PIFF Report: Final

Yesterday marked the final day of press screenings for the Portland International Film Festival. The screenings were held in the Portland Art Museum’s lovely Whitsell Auditorium (check it out if you’re ever in Portland). The Norwest Film Center staff were all really friendly, helpful and just generally awesome folks, so a big “thank you” goes out to them. This was my first major festival and I fear that it’s spoiled me for life. The audiences were so well behaved. Granted, most of them were critics and VIPs, and the Film Center presenters were constantly reminding us (in a very friendly manner, of course) to keep our cell phones off. But, still, I couldn’t have asked for a better festival experience. And how often does one get to applaud the projectionist—and really mean it?

The following are my top 10 festival picks (in alphabetical order):

(Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, Certified Copy, Cold Weather, The Four Times, The Housemaid, How to Die in Oregon, Of Love and Other Demons, Poetry, Rubber, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives)

I look forward to covering the festival next year.