Tower Theatre Sponsored by Brooks Resources Corporation
!AITSA
Bringing together ancient spiritual knowledge and cutting-edge science, a transcendental film about seeking meaning in the infinite darkness surrounding us all.
Program sponsored by NewSun Energy
399: Queen of the Tetons Grizzly 399 struggles to raise an unusually large litter in the face of many dangers.
Program sponsored by NewSun Energy
4PM
A suspense thriller about a couple’s carefree life that slowly turns into a nightmare when their neighbor shows up at 4 p.m. every day.
Film sponsored by Bend Studio / SONY
Adult Best Friends
A woman takes her codependent best friend on a weekend trip to break the news that she’s getting married.
Sponsored by Wild Petals Provisions
Anora CLOSING NIGHT
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
Art Every Day
Art touches every day in profound ways, bringing us closer to our nature, our memories, our humanity, and to each other.
Shorts block sponsored by Caldera
Bird
12 year old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Black Box Diaries
Journalist Shiori Ito embarks on a courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender.
Bye Bye Tiberias
An intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.
The Cigarette Surfboard
A solution-driven documentary using ciggy butts and surfing to build ocean mindfulness and stewardship.
Program sponsored by NewSun Energy Conquering Indie Filmmaking
Moderated by John Cooper; featuring Honoree Karyn Kusama and jurors Effie Brown and Rebecca Yeldham.
Destroyer
A police detective reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past in order to make peace.
A Different Man
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.
ECHO, Episodes 1 & 2
Pursued by Fisk’s criminal empire, Maya journeys home where she confronts her own family and legacy.
Encounters
For these characters, unusual circumstances bring about unexpected connections and realizations.
Every Little Thing
A woman in Hollywood cares for injured hummingbirds, experiencing personal growth as she witnesses their fragility and resilience.
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.
La Cocina
In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the staff each chase the elusive American dream.
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.
Firebreak
Two men learned to fight wildfires in prison and now help other formerly incarcerated firefighters gain careers in the industry.
First Features
Moderated by Honoree Karyn Kusama; featuring filmmakers from the Narrative Features competition.
Girlfight
Diana, without her father knowing it, trains as a boxer and achieves impressive success, blazing new trails for female boxers.
Goodbye Julia
Just before the secession of South Sudan, a married former singer from the north seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man by hiring his oblivious wife as her maid.
The Gutter
Walt lands work at bowling alley AlleyCatz. He’s pressured to embrace his bowling talent, which sparks backlash from detractors seeking to undermine his sudden pro success.
Helen and the Bear
A young rebel marries a Republican politician twice her age. Decades later, facing his death, she revisits their exquisite, complicated love.
Film sponsored by Bend Anesthesiology
Indigenous Shorts
An exclusive screening in Madras of short films that center Indigenous experience and issues.
Industry Panel: Talent Development, Story Development, Distribution
Moderated by Todd Looby; featuring jurors Toby Brooks, Connor DeSha and Lucie Boulet. Join the Club
After losing his lover to AIDS, rebel activist Dennis Peron launches the first public cannabis dispensary in the nation, skirting the law in pursuit of true justice—the legalization of medical marijuana.
Little Kid Flicks
A thoughtful lineup of shorts from the New York International Children’s Film Festival presented for families and children ages 5+.
Local Focus
In these shorts local filmmakers and characters build profound relationships with their community and nature.
Look Into My Eyes
A group of New York City psychics conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness, connection, and healing.
Lookout
It takes a vision of unity between people and nature for these characters to find peace and purpose.
Mamifera
Lola enjoys a happy life until an unforeseen pregnancy throws her plans into disarray.
Mediha
The film follows the story of Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl who has recently returned from ISIS captivity, as she turns her camera on herself to process her trauma.
Missing From Fire Trail Road
A riveting documentary detailing the case of Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, a Native American woman who disappeared in 2020.
Modern Love
In our ever-changing landscape of romance, we find these characters on the cusp of a new understanding of love.
Music Videos
This year’s music video program intertwines the influence of pop-culture with genre-defining artists from both the music and film industries.
A New Kind of Wilderness
In a forest in Norway, a family lives an isolated lifestyle in an attempt to be wild and free, but a tragic event changes everything, and they are forced to adjust to modern society.
Night Call
This night is like all the others for Mady, student by day, locksmith by night. But Claire, the enigmatic young girl he helps out that night, is not who she claims to be. Mady has only one night to prove his innocence in a city in turmoil.
On the Verge
Whether on the verge of a breakthrough or explosive emotions, these characters are walking the tightrope of life.
Public Defender
A liberal public defender representing right-wing January 6th rioters models how to restore humanity, one relationship at a time.
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
Film sponsored by Bend Studio / SONY
Rent Free
After hitting emotional and financial rock bottom, two down-on-their-luck Gen Z best friends come up with a scheme to spend an entire year living “rent free” with the help of friends, family and strangers alike in a rapidly changing Austin.
Rez Ball OPENING NIGHT
Set in the beautiful Navajo Nation, Rez Ball shares the inspiring story of the Chuska Warriors basketball team in their quest for championship glory after a devastating loss.
The Seed of The Sacred Fig Investigating judge Iman grapples with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran. When his gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble.
Shifting Perspectives
Consider a perspective we are rarely exposed to and imagine what you would do if you looked through this new lens.
Singing Back the Buffalo
Singing Back the Buffalo is an epic reimagining of North America through the lens of buffalo consciousness and a potent dream of what is within our grasp.
Film sponsored by Bryant, Lovlien, & Jarvis LLP
The Spirit of Halloweentown
A real documentary about an unreal town.
Sugarcane
An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
This is a Film About The Black Keys
This is a Film About The Black Keys traces Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s remarkable journey from two neighborhood kids jamming in a basement in Akron, Ohio to rock ’n roll super-stardom.
Film sponsored by Cascade School of Music
To Kill A Wolf
Think of this film as a book of fairy tales found in a seedy roadside motel.
Film sponsored by Oregon Film
The Wonder and the Worry
Two generations of Nat Geo photographers wrangle with an imperiled planet and media disruption.
Film sponsored by InFocus Eye Care Program sponsored by NewSun Energy
Truth—The Final Frontier: How Docs Can Change the Face of America
Moderated by juror Bojana Sandic; featuring filmmakers from the Documentary Features competition.
Your Fat Friend
A film about fatness, family, the complexities of change and the messy feelings we hold about our bodies.
Zurawski v Texas
A group of women denied abortions, even at the brink of death, band together with a fearless attorney to sue the state of Texas.
Honoree Film
YOUR ANNUAL BIG SCREEN BINGE IS BACK!
It’s the 21st Annual Bend Film Festival and we’re hosting four full days of films, fun, and festivities at theaters and venues around town. Enjoy ticket-by-ticket or grab a pass for better access to the best weekend of independent film in Central Oregon.
TICKETS & PASSES
Individual tickets and Festival passes can be purchased online at BendFilmFestival2024.Eventive.org
(scan the QR code!) or at Festival HQ at Scalehouse Gallery. Screenings tend to sell out early so we highly recommend you buy your tickets (or reserve them, if you have a Pass) online ahead of time.
INDIE FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR
We’re thrilled to welcome director Karyn Kusama to this year’s Festival as our 2024 Indie Filmmaker of the Year. She’s made a career out of telling stories about complex protagonists and her genre-bending work has kept us riveted. In addition to screening her first and most recent features (Girlfight; Destroyer), Karyn will be leading the First Features panel and participating in the Conquering Indie Filmmaking panel at the Festival.
INDIGENOUS FILM PROGRAM
The Indigenous Film Program has long been a key component of the Bend Film Festival and this year we are honored to be screening the work of several Indigenous filmmakers in both Bend and Madras. The Festival kicks off with the opening night film Rez Ball, followed by a Q&A with the director and this year’s Indigenous honoree, Sydney Freeland, in addition to the lead actor, Kauchani Bratt.
PANELS
Panel discussions allow filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike to dive deeper into the art and craft of filmmaking. Featuring many of the filmmakers, jurors, and special guests from this year’s Festival, these events are free and open to the public. All panels are hosted at The Capitol.
PARTIES & EVENTS
After the credits roll, join us for after parties, social hours, and the much-anticipated awards ceremony and banquet as we discuss the films, celebrate the filmmakers, and toast to another year of independent film.
THIS FESTIVAL IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROSITY OF BENDFILM SPONSORS, MEMBERS, GRANTORS, AND DONORS
GRANTORS
GRANTORS
