This year marks the 37th year of the Portland International Film Festival, presented by the Northwest Film Center. This year’s tagline, “Look the World in the Eye,” in many ways incorporates the goals of the festival.
“Our intent is to host the Portland premiere of films from around the globe…[and] hope that people living in the Portland metro area will use PIFF as an opportunity to engage with how others live throughout the world,” said Nick Bruno, PR and marketing associate at the film center.
For nearly four decades PIFF has not only showcased a diverse showcase of films from around the world, but has ultimately brought together and celebrated the different cultural groups and organizations right here in Portland. The festival is an opportunity for movie lovers to see a wide variety of international films in the theatrical setting in which they are meant to be viewed. With the festival, Portlanders are given the chance to be a part of something bigger than just a movie screening.
“I’m personally obsessed with foreign cinema, as I find that it often more capably addresses emotional, philosophical and political issues than the films coming out of Hollywood,” Bruno said.
By seeing how others live throughout the world, the audience is forced to address both large and small issues that are present in societies outside our own. These films allow viewers “…to maybe see something expressed through cinema that they may never have encountered before,” Bruno said.
Apart from showcasing a host of international films, the festival also presents the works of Portland’s vibrant film scene. Each year, PIFF holds a program geared towards presenting the short films of local filmmakers. This year’s “Short Cuts V: Oregon Filmmakers’ Showcase,” which screened Feb. 11, is moderately preeminent compared to past shows, due to having a lineup wholly comprised of female directors.
“We are lucky to have a very dynamic filmgoing and filmmaking community…It influences us in the sense that we feel confident programming a very diverse schedule; everything from animation to documentary and experimental. We know that people will come out and support the films,” said Laura Bartroff, PR and marketing manager at the film center.
Influences are ready to be made at PIFF, as well as a more broadened understanding of the human race.
“The world is huge, but people are basically the same everywhere, and film, unlike any other medium, lets us realize that. It’s an important premise to remember and at the end of the day, that is what impacts me most,” Bartroff said.
The 37th Portland International Film Festival runs through Feb. 26. For more information and a full list of showtimes, visit, http://festivals.nwfilm.org/piff37/