7
Wednesday, December 10, 2020
GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon
The next best thing
■ Mid-Valley Theatre Co. hosts virtual film &
photo festival with 48-hour challenge
By Bill Bradshaw
Wallowa County Chieftain
LOSTINE — Closing out 2020
on a note of creativity and con-
nection, MidValley Theatre Co.,
of Lostine, this month is hosting
an online fi lm and photography
festival.
A broad range of submissions
are welcome, including short fi lms
(less than seven minutes), ultra-
short fi lms (less than one minute),
nature, art and other still pho-
tography. General entries will be
accepted starting Tuesday, Dec. 15,
and can include original work done
throughout the calendar year.
The festival also will include a
48-hour fi lm challenge in which
teams of fi lmmakers are assigned a
genre, a character, a prop and a line
of dialogue, and have 48 hours to
create a short fi lm containing those
elements.
“There just haven’t been a lot of
theatrical opportunities this year,
and this seemed like the perfect
outlet,” said Jennifer Hobbs, the
event organizer and a board mem-
ber of MidValley Theatre Co. “We’re
encouraging people of all ages and
experience levels to participate,
and there are a ton of possibilities
for what you can choose to do —
fi lms, music, skits, jokes, photos,
very short vignettes — we just
really want people to enjoy them-
selves and share their creative
visions and energies.”
The deadline for submissions
is Dec. 28. Prizes will be awarded
Dec. 30. An online gallery of entries
will be made available to the
public to help ring in the New Year.
Thanks to an $1,800 grant from
the Wallowa County Cultural Trust
Coalition, entry is free.
The event is a new one for Mid-
Valley and a one-off because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Hobbs emphasized that it is not
an attempt to replace the Ruby
Peak Film Festival and said there
isn’t a plan to make it a regular
part of MidValley’s events.
“But since we can’t do normal,
live theater this year, this seemed
like the best way, under the
circumstances, to offer a theatri-
cal opportunity for both actors
and audiences,” she said. “We look
forward to returning to live theater
as soon as we can do so safely, but
in the meantime, this is the next
best thing.”
For more information or to re-
quest an entry form, email jhobbs@
eoni.com or call 541-398-1055.
About Mid-Valley Theatre Co.
MidValley was founded in
1995, based in Lostine where its
president lives. The group, which
has no physical home, has histori-
cally used the Lostine Grange, the
Lostine Presbyterian Church and
the old Lostine school gymnasium
for shows, as well as other Wallowa
County venues such as the Josephy
Center in Joseph the OK Theatre
in Enterprise, most recently for its
original show “Common Threads”
in November 2019.
This Holiday Season,
Support
Local and Independent
Artists, Designers
and Crafters
For your shopping
convenience, Crossroads is
open Monday – Saturday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
2020 Auburn Avenue
Baker City, Oregon
541-523-5369
Visit our Website and
sales gallery at
www.crossroads-arts.org
Gift Certificates • Classes
Pottery • Art • Jewelry
Textiles • Cards
Ornaments