Back by popular demand, the dance party is back. Along with free film panels during the festival, movie goers have plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle during this year’s events.
All panels are free and open to the public. The full list of parties and panels appear below.

Thursday, October 11

• Opening Night Film, Ethel, at 5:00pm at The Tower Theater
• Opening Night Party at the Oxford Hotel (sponsored by the Oxford and Southern Wine Group) from 7:30-9pm. $35 in advance/$40 at the door.
• Opening Night After-Party, McMenamin’s/Father Luke’s Room featuring live music till 11:00pm
• After-After-Party at McMenamin’s/Hugh O’Kane’s/Fire pits, late night

Friday, October 12

• Panels, featuring filmmakers, will take place at The Nature of Words at 11 am (Surviving “The Business”) and 1:30 pm (Mastering your Festival Run). Descriptions follow below.
• ‘Friday Night Fever’ Dance Party will begin following a special screening of Girl Walk // All Day, which shows at 8pm at Cascades Theatrical Company. Featuring DJ Bryan Swett. No host cocktails from Twist, wine and beer from CTC, food carts outside. Price of admission is $12 and includes the dance party. Doors for just the dance party open at 9:30pm and the price is $10. 21 & over.

Saturday, October 13

• Panels, featuring filmmakers, will take place at The Nature of Words at 11am (The “Ah-hah” Moment – The Documentary Film) and 1:30pm (Lost and Found). Descriptions follow below.
• Meet the Filmmakers, 5-7pm at The Hub (Liberty Theater). Free event, open to the public.
• Awards Ceremony and Party at the Oxford Hotel (sponsored by the Oxford and Southern Wine Group), 7-10pm. $35 in advance/$40 at the door.
• Awards After-Party at Astro Lounge, DJ music, around 10 pm
• After-After-Party at McMenamin’s/Hugh O’Kane’s/Fire pits, late night

Sunday, October 14

• Sunday at The Tower, Best of the Fest award-winning films in the categories of Best Narrative, Audience Award and Best of Show will screen at 1:00pm, 3:30pm and 6:00pm at The Tower Theatre.
• Award Winners at Regal 1 & 2, 8 award-winning films will be announced and shown from 10:30am to 6:30pm at Regal Cinemas.
• BendFilm Kids, popular kids event to screen at 12 noon at McMenamin’s. Free and open to the public.

   

  In their unique style, Bellatazza will be serving coffee from their 1970 Citroen H Van. So grab your favorite drink & head over to The Nature of Words to join these FREE discussions with our 2012 BendFilm Filmmakers & Jurors!  

Panel #1 – Surviving “The Business”
Friday, October 12
The Nature of Words
224 NW Oregon Avenue
10:30am– 12:00pm  
The constant refrain in Hollywood is “Don’t quit your day job.” In addition to the fact that “the business” is incredibly competitive, it’s also difficult to ascertain which jobs within it actually pay. Aspiring writers, directors and producers have to figure out what pitching, getting an agent and optioning actually mean while staying financially afloat. Join our award-winning panel for an enlightening session on traditional and innovative ways to bring home the bacon. From getting your foot in the door, to networking, our filmmakers will share their first-hand experiences to help you develop a specific plan, as well as provide answers to the question “How do these guys make a living?”  
Joining us for this panel: Morgan Faust, Tick Tock Time Emporium, director & Gimme the Loot, editor; Tom Gandy, Stitched, director; Aundré Johnson, Krakow, director; Jena Moreno, Stitched, director; Seth Stark, The Dancer, director.  
Moderated by: Betsy Sharkey, Film Critic for the Los Angeles Times  

Panel #2 – Mastering Your Festival Run
Friday, October 12
The Nature of Words
224 NW Oregon Avenue
1:00 – 2:30pm  
Film Festivals provide independent filmmakers the chance to connect with audiences, gain broad public exposure and attract critical attention for their work. Navigating through the hundreds of festivals out there can be a daunting and an expensive task. What are film festival programmers looking for and what exactly happens inside the film festival jury room? And what are filmmakers coming up against as they start their festival journey? Thomas Phillipson, film programmer at the Northwest Film Center and Director of the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival & 2012 juror, is joined by filmmakers & jurors to offer a peek behind the curtain and a practical overview of the festival process, from finding the right festival types to interacting with festivals to maximize your experience. Learn how to streamline your efforts, avoid common pitfalls and focus on getting your film in front of the right eyes.  
Joining us for this panel: Jonathan Foster, Not That Funny, writer; Jim Hemphill, The Trouble with the Truth, director; Jon Korn, 2012 juror; Katie O’Grady, Hot in the Zipper, actor & 2011 Best of the Northwest award winner, Rid of me; Steven Wilson, 2012 juror.  
Moderated by: Thomas Phillipson, Northwest Film Center, 2012 juror  

Panel #3 – The “A-ha” Moment – The Documentary Film
Saturday, October 13
The Nature of Words
224 NW Oregon Avenue
10:30am – 12:00pm  
Many of us have heard or said the words “That would make a great movie!” Documentary films begin with the same spark. These panelists have fanned that original idea into a finished film. Researching your story, shooting hundreds of hours of footage, adding archival elements and paring it down to a piece that informs and entertains is a challenging process. Examine documentary filmmaking from the early stages of planning through all of the hurdles unique to this genre of filmmaking. Today’s technology allows for new ways to access and deliver the story and the result has been several commercially successful documentaries. Our panelists will explain how they choose their subjects, and what they learned along the way to create the documentaries at this year’s festival.  
Joining us for this panel: Brian Bolster, The Lookout, director; Sarah Henderson, We Grew Wings, director, cinematographer, producer; Todd Kellstein, Buffalo Girls, director; Constantine Papanicolaou, The Ordinary Skier, director; Forrest Pound, Watershed, director.  
Moderated by: Andy Grieve, 2012 juror  

Panel #4 – Lost & Found *
Saturday, October 13
The Nature of Words
224 NW Oregon Avenue
1:00 – 2:30pm  
Orphans and inmates on opposite sides of the world, both considered the lowest in their respective societies, find each other and together find something they’d both lost…hope. The catalyst? An unassuming couple from Bend, Oregon. This panel will discuss how storytelling through film—here the story of two people who are dramatically changing hundreds of lives—can profoundly touch audiences while bringing attention to important causes and inspiring meaningful action.  
Joining us for this panel: Charles Otto, former child soldier & orphan; Bob & Carol Higgins, founders of Otino Waa Children’s Village; Douglas Omara, assistant administrator of Otino Waa; Sandy Cummings, director.  
Moderated by: Bruce Cummings

* Original artwork created by the Snake River Correctional Institution inmates featured in Lost & Found is on exhibit at Hot Box Betty, 903 NW Wall Street. Proceeds from the sale of the art help support the orphans of Otino Waa Children’s Village in Uganda.

Please note all panel participants are subject to change!
2748 NW Crossing Drive, Bend, OR 97701.
For questions or more information: call 541.388.FEST, email info@bendfilm.org or visit www.bendfilm.org.