Page A7
August 15. 2007
Event Set on Creating an Even Playing Field
Film festival
breaks down
barriers
S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
by
A form er Portland resident found it
was easier to help people find their
niche when his own discovery was a
long time in the making.
T h at's how it happened for Desmond
Faison, 30, whose athletic skill helped
him succeed at Benson High School
and carried him through college, but
was never meant to be his true niche.
Now a Los Angeles filmmaker, Faison
spends his days writing, directing and
editing. Most recently h e's working
with his partner, Bree Dennis, to orga­
nize their inaugural event - the NiCHE
Film and Music Festival - a four-day,
three-night festival taking place dow n­
town from Thursday, Aug. 16 to Sun­
day, Aug. 19 at the Standard Insurance
Building, 9(X) S.W. Fifth Ave.
You w o n 't find tw o people m ore
co n fid e n t o f the d ire c tio n th e y ’re
headed than D ennis and Faison, who
nam ed th eir nonprofit event N iC H E
because o f the num erous opportuni-
PHoro by S arah B eoi nt /T he P ortland O bserver
Bree Dennis and Desmond Faison will host this weekend's NiCHE Film and Music Festival, an event open to actors
and filmmakers with an array o f experience.
ties in film and m usic.
They aim to create an even playing
field for Portland film m akers o f all
ages, experience, socioeconom ic sta­
tuses and ethnicities - eliminating, they
say. the red line between the groups of
"haves and have-nots."
“This is what our festival is about,"
Dennis said. "H elping people find their
groove.”
Faison, who splits his time between
Portland and LA, knows all about find­
ing a niche. As a younger man he was
fairly adept at finding his groove as
quarterback at B enson, earning a schol­
arship that carried him through M on­
tana State University in Bozeman. But
after graduation, football was no longer
the answer, and Faison found him self
wondering what was next.
"A lot o f people get pigeonholed early
on in life, especially young males," he
said. "Y ou play football or basketball,
and it alm ost engulfs you.”
In 2005 he reconnected with D en­
nis, a friend o f his w ho grew up and
still lives in Portland. D ennis, 30, said
she w as im p re sse d w ith F a is o n ’s
w ork and th o u g h t som e fin a n c ia l
backing w as exactly w hat he needed.
W ith a naturally talkative disposition
and background in sales, she began
w rangling investors and getting fi­
nancing, all the w hile falling in love
w ith film craft.
The duo created N iCH E as a non­
profit and began to organize the event
that Dennis proudly calls her life’s work
before the age o f 30. They wrapped up
the final details just months ago and
now await in anticipation o f the long
weekend o f films, parties, w orkshops,
mentoring and music.
Dennis and Faison chose Portland as
host city for logistical reasons and be­
cause word of mouth spreads fast in
this close-knit com m unity, but also
because o f tax breaks for film m akers
visiting Oregon.
“Portland is on the verge o f being a
film and video M ecca," Faison said.
The two-person crew hopes to make
NiCHE a premiere annual event for
Portland. For more information about
NiCHE, visit nichefestival.com .
African-American Grief Support Services
SENSELESS VIOLENCE LEADS TO SILENCE
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Volunteers Needed
5th Annual M arch and Rally
Septembers, 2007
For more inform ation please call
(503)-247-2997 or email: svits@msn.com
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Smiling About!
• Professional Services • Affordable Prices
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photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Creole Jambalaya Dinner
The dinner was New Orleans style at the Martin Luther King Loaves and Fishes Center for Saturday's Authentic Creole
Jambalaya Dinner. Helping out for the second annual event was David Lomax (from left), Lyda Overton, Xanthe Enos and
Wilma Alcock.
S isters T ackle N on p rofits
Seniors Prepare for Fishing
The Urban League of Port­
land is holding its annual Fish­
ing Derby on Friday, Aug. 17,
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hagg
Lake.
Seniors will travel to the
coastal range lake fora full day
of fishing, picnicking and recre­
ational activity. The community
elders will also vie for the “catch
of the day” award for hauling in
the biggest fish.
The Urban League has been
helping obtain fishing licenses
that allow senior Oregon resi­
dents tt) fish for free for the rest
of their lives.
For more information, con­
tact Koriani Baptist at 503-280-
2632.
T he local activist group S is­
ters in A ction will benefit from a
series o f readings on M onday,
A ug. 20 at 6:30 p.m . at In O ther
W o rd s b o o k s to r e , 8 N .E .
K illingsw orthSt.
T h e e v e n t w ill q u e s tio n
w hether sustainability o r a p o ­
litical edge is com prom ised as
com m unity activism becom es a
profession.
As a form er director o f S is­
ters in A ction, A m ara Perez, will
share her experience o f building
a nonprofit organization ded i­
cated to youth-led organizing.
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