Amateur filmmakers and seasoned professionals alike will come together for a night of short film screenings at the Portland’s Young Filmmaker Showcase, an event created by two University of Oregon graduates – Will Cuddy and Zach Feiner.
The Feb. 25 showcase will include a screening of Cuddy and Feiner’s latest short film that’s been a year in the making, Linea, as well as two other short films chosen from a pool of student submissions.
“This is not only to showcase our own work,” said Cuddy. “But to give young filmmakers in Portland an opportunity they might not normally have because of lack of equipment, or simply not having the courage to submit their film to a festival that has professional filmmakers also submitting their work.”
Cuddy and Feiner, both advertising grads, have experience working as student filmmakers. They competed in the UO’s Adrenaline Film Project, an intensive 72-hour film competition in which three student groups are pressed to make a short film. Cuddy first took part in AFP during his junior year when his group’s film, Family Dinner, won both the Audience Award and the Kalb Jury Award – a first in the competition’s history.
The two began working together during their senior year at the UO when their AFP film submission Kill for Her won the Audience Award.
While the showcase is meant to select only a few films to screen, the true purpose behind it is to create a space where young filmmakers and industry pros can network with future collaborators. It also provides a venue for those who are not selected to still exhibit their work. PYFS plans to piece together a trailer for the event that features a shot from each film submission and to post other films in full on Vimeo and Facebook.
“We’re trying to build a community here in Portland,” said Cuddy. “While it’s an honor to be shown at the event itself, we’re not trying to ostracize anyone for not being able to be at the caliber of work we’re looking for.”
As of last week, they had received 25 short film submissions. The deadline to submit is Feb. 12. Those at the PYFS are unsure of whether they will be accepting films from students in cities other than Portland (like Eugene), as they want to keep true to their name. While they are still deciding, they discussed the need for the applicants to at least be planning to work in Portland within the next year.
“The main thing right now is giving filmmakers who are young and new an outlet to show their work to a big audience,” said Feiner. “In Portland too, the best thing you can do as a filmmaker is to build networks in the city. That’s part of what we’ve put into action over the course of the last few weeks with this showcase.”
Feiner says that ideally, they would love to receive up to 75 short film submissions for this first showcase and that those wanting to submit should use this as an opportunity to get their work out there.
“If you’re a young filmmaker or have any real interest in doing real film, more than a lot of other professions, it’s important to take advantage of little opportunities and put your work out into the ether,” said Feiner. “It’s the only way you’re going to explore and get better.”
Editor’s Note: Will Cuddy is a former employee of the Emerald, before graduating from UO in 2014.