Film & Video Students Work Selected for Screenings

Independent filmmakers know that getting your film accepted into a festival is a big deal.

It’s a gateway to gaining exposure, publicity, and potential distribution deals, not to mention the vast networking opportunities they offer. Some of Hollywood’s big-name directors like Tim Burton and George Lucas were scouted at festivals. While the internet has remarkably impacted the ways in which indie filmmakers release their work, being accepted into these festivals continues to be fiercely competitive.

Pacific had, not one, but two groups of Film & Video students get their animated short films screened at the BendFilm Festival last October.

“The Legend of the Flying Punani,” a 2-minute animated short, was directed by Jazmin Gentry ’19, Emily Hanson ’19 and Leandra Benson White ’19.

“Falling,” another animated short, was directed by Cullen Dallas ’20, Delaney Walnofer ’20, Dylan Welles ’18 and Anthony Yamashiro ’19.

BendFilm is an Oregon film festival showcasing some of the best independent films in the Pacific Northwest. Every year over a thousand documentaries, feature films, short films, animated films, and more are submitted internationally, and with the increase of online submission platforms, that number continues to climb. More than 6,000 people from around the world flock to Bend every October for a weekend of movie screening, education, and festivities surrounding the world of independent cinema.

Additionally, recent alumna River Kuenzi ’17 had her senior capstone film, “Run,” accepted for screening at the Oregon Independent Film Festival in September.