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A New Documentary Chronicles the Struggles and Successes of Minority Winemakers in Oregon

Directed by Jerry Bell Jr., Red, White & Black chronicles the struggles and triumphs of Oregon’s minority winemakers. Remy Drabkin of Remy Wines, who is lesbian, once went to a trade show where a man refused to acknowledge her presence. Jarod Sleet, who is a member of the cellar team at Argyle Winery and is black, says purveyors who come into the winery have asked him if he knows someone who works there.

Inspired By Displacement in Portland, “Black Genius” Looks for Alternatives to Gentrification in Memphis

Abioto’s film is full of people who want to do something different. Rapper and high school football coach Jason “Da Hater” Harris wants the city’s musicians to get more national attention. Singer and actress Cequita Monique talks about growing literal and intellectual gardens. In the beginning of the film, Abioto talks to Aaron Snowden, an Air Force veteran who bought a house in south Memphis to host artists’ residencies and community gatherings. The day before Abioto interviewed Snowden, he also opened a neighborhood dog park. “That’s a milestone, believe it or not,” he says as he looks away from the camera with a slight smile.

“The Texture of Falling” is a Poetic Journey Through Portland Landmarks and BDSM

In the pantheon of movies about the ecstasy and torment of being addicted to another human being, Allred’s film is closer to Terrence Malik’s fluid Days of Heaven than (500) Days of Summer—it prefers symbolic images to straightforward scenes. Louisa’s eventual emergence from Luke’s toxic influence, for instance, is evoked not through dialogue, but through a shot of her smiling confidently while the skyscrapers of Portland tower behind her, serving as a potent visual metaphor for her newfound internal strength.

New Series Mondo Trasho Seeks to Reclaim Movies Dismissed by Highbrow Culture

Anthony Hudson, who is probably best known for the drag-clown persona Carla Rossi, first saw “Female Trouble” in 2007 after picking up a DVD of the film at Movie Madness. “This giant, scary-looking drag queen—to see that person be able to lead a movie and be celebrated and become an icon for it is absolutely mind-blowing to me, and so inspirational,” says Hudson. “It shifted the whole course of my life, going into drag and becoming an artist.”

Portland Filmmakers Made a Documentary About a Southern Town’s Intersecting Christian and LGBTQ Communities

Portland filmmakers Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri discovered that Eureka Springs isn’t quite the conservative Southern hamlet outsiders might imagine. “Obviously, we have our own political positions and political beliefs, being who we are—gay men who live now,” says Palmieri. “It’s easy to assume that Christians in the South are going to be like the typical evangelical preacher.”

“The Cage Fighter” Delves into the Dual Lives of a Washington MMA Fighter

“The Cage Fighter” was a difficult production that found Unay testing the limits of documentary filmmaking, thrusting his Red One MX camera into the midst of the warring Carman family and battling painful memories from his own childhood that the making of the film aroused. But for Unay—who, like Carman, lives in Washington state—The Cage Fighter turned out to be a mesmerizing portrait of a man torn between his duty as a father and the allure of the arena.

A Biopic of Portland’s Most Famous Stripper Is a Powder Keg Debate About Sex Work

Whether or not stripping is art isn’t exactly an anchor of the film’s narrative. It’s more like a powder keg. Just about everyone in the film has an opinion. Most of the counterpoints come from men. Las Vegas’ former bandmate, Kevin Shapen, says stripping is entertainment, which is different from art. Her brother, Kristoffer Osthus, says Las Vegas romanticizes stripping, and worries that her male audience might see her job differently. “Do they think that she’s truly giving an art performance, or do they just think that she’s another stripper?” he says.

After It Went Unfinished for 10 Years, a Portland Made Documentary Took an Unexpected Turn

The meaningful, yet small story behind “Henry’s Hair” grew in magnitude when McCrea was in the final stages of making the documentary. “Henry’s Hair” went unfinished for almost 10 years, until McCrea decided to enter post-production in 2017. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with terminal heart disease and given six months to live. So Portland’s film community rallied around McCrea to bring the project to fruition. Videographers, editors and sound designers all offered to help McCrea, free of charge.
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