2017 Portland Film Festival Announces Line-Up

The 2017 PORTLAND FILM FESTIVAL, PRESENTED BY COMCAST, will screen 152 narrative and documentary films October 30th through November 5th, 2017, at Portland's iconic Laurelhurst Theater. The festival will include special opening and closing night screenings and parties, a Pittock Mansion Gala, educational panels, workshops, special presentations and daily networking events and opportunities throughout the festival.

This year's fifth edition will present two opening and closing night films (a documentary and a narrative film on each night) and feature and short films in the following sections: Narrative and Documentary Competition Feature, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight, Shorts, Indigenous Voices, Portland Lens, and Special Screenings. This year, 89 of the films programmed (59%) were directed by women.

Said Josh Leake, Portland Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, "Hearing from independent voices has never been more important as it is today. This year's movies, panels and programs are from engaging new filmmakers, the best of new indie film, and icons of classic cinema. We're proud to present this year's program - especially our Portland and Indigenous Voices sections, which will screen films each day to local audiences. In one week, we will present more independent cinema than most theaters screen in a year."

Comcast is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2017 Portland Film Festival. Supporting Sponsors include: Koerner Camera, SAG-AFTRA, ABI Insurance, Whole Foods, Portland Monthly, Crank PDX, The Oregonian, Plum Tree Mortgage, KINK FM, Pro Photo Supply and others.
Established in 2013, the Portland Film Festival is one of Oregon's largest film festivals, and was named "one of the coolest film festivals in the world," by MovieMaker Magazine.

All screenings will take place at the historic Laurelhurst Theatre at 2735 E. Burnside Street. Tickets, general info and merchandise will be at the Laurelhurst throughout the festival.. Presenting Sponsor Comcast will host The Comcast VIP Lounge at the Cardinal Club, 18 NE 28th Ave.

This year's festival highlights include:

Oregon Governor Kate Brown has declared Oregon the State of "Independent Film" and Mayor TEd Wheeler has proclaimed Portland the "City of Film" during the Festival. The festival will screen over 152 films from around the world, 89 of which were directed by women.

You can catch a Portland made film every day.

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Each day, a film will be shown in a new section, Indigenous Voices.

A percentage of this year's ticket sales will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Portland and the Wild Salmon Center.

Lead by award-winning professionals in their fields, this year's festival will offer over a diverse selection of educational workshops, classes, panels and networking events for actors, screenwriters, and filmmakers.

Special event highlights include the annual film industry speed networking event, a cinematic history walking tour of Portland, and an opening festival champagne toast with attending filmmakers.

Special festival guests include: veteran filmmaker Joe Dante, Aisha Tyler, Shia LaBeouf, and screenwriters Sam Hamm, David Arata, Leslie Dixon, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Jeremy Lipp, and Randall Jahnson.

Over ten short film programs and events, including screenings of work by local Portland filmmakers, and a special program of films created by youth in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Portland.