Skip to main contentBy the time I arrived in Bend on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 22, the last thing on my mind was watching movies. Coming off a streak that had me watching 12 movies in 10 days, the last thing I wanted to do was watch another film. To be honest, I was going to the BendFilm Festival for the parties, which after only one year were already legendary. Besides, I had already seen a bunch of the films that were screening.
Having previously spent less time in Bend than I had in such other Oregon hotspots as Drain and Boring, I wasn't sure what to expect. Smaller towns in Oregon and I have a spotty history at best. Run-ins with the cops and rednecks seem to greet me everywhere I go, so I was prepared for the worst.
Shawn Bowman, the creative director of Li'l Longbaugh, part of WW's Longabugh Film Festival last spring, had driven down with me, and we arrived in Bend a little after 4 pm. Shawn had put together a program of kids' films that was going to show on Saturday morning. I parked my car and as we made our way to the festival's main office, my biggest concerns were making sure I got my press pass, getting checked into the place I was staying, and making it to the first of three opening-night parties before the free food ran out.
After rubbing elbows for an hour or so with Geoff Kleinman of DVDTalk.com and Shawn Levy of The Oregonian over free wine and tasty appetizers, I headed over to the place I was being housed. I made a total of four wrong turns before finally getting to the Mount Bachelor Village Resort.
Hardly the no-tell motel I was expecting the good folks from the festival to provide me with, the Mount Bachelor Village Resort was nicer than any place I've ever lived. I had my own private one-bedroom condo, complete with a hot tub and a Jacuzzi. I couldn't help but get a little depressed at the thought of the hot tub and huge mirror in the bedroom going to waste, and I vowed to myself to put a little more effort than usual into getting some action. And even though I ultimately struck out with the gorgeous writer from SkyWest Airlines' travel magazine, the condo was still a great place to stay. If you ever need a place to stay in Bend, stop by the Mount Bachelor Village Resort, and tell them I sent you. (It will do you no good, but it may score points for me if I ever stay there again.)
I decided to skip the opening-night film in favor of walking around downtown Bend at night with my sunglasses on. Eventually, I made my way to the main opening-night party-this would be the second of three parties on Thursday. The outdoor event was the place to be, as filmmakers and VIPs mixed and mingled with full-pass festival-goers. The food served was provided by Merenda, a local favorite. Chef Jody Denton's food was so good, I almost felt guilty eating it. Since I'm impressed by the spread at a party if there are toothpicks for eating the Swedish meatballs, the incredible Merenda cuisine left me wishing I had snuck in some Tupperware.
Still wearing my sunglasses, and with my antisocial tendencies kicking into high gear, I began to give people around me the impression of being aloof, which led them to believe I was someone more important than I am. People actually wanted to talk to me, and by people I don't mean police demanding to know what I'm up to. It all became a bit overwhelming, and I was tempted to ask either Shawn Bowman or Geoff Kleinman to hold my hand, because all the friendly people were starting to freak me out.
Back at the condo I began planning the rest of the weekend. Sitting in the hot tub, I wrestled with which movies I would watch over the next two days, while wondering if there were hookers in Bend who might appreciate the hot tub at my disposal.
The rest of the weekend was a marathon. I watched some movies-many of which, like Police Beat, I had already seen. One of the few films I hadn't already seen was The Puffy Chair. Written, produced and starring Mark Duplass-with his brother Jay directing-Puffy Chair is one of those rare cinematic treats that restores my faith in filmmaking. The film went on to win awards for best screenplay and best lead actor. Police Beat won for best feature and director (Robinson Devor), while Green Bush won best live action short. The best-of-show award went to Shakespeare Behind Bars, and I kick myself in the ass for not placing bets on what films would win awards (I could've cleaned up).
The real treats of the weekend weren't the films. Don't get me wrong; those were great. But the real fun came from Shawn Levy's reading of his new book, The Last Playboy, which was more entertaining than some of the movies being showcased in the festival. Having the opportunity to compare notes and swap film-festival horror stories with Jane Sage and Tom Olbrich of the Ashland Independent Film Festival was like a much-needed therapy session. And nothing could stack up to the energy at the sold-out IndieKids Film program.
There were a lot of great things at the second annual BendFilm Festival-from the selection of films to the parties to the never-ending supply of free food. But the best part of Bend-and I know this will sound corny-was the town and the people. Much like Ashland's film festival, a major part of what makes BendFilm work are the local people from the community who rally around the event. Even if I hadn't see a single good film, the trip would have been worth it.
WWeek 2015