2024 Bend Film Festival: Oscar-Qualifying Short Film Programs Announced 

(L-R T-B): Stills from ILY, BYE, Canyon Chorus, Officer Stanley & Tennis, Oranges, selections from the Bend Film Festival’s short film program | Photos courtesy of BendFilm)

BendFilm has announced 68 short films, joining last week’s slate of features across four competition categories, which will screen at the 21st Annual Bend Film Festival, presented in person October 10-13, 2024. This year’s short films were selected from a record-high 2,227 submissions, originating from 24 countries, and have been programmed in eleven thematic blocks. Also announced: 12 music videos that span genres, visions and all levels of artist notoriety, united by their directors’ fresh vision and creativity.

“One of the most interesting things about programming films is that the submissions seem to speak to each other,” said BendFilm Program Director Selin Sevinç. “Grouping these shorts into blocks lets them complicate each other, creating a dimensional take on an issue or mood. These directors, with so limited a time to make their point or tell their story, must be efficient, bold and absolutely fearless.”

Three of the Festival’s five shorts categories (Animated, Indigenous, and Narrative) are recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as Oscar-qualifying. Knight of Fortune, dir. Lasse Noer, made its Northwest Premiere at the Bend Film Festival in 2023 before being nominated for an Academy Award. Films are presented across eleven screening blocks, including the ever-popular Local Focus, and, in time-honored tradition, some will be presented before various feature films. The shorts blocks for the 2024 Bend Film Festival are:

Art Every Day:
Art touches every day in profound ways, bringing us closer to our nature, our memories, our humanity, and to each other.

Encounters:
For these characters, unusual circumstances bring about unexpected connections and realizations.

Family Matters:
Whether making a new family, strengthening our familial bonds or rebelling against them, family is at the center of these stories.

Fear Eats the Soul:
Fear becomes the source of transformation and hope in these stories of courage.

Late Night:
An opportunity to move to the edge of your seat and be prepared to find something creepy, shocking and hilarious all at once.

Lifeline:
Adventure starts with daring, community and joy. From skiing to biking to rafting, these individuals find a lifeline in the outdoors.

Lookout:
It takes a vision of unity between people and nature for these characters to find peace and purpose.

Modern Love:
In our ever-changing landscape of romance, we find these characters on the cusp of a new understanding of love.

On The Verge:
Whether on the verge of a breakthrough or explosive emotions, these characters are walking the tightrope of life.

Shifting Perspectives:
Consider a perspective we are rarely exposed to and imagine what you would do if you looked through this new lens.

Also announced: the Local Focus and Music Video portions of the Festival’s program. Perennial audience favorite Local Focus features documentary shorts from local filmmakers and characters who build profound relationships with their community and nature. The 12 Music Videos comprising this year’s program intertwine the influence of pop culture with genre-defining artists in both the music and film industry.

Alongside the shorts and music videos announced, the Festival will also showcase a full roster of more feature films, offscreen panels and events, awards and honorees to be announced in coming weeks.

BendFilm will continue its filmmaker-focused efforts to award over $3,500 in prizes directly to independent filmmakers in these competition categories including $500 each for Best Narrative, Animated, Documentary, Indigenous, Student and Northwest Shorts, alongside the Audience Award for Best Short and Best Music Video. Passes, which offer various levels of advance and exclusive access and benefits, are on sale now. Individual tickets go on sale for BendFilm members on September 12. Next, passholders get dedicated access (All Access, September 18; Full Film, September 19), and the general public can purchase tickets starting September 20.

Short Film Blocks

For synopses and other production information about this year’s short films, please see BendFilm.org. Within blocks, shorts are presented in the order that they will screen. Asterisks denote filmmakers who plan to attend the Festival.

Art Every Day

Art touches every day in profound ways, bringing us closer to our nature, our memories, our humanity, and to each other.

Forbidden Pond*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Eric Jenkins-Sahlin | USA | West Coast Premiere

The Candy Factory*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Cory Jacobs, Jason Schmidt | USA | West Coast Premiere

Existential Action Thriller*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Stephen Funk | USA | West Coast Premiere

The Masterpiece*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Álex Lora Cercos  | Spain | Oregon Premiere
Presented in Spanish with English subtitles

Terminally Ill*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Christopher J. Cole | USA | Northwest Premiere

Deep in My Heart is a Song*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Jonathan Pickett | USA | Northwest Premiere

Encounters

For these characters, unusual circumstances bring about unexpected connections and realizations.

A Body Called Life    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Spencer MacDonald | USA, Poland, Switzerland | Northwest Premiere

Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue    [INDIGENOUS]
Dir. Vea Mafile’o | New Zealand | Northwest Premiere
Presented in English and Tongan with English subtitles

Tennis, Oranges    [ANIMATED]
Dir. Sean Pecknold | USA | Central Oregon Premiere
Presented in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles

Curtain Call*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Malynda Hale | USA | West Coast Premiere

Tits    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Eivind Landsvik | Norway | Northwest Premiere
Presented in Norwegian with English subtitles

im in love with edgar allan poe    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Andrea A. Walter | 13 min | USA | Oregon Premiere
Presented in English and Tagalo with English subtitles

Officer Stanley*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Scottie Cameron  | USA | Oregon Premiere
Presented in English and Spanish with English subtitles

Family Matters

Whether making a new family, strengthening our familial bonds or rebelling against them, family is at the center of these stories.

Single Residence Occupancy    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Omer Ben Shachar | USA | World Premiere
Presented in English and Mandarin with English subtitles

Good Boy    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Tom Stuart | UK | Central Oregon Premiere

Pena’s Special Hauling    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Anssi Kasitonni | Finland | US Premiere
Presented in Finnish with English subtitles

You’re Invited to Tuscan’s 5th Birthday Party!*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Lee Eddy | USA | Northwest Premiere

Shimmer*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Alice Gu | USA | West Coast Premiere

Making Babies    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Eric K. Boulianne | Canada | Oregon Premiere
Presented in French with English subtitles

Fear Eats the Soul

Fear becomes the source of transformation and hope in these stories of courage.

Bad Hostage*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Mimi Wilcox | USA | US Premiere
Presented in English and Swedish with English subtitles

In the Shadow of the Cypress    [ANIMATED]
Dir. Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani | Iran | Central Oregon Premiere

Perfect City: The Bravest Kid    [ANIMATED]
Dir. Shengwei Zhou | USA | Northwest Premiere

A Swim Lesson    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Rashida Jones, Will McCormack | USA | Northwest Premiere

Late Night

An opportunity to move to the edge of your seat and be prepared to find something creepy, shocking and hilarious all at once.

Wild Animal    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Beth Park  | UK | Northwest Premiere

Last to Leave    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Mary Elizabeth Ellis | USA | Northwest Premiere

Sleeping Alone*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Kelsea Bauman-Murphy | USA | West Coast Premiere

Dream Creep*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez | USA | Oregon Premiere

Sandwich Cat    [ANIMATED]
Dir. David Fidalgo | Spain | Oregon Premiere
Presented in Spanish with English subtitles

Bug Diner    [ANIMATED]
Dir. Phoebe Jane Hart | USA | Central Oregon Premiere

Make Me a Pizza    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Talia Shea Levin | USA | Northwest Premiere

Lifeline

Adventure starts with daring, community and joy. From skiing to biking to rafting, these individuals find a lifeline in the outdoors.

Slides on the Mountain    [INDIGENOUS]
Dir. Seth Gillis | Canada | Oregon Premiere

A Runner’s High*    [INDIGENOUS]
Dir. Cameron Wilson | USA | World Premiere

Forward    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Palmer Morse | USA | Oregon Premiere

Canyon Chorus*    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Chris Cresci | USA | Northwest Premiere

It Will Be Different For You    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Megan Mayhew Bergman, Simon Perkins | USA | US Premiere

Lookout

It takes a vision of unity between people and nature for these characters to find peace and purpose.

Fire Tower*    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Tova Krentzman | Canada | Northwest Premiere

Fight or Flight    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Lindsey Hagen | USA | Oregon Premiere

Planetwalker    [OUTDOOR]
Dir. Dominic Gill, Nadia Gill | USA | Central Oregon Premiere

Modern Love

In our ever-changing landscape of romance, we find these characters on the cusp of a new understanding of love.

I’m Not a Robot    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Victoria Warmerdam | The Netherlands | Oregon Premiere
Presented in Dutch with English subtitles

Keep It Open    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Lucy Teitler | USA | Northwest Premiere

Special Delivery    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Emily Everhard | 11 min | USA | Northwest Premiere

Kissing the Wall    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Udi Persi | Israel | West Coast Premiere
Presented in Hebrew with English subtitles

Great Canyon*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Ella May Sahlman | USA | Northwest Premiere

What You Left in the Ditch*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Tucker Bliss | USA | Northwest Premiere

On the Verge

Whether on the verge of a breakthrough or explosive emotions, these characters are walking the tightrope of life.

Punter    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Jason Adam Maselle | South Africa, USA  | North American Premiere
Presented in English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa with English subtitles

Marion    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Joe Weiland, Finn Constantine | England | Oregon Premiere
Presented in French with English subtitles

Hoodie*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Renée Felice Smith, Chris Gabriel | USA | Northwest Premiere

WOACA    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Mackenzie Davis | UK | Northwest Premiere

Happy Thanksgiving    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby | USA | Northwest Premiere

ILY, BYE*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Taylor James | USA | Northwest Premiere

Loser    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Colleen McGuinness | USA | Northwest Premiere

Shifting Perspectives

Consider a perspective we are rarely exposed to and imagine what you would do if you looked through this new lens.

On the 8th Day    [ANIMATED]
Dir. Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, Théo Duhautois | France | Oregon Premiere

Hold the Line    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Daniel Lombroso || USA | Northwest Premiere

The Voice of Others    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Fatima Kaci | France | Oregon Premiere
Presented in Arabic and French with English subtitles

I Am Ready, Warden    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Smriti Mundhra | USA | West Coast Premiere

Shorts Screening with Features

Two Women Make a Lunch Plan*    [NARRATIVE]
Dir. Elizabeth Archer | USA | Northwest Premiere
Screens with Adult Best Friends

Diena*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Jesse Kreitzer | USA, Rwanda | West Coast Premiere
Presented in Kinyarwandan with English subtitles
Screens with Mediha

Denial    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Paul Moakley, Daniel Lombroso | USA | Oregon Premiere
Screens with Public Defender 

The Quilters*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Jenifer McShane | USA | Northwest Premiere
Screens with Firebreak

A Kind Favor*    [DOCUMENTARY]
Dir. Christian Klein, Mattias Evangelista | USA | Northwest Premiere
Screens with Helen and the Bear

Tahnaanooku’    [INDIGENOUS]
Dir. Justin Deegan  | USA | Oregon Premiere
Presented in English and Arikara with English subtitles
Screens with !AITSA

Winding Path    [INDIGENOUS]
Dir. Alexandra Lazarowich, Ross Kauffman | USA | Oregon Premiere
Screens with Missing from Fire Trail Road 

Local Focus

In these documentary shorts, outside the competition categories, local filmmakers and characters build profound relationships with their community and nature.

Companion*
Dir. Jesse Locke | USA

Sounds of Warm Springs*
Dir. Michelle Alvarado | USA

A Fine Line*
Dir. Graham Zimmerman | USA

Disrupting Patterns / Rompiendo Patrones*
Dir. Felipe Santacruz | USA

Narpski*
Dir. Caroline Weaver | USA

Dirt Pride*
Dir. Christina Rosetti | USA

Music Videos

Pass Go*
Music by Jordan Webb
Dir. Reece Daniels | USA

Careful*
Music by Xiuhtezcatl
Dir. Billy Fortier | Mexico

XOPA*
Music by Making Movies
Dir. William J. Stribling | USA

Here Today*
Music by Chapis
Dir. Hessed Porras | USA

Best DJ Ever (I’M THE!!!)*
Music by BĘÃTFÓØT
Dir. Ella Michaeli | Israel

Evaporating
Music by Eyeflood
Dir. Phoenix H Losavio, Kate Zamudio | USA

Say It Like You Mean It
Music by Sleater-Kinney
Dir. Carrie Brownstein | USA

Your Blood
Music by Aurora
Dir. Kaveh Nabatian | Canada

Won’t Give Up*
Music by Pattie Gonia, Yo-Yo Ma, Quinn Christopherson
Dir. Abdul Kassamali | USA

Real
Music by Beacon Bloom
Dir. Beacon Bloom, Caleb MacDonald | New Zealand

Giddy Up!*
Music by Shania Twain
Dir. Marmo Films | USA

And finally, outside of the Competition lineup:

Fear*
Music by Logic
Dir. Andy Hines | USA

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 21st year, BendFilm is proud to bring diverse voices and visions to the Bend community. The Bend Film Festival runs every October in Bend, Oregon. Make plans to join us October 10-13 for in-person cinema plus filmmaker workshops, panels and more. Bend is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, foodies, beer lovers and stunning natural scenery, and is also located on the traditional lands of the Wascoes, the Warm Springs, and the Paiutes, whose peoples still live in and around the Bend region and are recognized as The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. BendFilm is a 501(c)3 organization whose activities are made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous donors, members and sponsors, including The Regal Old Mill, Brooks Resources and more. This project is supported by the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, a Project of Visit Bend.

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