8
OCTOBER 20�27, 2021
BEHIND THE SCENES
FROM THE
COVER
Eastern Oregon Film Festival #EOFF
By Davis Carbaugh
Go! Magazine
L
A GRANDE — La Grande’s signature
celebration of cinema is approach-
ing, with each artistic creation bringing a
unique perspective to this year’s rendition
of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival.
One of the 17 fi lmmakers traveling to
La Grande to present their fi lm in person,
Anthony Orkin portrays his appreciation
for the outdoors in his feature-length fi lm
“Hello From Nowhere.” Orkin’s fi lm refl ects
his personal journey of his move from
New York City to Portland, utilizing Oregon
scenery in a comedic, midsummer night’s
dream fi lm.
“The fi lm is my love letter to the great
outdoors,” Orkin said. “I wanted to show
what it’s like to go from the big city to living
in the woods.”
In “Hello From Nowhere,” two couples
encounter a lonely hiker whose secrets
and abnormalities create a rift among
the group.
A major aspect of the fi lm is the scen-
ery, which Orkin said was a priority. He
utilized a boy scout camp near Mt. Hood
for the movie’s set, and that landscape
becomes somewhat of a character in
the fi lm.
Eastern Oregon Film Festival/Contributed image
A public screening of “The Beta Test” will be
held at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at McKenzie
Theatre on the EOU campus. For ticket
information, visit www.eofi lmfest.com.
“This is some of the most beautiful
countryside,” Orkin said. “I really wanted
to feature it throughout the movie.”
With the heavy focus on the outdoors
in “Hello From Nowhere,” Orkin found it
very fi tting that the movie will premiere in
La Grande. He noted that the Eastern Or-
egon Film Festival will be a perfect setting
to show his movie to an audience who
can appreciate its setting and meaning.
“I wanted to make a movie that people
would feel good walking out after and
hopefully get a laugh at,” he said.
The Eastern Oregon Film Festival will
be showing 52 fi lms across three days,
with the events beginning on Thursday,
Oct. 21. Orkin is scheduled to be the only
feature-length fi lmmaker presenting work
in person.
This year’s festival will combine both in-
person and virtual elements. Festival pass
holders will be able to attend in-person
screenings, while virtual passes are avail-
able to all. Purchases passes and preview
the fi lms at the Eastern Oregon Film Festi-
val website, www.eofi lmfest.com.
Films may be viewed online through-
out the course of the weekend on EOFF’s
virtual platform: https://watch.eventive.
org/eofi lmfest. Virtual screenings may be
viewed individually or by way of a virtual
all-weekend pass.
Saturday, Oct. 23, will feature “Ev-
erything in the End” at 7 p.m. This quiet,
contemplative humanist story is set in
Iceland. It explores themes of grief and
death, and of how, in the end, human
connections allow us to forgive and ac-
cept. “Everything in the End” was shot
on location in Iceland over 10 days with
a crew of four people and is fi lmmaker
Mylissa Fitzsimmons’ fi rst feature fi lm.
This fi lm is recommended for ages 12
and older and may be screened in person
or virtually.
PUBLIC SCREENINGS AT EOU
MORE
In addition, two feature public screen-
ings will be held at EOU’s McKenzie
Theatre. Pre-purchase stand-alone tickets
to the general public are on sale at www.
eofi lmfest, and the events are free to East-
ern Oregon University students.
“The Beta Test,” a new thriller from
Jim Cummings (“Thunder Road,” “Wolf
of Snow Hollow”) and PJ McCabe, will
begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. In this fi lm,
married Hollywood agent (Cummings)
receives a mysterious letter for an anony-
mous sexual encounter and becomes
ensnared in a sinister world of lying,
infi delity and digital data. This fi lm is not
recommended for children.
Salons: EOFF will be hosting 17 visit-
ing fi lmmakers during the weekend and
they will be sharing their fi lms with EOFF
members, visiting artists, colleagues, and
EOU students via two Short Salons in the
Schwarz Theatre at EOU on Friday and
Saturday of the event.
After parties: After parties with live
music will be held at HQ, 112 Depot St.,
on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 and 23,
after the evening feature fi lms. Bands
include Blood Lemon and Floating Witch’s
Head from Boise. Tickets are $10 at the
door but subject to capacity availability.
Public safety: Masks are required in all
in-person screenings and indoor events.
First Friday at Crossroads
F orms o F ood
By Sarah E. Wynn and Deborah Penning
2020 Auburn Avenue
Baker City, Oregon
541.523.5369
www.crossroads-arts.org
Exhibition on display Friday, October 1 through Saturday, October 30
Crossroads is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Sarah E. Wynn and Deborah Penning
present a fun First Friday evening
filled with lively painting creations
of the foods we love paired with an
eclectic array of hand-thrown ceramics
that enhance our dining experience