And now, for something completely diff erent... Manzanita Film Series’ Friday Night Flicks W Monthly fi lm selections highlight the Pacifi c Northwest Who doesn’t love movies? We all have our favorites, including favorite characters, quotes, car chase, kiss and so on. With a never-ending supply of movies available from the multiplex on down to your phone, it’s easy to be numbed by the constant barrage of vampire and super- hero fare that, while wildly successful, can be a tad redundant. For movie buffs hoping to expand their rep- ertoire, help is just down the street in Manza- nita. The Hoffman Center for the Arts’ Friday 1LJKW )OLFNV IRFXVHV WKH OHQV RI ¿OPPDNLQJ VTXDUHO\ RQ WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW DQG WDSV into the passion that inspires us to love differ- ent movies for different reasons. Part of the Hoffman Center’s Manzanita Film Series, Friday Night Flicks showcases ¿OPVSURGXFHGLQWKH3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVW2UH gon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. Selected with the help of the Northwest Film &HQWHU LQ 3RUWODQG HDFK ¿OP LV PDGH E\ RU about, the people, values and environment of the region. It has evolved to its current mission from DJURXSRIFRPPXQLW\¿OPEXIIVZKRMXVWHQ joyed getting together to watch and discuss VLJQL¿FDQW¿OPV&XUUHQWVHULHVRUJDQL]HU'DYH 'LOORQUHPHPEHUVWKH¿UVWPRYLHYLHZHGZDV ³1RVIHUDWX´DKLJKO\LQÀXHQWLDOVLOHQWKRUURU ¿OPIURPWKHV “We had a good turnout,” he said. “People wanted to see this historic black-and-white ¿OP DQG WDON LW RYHU (YHU\RQH GHFLGHG WR make it a regular monthly thing, and it just kind of grew from there.” A rotating group of organizers continued WKHSURJUDPVHOHFWLQJDZLGHYDULHW\RI¿OPV to share with the community and passersby. “Jonathan Feder took it over for a while, DQGKHKDGDEDFNJURXQGLQ¿OPDSSUHFLDWLRQ´ 'LOORQVDLG³+HSLFNHGVRPHUHDOO\LQWHUHVW LQJ¿OPV´LQFOXGLQJDQH[SHULPHQWDO5XVVLDQ documentary called “Man With A Camera.” The Manzanita Film Series is a program of the Hoff man Center in Manzanita. Films are screened monthly throughout the year. The Hoff man Center is located at 594 Laneda Ave. For upcoming fi lms, visit www.hoff manblog.org 'LUHFWHGE\']LJD9HUWRYZLWKDYDULHW\LQQR YDWLYHFDPHUDVKRWVWKH¿OPIROORZVDFLW\LQ WKH V 6RYLHW 8QLRQ GXULQJ WKH FRXUVH RI DGD\³,WVKRZHGDORWRI¿UVWXVHRIFHUWDLQ WHFKQLTXHVLQFLQHPD´'LOORQVDLG Friday Night Flicks soon became more than a night at the movies. As “Man With A Camera” proved, attendees are interested not RQO\ LQ WKH FRQWHQW RI D ¿OP EXW KRZ LW ZDV made. Inspiring discussion is the focal point of HDFKVKRZLQJ'LOORQVDLG,WJLYHVYLHZHUVD chance to talk about what they liked or didn’t OLNHDERXWHDFK¿OP “We recently showed ‘Fitzcarraldo’ star- ULQJ .ODXV .LQVNL´ 'LOORQ VDLG ³7KHQ WKH next month we had a movie that was about the making of ‘Fitzcarraldo.’” 7KRXJK 'LOORQ SRLQWV RXW WKDW RQH RI WKH PDLQREMHFWLYHVRIWKHVHULHVLVWRVKRZ¿OPV \RXZRQ¶WW\SLFDOO\¿QGLQDFLQHPDWKHUHDUH occasional exceptions. “Jonathan once held a showing of ‘The Goonies’ during one of the anniversary years,” he said. :KHQ'LOORQWRRNWKHUHLJQVRIWKHVHULHV KH VKLIWHG FRQFHQWUDWLRQ WR ¿OPV IURP WKH 1RUWKZHVW)LOP&HQWHULQ3RUWODQG(DFK\HDU the Hoffman Center gets the Film Center’s EHVWRI'9'RIWKHSUHYLRXV\HDU ³,W¶V OLNH D ¿OP IHVWLYDO RI VKRUW ¿OPV which we would always show in January,” 'LOORQ VDLG ³:H DOZD\V JHW KXJH FURZGV 3HRSOH ORYH WKHVH VKRUW ¿OPV HVSHFLDOO\ the animated ones, and they’re all from the Northwest.” With the criteria of the series now centered on selections from the Northwest, attendees began to see the exceptional talent of regional ¿OPPDNHUV5HFHQWVHOHFWLRQVLQFOXGHG³'HHU Father,” made by students from Montana, and ³$3ODFH2I7UXWK´IURPD3RUWODQG¿OPPDN er. “It has to be by somebody or about some- ERG\IURPWKH1RUWKZHVW´'LOORQVDLG That was no more apparent than the screen- LQJRI³3ROLWLFV2I6DQG´D¿OPWKDWKLJKOLJKWV WKHVWUXJJOHWRNHHS2UHJRQ¶VEHDFKHVSXEOLF 7KH ¿JKW EHJDQ ZLWK 2UHJRQ *RY 2VZDOG :HVWLQWKHHDUO\VDQGKDVEHHQH[WUHPH ly effective, though not without effort. ³7KH¿OPVKRZVKRZRXUEHDFKHVULJKWKHUH were a battleground in the legislature and how IDVFLQDWLQJO\FRPSOH[LWZDV´'LOORQVDLG Submitted photo In Portland fi lmmaker Barrett Rudich’s “A Place of Truth,” 21-year-old busking poet Abi Mott taps out poetry on her typewriter that captures people’s lives with stunning clarity. 'LOORQVDLGKHLVORRNLQJEH\RQGDPRQWKO\ VFUHHQLQJWRLQWHJUDWLQJ¿OPPDNLQJLQWR+RII man Center programs. ³,¶GOLNHWRHVWDEOLVKRXURZQ¿OPPDNLQJ SURJUDP´ KH VDLG ³:H¶YH KDYH KDG ¿OPV made in the area, going back several years.” *HWWLQJ SHRSOH WR VKDUH WKHLU VWRULHV 'LOORQ said, is the grand scheme for the Manzanita Film Series. The program could be as simple as “cell phone cinema,” where people can learn how to use the everyday devices to make their own ¿OPV³$XGLHQFHVORYHWRVHHWKHLUFRPPXQLW\ on the screen,” he said. “It’s not just shooting pictures of the local area, you’ve got to tell a story.” He also added that the series’ involvement with the Northwest Film Center has opened XS OLPLWOHVV SRVVLELOLWLHV LQFOXGLQJ D ³5RDG Show,” which offers workshops in writing, ¿OPLQJDQGHGLWLQJ Whether it’s about the love of watching a movie, discussing it with friends and strangers, RUOHDUQLQJKRZWRPDNH\RXURZQ¿OP)ULGD\ Night Flicks has something for everyone. 'LOORQ QRWHG WKDW ZKLOH ORFDOV DUH DOZD\V on hand, out-of-town visitors usually wander in when they see the marquee. “It’s something new and interesting to do,” he said. “And we always sell popcorn.” Submitted photo “A Standing Still,” the second feature fi lm from Scott Ballard Films, revolves around Willamette National Forest fi re look- out Allison, a young woman who struggles with the future in the midst of loss and displacement. Submitted photo “Politics of Sand,” a 2008 fi lm, highlights the struggle to keep Oregon’s beaches public. the arts VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE Story by DAN HAAG May 28, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 9