young couple comes to terms with social forces that drove them out of a utopian rural community.
Ola Ka Honua (Australia) | Directed by Jilli Rose
US Premiere
For the past 25 years, thousands of volunteers at Auwahi, a storied forest on the leeward side of a volcano on Maui, have proven that it’s never too late for restoration. (Plays before Uyra: The Rising Forest)
Push (USA) | Directed by Jasmine Quinones
Oregon Premiere
A young Puerto Rican woman feels the friction of her identity and her passion for skateboarding.
Yo Gleans (USA) | Directed by Blake Horn
Central Oregon Premiere
A day in the life of Yosarian Bisbee, aka Yo, who gathers “junk” from the local dump and unwanted food from the grocery store, all in an effort to minimize waste.
INDIGENOUS SHORTS
Bring the Salmon Home (USA) | Directed by Shane Anderson
Central Oregon Premiere
Tribal communities embark on a 300-mile run in solidarity to the headwaters of the Klamath River.
Daughter of the Sea (Puerto Rico) | Directed by Alexis C. Garcia
Oregon Premiere
After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea.
Kumu Niu (USA) | Directed by Alex Cantatore
Northwest Premiere
On the island of O’ahu, the grassroots movement Niu Now is on a mission to restore the niu, or coconut, as a fundamental food crop in Hawai’i.
Rosalie Fish (USA) | Directed by Tim Kemple and Faith Briggs
West Coast Premiere
For an Indigenous student-athlete and activist, running isn’t just a sport. (Plays before Being Michelle)
Sakari Farms: First Foods Cooking (USA) | Directed by Robert A. Cuadra
World Premiere
Spring Alaska from Sakari Farms demonstrates how salmon plays a critical role in our shared ecosystem and has sustained our tribes living throughout the Columbia River Watershed for centuries.
No Spectators Allowed (USA) | Directed by Kanani Koster
Oregon Premiere
A true-crime podcast host sits down with an Indigenous woman to record her sister’s cold case, but their intentions for telling this story come to a head as they examine the night in question.
Winter Worm Summer Grass (USA) | Directed by Justin Perkinson
Central Oregon Premiere
In the remote mountains along the Tibetan Plateau, a family forages the meadow for medicinal caterpillar fungus.
KIDS AND FAMILY
Cat and Moth (UK and Canada) | Directed by India Barnardo
Northwest Premiere
A fluffy white cat wants nothing more than to find the most comfortable spot in the universe, but little does she know a fuzzy winged intruder, Monty, has his eye on it, too.
Echo (South Korea) | Directed by Sang Joon Kim
World Premiere
Two brothers living in an apartment in Korea in the ’90s are disrupted every morning at dawn by a stranger’s yelling. After hearing a rumor that he’s a cannibal, they start their own investigation to find the man’s motives.
Laika & Nemo (Germany) | Directed by Jan Gadermann and Sebastian Gadow
Northwest Premiere
In his big diving suit and helmet, Nemo looks different than everyone around him, until he meets Laika, an astronaut.
Run Totti Run (USA) | Directed by Shad Lee Bradbury
Northwest Premiere
A young boy and his dog in the rice fields of Cambodia encounter an unmoving obstacle that will bring their love to light in this endearing story between best friends.
The Social Chameleon (USA) | Directed by Alex Ross
Oregon Premiere
Everything changes for Cosmo, a chameleon who can’t seem to find his place in the jungle, when he meets another reptile like him.
NARRATIVE SHORTS
An Irish Goodbye (Ireland) | Directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Northwest Premiere
Against the backdrop of rural Northern Ireland, estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan reunite following the untimely death of their mother and the discovery of her unfulfilled bucket list.
Babysitting (USA) | Directed by Patrick Noth
World Premiere
Working from home as a creative can be difficult, especially when you’re babysitting three kids.
Cactus Touch (USA) | Directed by Michael Langan
Central Oregon Premiere
What happens if you touch the cactus?
Chorus (USA) | Directed by Daneil J. Egbert
Northwest Premiere
A brokenhearted music teacher must harmonize with his increasingly desperate son after 9/11.
Concrete and Steel (Spain) | Directed by Oriol Villar
Central Oregon Premiere
Victor and Nacho, lifetime friends and mafiosos, have been chained together and abandoned in a deserted area with no clear way to escape, but a confession from Nacho will change their lives forever.
Congratulations (USA) | Directed by Emma Hall-Martin
World Premiere
On the day of her mother’s wedding, Delia seeks clarity about a strange moment with her stepfather.
El Carrito (USA) | Directed by Zahida Pirani
Oregon Premiere
Nelly, who lives alone with her elderly father and makes ends meet by working as a street vendor, is forced to take a leap of faith or be resigned in her position forever.
El Portafolio (USA) | Directed by Scottie Cameron
Northwest Premiere
Clutching a mysterious briefcase, a man arrives home late to his concerned wife.
Enchanted Cove (USA) | Directed by Jeff Kardesch
US Premiere
A woman on a hike discovers a body at the basin of a waterfall. Nearby, she finds a camera on a tripod. After the police arrive, she returns home, only to have forgotten to hand over the camera.
Enjoy (United Kingdom) | Directed by Saul Abraham
Northwest Premiere
Progressive muscle relaxation, Lycra, spoken word. As Michael (Himesh Patel) seeks novel ways to halt his spiraling depression, a moment of hope arrives via an unexpected source.
Esther in Wonderland (USA/Switzerland) | Directed by Stephanie Bollag
West Coast Premiere
Drawn to the expressiveness of hip hop and breakdance, Esther tests the boundaries of her restricted existence as a young married woman in the Hasidic community of 1990s Crown Heights, New York.
Farmers Dating (USA/France) | Directed by Alexandra Hsu
World Premiere
In rural France, a brokenhearted young farmer struggles to understand a new world of dating, and she’s not sure her tomatoes are ripe for anyone. (Plays before Sweet Disaster)
Georgia (South Korea) | Directed by Jayil Pak
Central Oregon Premiere
Based on a true story, two computer-illiterate parents decide to design a protest banner when the police refuse to investigate their daughter’s alleged suicide.
I Live Here (Canada) | Directed by Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Northwest Premiere
After coming home from a late-night study session at the library, a Black university student realizes he is locked out of his apartment building, where he has a confrontation with a skeptical white man.
Le Pompon (France) | Directed by David Hourrègue
Oregon Premiere
Sandra is a struggling single mom and she’s losing the plot—until she sees an opportunity to get even with the world.
Moles (Switzerland) | Directed by Vanja Victor Kabir Tognola
Oregon Premiere
Unable to afford a fancy holiday, a family fakes one through photoshopped posts on social media.
Monkey-Love, Please Hold (Canada) | Directed by Greg Fox
Oregon Premiere
When reclusive, heartbroken and karaoke-loving Ben receives an unsolicited package from a mysterious delivery man, his stale dreary life is turned upside down.
North Star (USA) | Directed by P. J. Palmer
Oregon Premiere
A rural rancher and his ailing husband, struggling against poverty and isolation, are forced to make a heartbreaking decision in order to preserve the dignity of their marriage in the face of mounting pressures from relatives.
Payraise (France) | Directed by Régis Granet
US Premiere
During her annual review, an employee understands that, once again, she will not receive a raise.
Rendezvous (USA) | Directed by Benjamin Howard
Northwest Premiere
A teenager searches for intimacy, and finds out what happens when innocence is lost and childhood ends—all within a single afternoon.
The Diaper Cake (Ukraine) | Directed by Anastasia Babenko
Oregon Premiere
Lena and Vitya are a young couple, who now have a baby and no choice but to grow up.
The Fourth (USA) | Directed by Johnny Kirk
Northwest Premiere
Eager to celebrate the Fourth of July, a group of young black and Latino friends experience a police encounter that shatters the meaning of the holiday.
The Mighty Kingdom (France) | Directed by Julien Meynet
US Premiere
Every Sunday in the mountains of Corsica, Jean and Matthias go hunting with their father, Petru. While they are preparing to hunt at dawn, a violent fight erupts between the two brothers.
The Red Suitcase (Luxembourg) | Directed by Cyrus Neshvad
West Coast Premiere
A 16-year-old veiled Iranian girl is terrified to leave the Luxembourg airport.
The Thing That Happened (USA) | Directed by Amelia Asilis
World Premiere
A troubled woman and her therapist wade through the landscape of her mind to face a childhood event.
The Truth of a Thousand Nights (USA) | Directed by Chris Molina
West Coast Premiere
After an explosive hook-up, two men bond over their differing views on love, sex, and relationships.
What is in the Ocean? (USA) | Directed by Preston Moss
US Premiere
The interviewee in a 1960s oceanography documentary deserts his post, forcing a bewildered narrator to chase him down. (Plays before Unidentified)
Wishaway (Austria) | Directed by Klara von Veegh
US Premiere
An act of violence forces a young mother and her three-year-old son to flee across wintry Austria, a journey that forces her to realize that we all leave traces in the lives of others, whether we want to or not.
About BendFilm:
BendFilm hosts an annual independent film festival, year-round film exhibitions, and programs, and is the proud owner of the Tin Pan Theater – a boutique arthouse cinema located in downtown Bend’s Tin Pan Alley. The organization is designed to support and nourish filmmakers and enrich the cultural life of Central Oregon while also providing an economic benefit to the region. Celebrating its 19th year, BendFilm is proud to bring diverse voices and visions to the Bend community. The BendFilm Festival runs every October in Bend, Oregon. Make plans to join us October 6-23, 2022 for in-person and virtual cinema plus filmmaker workshops, panels and more. Bend is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, foodies, beer lovers and stunning natural scenery. BendFilm is made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous donors, members and sponsors. For more information, call (541) 388-3378 or visit bendfilm1dev.wpengine.com. Connect with BendFilm on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.