Filmmakers giving voice to the voiceless. View films of advocacy here.

View all 2022 films here: https://pdxff.com/films Click on individual films for all showings and to purchase tickets or CONTACT heather @ portlandfilm.org for Media pass

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SHORTS IMAGE ASSETS
Why I’m a Vegan
John Leguizamo Live at Rikers
My name is Nobody
CANS Can’t Stand
Save Ralph
No Girls Allowed!
FEATURES IMAGE ASSETS
#IamVanessaGuillen
Bring Her Home
Green Is The New Black
How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?
Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis
Live Out Loud
Powerlands
Sign the Show
TRASHY: a zero waste film
Utica: The Last Refuge
We Are Not Ghouls
Why On Earth

View Films here

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SHORTS SUMMARIES
Why I’m a Vegan Why I’m a Vegan – Why I’m A Vegan is an exploration of iconic musician Moby’s journey into veganism.
Animation Short. Directed by Lindsay Hicks. 9.07 min. USA. Festival Premiere
John Leguizamo Live at Rikers John Leguizamo Live at Rikers – ActorJohn Leguizamo performs his hit Broadway show “Ghetto Klown” at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for over 400 inmates and engages in intimate discussions with justice-involved young men who are enrolled in Getting Out and Staying Out, an anti-recidivism program. This moving documentary brings attention to the serious challenges and the often ignored humanity of those incarcerated and the programs that exist to reduce the revolving door of recidivism.Documentary Short. Directed by Elena Francesca Engel. 26 min. USA. Oregon Premiere

My name is Nobody – My Name is Nobody shows the inequities of America where one person cannot afford the basic necessities like rent and food because they are disabled while the super rich throw away money by giving their kids $400,000 Birkin bags to finger paint on. The film follows a friend Jeff Papes while he tries to qualify for disability in the US. His life threatening illnesses prevented him from working. The system is broken and has failed Jeff and so many other Americans. Documentary Short. Directed by Christine Kenton. 20 min. USA. Portland Premiere

CANS Can’t Stand – In 1982, Louisiana enacted a law called Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS). CANS mirrored the state’s anti-prostitution law, except it targeted queer sex work — and its penalties were much harsher. For years, law enforcement has used CANS to terrorize queer/trans Louisianians. In 2018, Wendi Cooper founded the CANScantSTAND movement. After a partial victory in court, Cooper and her sisters continue fighting for CANS’s full repeal — and for trans liberation statewide. Documentary Short. Directed by Matt Nadel & Megan Plotka. 18.33 min. USA. Oregon Premiere

Save Ralph – A poignant and heartbreaking stop motion animated short film calling to end cosmetic testing on animals around the world. The film tackles the disturbing issue using the story of one bunny, Ralph, to shine a light on countless rabbits and animals suffering in laboratories. Ralph, a modest rabbit is interviewed in the style of a documentary as he goes through his daily routine as a “tester” in a lab. Animation Short. Directed by Spencer Susser. 3.54 min. UK. Portland Premiere

No Girls Allowed! – In a community that is based on celebrating individuality, uniqueness, and your love of all things geek, why is the Little Boys Club so determined to keep women out? Interweaving a collection of diverse, female viewpoints into a singular unified voice, this documentary celebrates the progress that has been made while acknowledging that we still have a ways to go. Documentary short. Directed by Courtney Deelen. 16.19 min. Canada. Festival Premiere

FEATURES SUMMARIES
IamVanessaGuillen – The murder of Army soldier Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood military base hit too close to home for Karina Lopez. Two years after surviving sexual assault on the same base, she created a viral Facebook post with the hashtag #IamVanessaGuillen. Facing retaliation, she and other Latina soldiers have pushed forward as they fight for justice. Documentary Feature. Directed by Andrea Patiño Contreras. 72 min. USA. Festival Premiere

Bring Her Home Bring Her Home – BRING HER HOME follows three Indigenous women — an artist, an activist and a politician — as they work to vindicate and honor their relatives who are victims in the growing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. As they face the lasting effects of historical trauma, each woman searches for healing while navigating the oppressive systems that brought about this very crisis.Documentary Feature. Directed by Leya Hale. 57 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Green Is The New Black Green is the New Black – A story of passion & purpose behind an ambitious environmental feat of one of Australia’s leading heavy music acts, In Hearts Wake. The band have received four top-5 records, an ARIA nomination for Best Hard Rock album, 110 million digital streams & over 100K records sold worldwide. But the more they recorded & toured the planet, the clearer it became: they were unwittingly threatening the very thing they sought to protect. Music Documentary. Directed by Jake Taylor & Caleb Graham. 93 min. Australia. North America Premiere

How Does It Feel To Be a Problem? Green is the New Black – A story of passion & purpose behind an ambitious environmental feat of one of Australia’s leading heavy music acts, In Hearts Wake. The band have received four top-5 records, an ARIA nomination for Best Hard Rock album, 110 million digital streams & over 100K records sold worldwide. But the more they recorded & toured the planet, the clearer it became: they were unwittingly threatening the very thing they sought to protect. Music Documentary. Directed by Jake Taylor & Caleb Graham. 93 min. Australia. North America Premiere

Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis – Las Abogadas follows a handful of immigration attorneys over a multi-year odyssey beginning in 2018 as the U.S. government upends every law to protect those fleeing from violence and war. While the 2020 election brought a moment of relief and great joy for our attorneys as they watched some migrants finally be allowed into the United States, what was supposed to be a hopeful beginning turns out to create even greater challenges than they could have imagined. Documentary. Directed by Victoria Bruce. 94 min. USA. West Coast Premiere

Live Out Loud – Shot over one year, LIVE OUT LOUD tells the stories of three unhoused people in Portland, Oregon who begin to heal from childhood trauma by learning to make films in a grant-funded class. Their backgrounds are as diverse as their projects–documentary, dramedy, and stop motion animation. To varying degrees, their shared journey puts each one of them on a better path. Documentary Feature. Directed by Melissa Gregory Rue. 86 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Powerlands – A young Navajo filmmaker investigates displacement of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies that have exploited the land where she was born. On this personal and political journey she learns from Indigenous activists across three continents. Documentary Feature. Directed by Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso. 75 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Sign the Show – Director Cat Brewer’s documentary Sign the Show includes conversations with Kelly Clarkson, D.L. Hughley, Waka Flocka, Camryn Manheim, André 3000, Matt Maxey, and Nyle DiMarco, to expose the challenges & barriers faced by an underserved and marginalized population of 40+ million people in the US alone, in hopes of creating a cultural shift in entertainment by making open access to live entertainment the norm – because no one should have to fight for access to enjoy music, comedy, and theater. Documentary Feature. Directed by Cat Brewer. 96 min. USA. Oregon Premiere

TRASHY: a zero waste film – Could you give up trash for a year?! The average American throws away 5lbs of trash every day. “TRASHY: a zero waste film” documents one woman as she takes the challenge to go zero-waste and not throw anything away for 365 days. Throughout the course of the film, she learns from experts about the importance of living zero-waste for the environment and also for a healthier life. It isn’t easy avoiding single-use plastic, but TRASHY gives you some great ideas for how to start. Documentary Feature. Directed by Heather Gustafson. 73 min. USA. World Premiere

Utica: The Last Refuge – Utica: The Last Refuge tracks the Azeins, a Sudanese family, from touchdown at the Syracuse airport in 2017 through their first years in Utica. They have landed amidst unprecedented upheaval in US refugee policy. The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees has to take care of them and other new arrivals while simultaneously fighting for its own survival. The film demonstrates Utica’s resilience and commitment to these vulnerable families, who are, in turn, essential to the city’s rebirth. Documentary Feature. Directed by Loch Phillipps. 117 min. USA. West Coast Premiere

We Are Not Ghouls – Air Force JAG Yvonne Bradley volunteered to defend a man facing a death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay in 2005. Believing those at Gitmo were ‘the worst of the worst’ in the war on terror, Yvonne’s world was turned upside down when she arrived in Cuba. Yvonne battled for 4 years to uncover the truth in an unimaginable case – in the face of corruption at the highest levels of power. What’s the difference between a terrorist sympathizer and a hero? Would you risk it all to do the right thing? Documentary Feature. Directed by Chris James Thompson. 93 min. USA. West Coast Premiere.

Why on Earth – Travel the globe to experience the vital connection between humans, animals, and our planet through stunning, rarely before seen footage which exposes the effects that deforestation and the illegal trade of threatened and endangered species have on elephants, lions, sharks, orangutans, and more. By caring for these beautiful animals, we begin a healing process that will eventually help us all. Documentary Feature. Directed by Katie Cleary. 75 min. USA. World Premiere