In February of 2017, Portland’s historic nonprofit Hollywood Theatre opened a free 17-seat movie theater post-security, on Concourse C, at Portland International Airport.
The theater is open to travelers around the clock, showing an hour-long program made up of short films from Oregon filmmakers, including documentaries, music videos, animations, and short fiction.
At the grand opening it was announced that the program would change quarterly. And so it has.
The new program of Oregon-made short films running through the summer includes shorts about beekeepers and slugs; power lifters and circus mice.
Here’s the line-up.
THE MOUSE THAT SOARED, Kyle T. Bell (5:45): A famous flying circus mouse reflects on his humble beginnings in this classic tale of hope and goodness. This six-minute animated short tackles adoption, blended families, and nature vs. nurture. It demonstrates that nothing is more powerful than unconditional love.
A STREET ROOTS STORY, Street Roots (3:07): Learn how Portland’s Street Roots,a nonprofit street newspaper, provides opportunity, hope and community for Marlon and other people living in poverty. As Marlon shares, “Every single person who buys the paper helps humanity grow and grow.”
I DON’T KNOW YOU ANYMORE, Alicia J. Rose (5:02):In this music video for Bob Mould’s “I Don’t Know You Anymore,” the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy offers guidance to Mould on how to promote his new album in the age of iPhones and social media, which sends Mould and his band off on a stealth mission of “hype” at Portland’s own Music Millennium.
MOSSGROVE, Kurtis Hough (5:44):A close examination into the locomotion of Oregon’s banana slugs and mossy landscapes. Made with over 10,000 photographs taken in the Columbia River Gorge.
1850 LBS, Jin Ryu & Pete Gibson (7:04): Jesse Marvin is a 23-year-old powerlifter from Portland, OR, with a heart of gold. He is gunning to lift a total weight of 1850 lbs at an upcoming competition. This film shares his philosophy and determination as he reaches toward his goal.
SUPERHEROES, Mic Crenshaw (4:21): A collaboration between Mic Crenshaw and Dead Prez that highlights the fact that everyday people are heroic. The video features local professional dancers from Portland who are also parents. Each scene has emcees rapping poignant verses as dancers perform with their real-life children. Learn more at miccrenshaw.com
BOTTLE NECK, Joanna Priestley (2:56): A luminous crush of still-life silhouettes, abstract shapes, and complex, interlocking patterns, BOTTLE NECK renovates the commonplace objects of a classical painting in a modern setting.
PIANO PUSH PLAY, Alex Thornburg (3:01):Short docu-style piece about Piano Push Play’s public pianos in Portland, OR.
CPR, Kimberly Warner (6:26): While watching lifeguards perform rescue drills at a neighborhood pool, a woman faces her own need to be saved.
LAY ME DOWN, Isaac King (4:24): The song “Lay Me Down,” by Portland neo-soul band Dirty Revival,focuses on drug addiction and its effects on people and families, as well as how little help society offers to those who are struggling. The video illustrates a prologue to this; as rents skyrocket and wages stagnate, too many Portlanders are living on the brink of collapse.
THE BEE HUNTER, Jotham Porzio (7:36): Driving across Portland with approximately 10,000+ honey bees in her Toyota truck at sunset, Wisteria knows she has done it again. She has successfully captured a swarm of wild homeless honey bees. We ride shotgun in this short documentary as we follow Wisteria on a swarm call, showing us just how unique and personal the process is.
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