US Premiere

On a hot, summer day in Athens, Greece, Stephanos has a fight with his mother. She leaves him in charge of his two young siblings and their dog, Lucy, who is sick. A lively afternoon of pizza, water fights, and a flirty visit from Stephanos’ girlfriend is marred only by the continuous ringing of the telephone, which he finally answers. Will this turn out to be the last carefree day of their lives? Subtitles 

Director’s Statement: Jacqueline Lentzou 

In 2013, I went to the first funeral of my life. I said goodbye to the most significant figure of my childhood. Witnessing the very fact of death and then attending the ceremony were two absolutely new experiences and I found myself floating in between in utter uneasiness. In a similarly uneasy way, Fox was born to discuss this awkward point in time.

 

Oregon Premiere

In this beautifully animated tale, a curious fox goes in search of an elusive whale—a journey of longing and discovery. 

Director’s Statement: Robin Joseph 

Fox and the Whale was made over the course of 16 months, from initial storyboarding to final picture and sound. It was a self-financed project I made with personal savings and required taking time off from all commercial work. The team was tiny: My partner Kim Leow (who did the character animation, character models and rigs), Louis Vottero (who did the character rig for “Fox”), and John Poon (who composed the original music/theme for the film). I did everything else, from storyboarding, design, background paintings, compositing, visual FX like water/fire/particles, etc. Making the film end-to-end was one of the most challenging and rewarding learning curves I’ve had in a very long time.

 

On a quest to understand her grandmother’s past, Claudia meets Marlene, an old woman who has created a shrine to her memories inside an empty pool. Subtitles 

Director’s Statement: Leandro Goddinho 

The premise for this film came to me after a visit to the Dachau concentration camp in Munich in 2012, where there is a wing dedicated to the memory of thousands of homosexuals murdered by the Nazis. After the war, the plight of homosexuals in concentration camps was not recognized by many countries, with some Allied powers refusing to release or repatriate these people. Only in the 1980s did some governments recognize homosexuals as victims of the Holocaust and only in 2002 did the German government formally apologize to the gay community.

 

Oregon Premiere

Oscar and his best friend Hedgehog got dropped off at Summer Camp. Once all the parents leave the island, all of the strangeness lurking beneath the surface starts to come out. Aliens exist, horses become unicorns, and there are monsters under the bed. 

 

Director’s Statement: Julia Pott

 

Oregon Premiere

As summer draws to a close, a young trans girl finds freedom in a secret midnight swim. 

Director’s Statement: Mari Walker 

Growing up trans is a life of stolen moments where many simple pleasures take on heavier significance. I loved swimming as a child, but as my body continued to alienate itself from my mind, wearing a male swimsuit left me feeling exposed and insecure. Then one summer, I took my mother’s swimsuit and went on a secret midnight swim. Years later, when I found myself telling this story, I had the tremendous honor of working with some incredibly talented artists. I wanted to celebrate something so simple which can signify so much freedom.