Film festival screens features on campus

Film festival screens features on campus

Oct. 15, 2021 LA GRANDE, Ore. – Now in its twelfth year, the Eastern Oregon Film Festival will hold a weekend of film screenings Oct. 21 to 23, showing its selection of films at Eastern Oregon University.  

While most in-person screenings are only open to festival members, EOU students can attend the full on-campus slate of showings for free. The university is a primary sponsor of the event.

“Every year there are films that align really well with academic tracks at the university, whether that’s anthropology, ag sciences, psychology or others,” Festival Director Chris Jennings said. “Our goal is to provide student interaction with great films and filmmakers, and we’re looking to further those partnerships with faculty to incorporate films that add nuance and value to academic programs.” 

Each day starting at 11 a.m., attendees can enjoy a unique line-up of seven short films in EOU’s newly renovated Schwarz Theatre, complete with filmmaker panels in between. Each afternoon features two longer films, which will also play in the black box Schwarz Theatre. 

“Ultimately, I’m just grateful to have a comfortable, well-equipped facility in our community,” Jennings said. “It’s a community asset that deserves to be seen and utilized.”

The pinnacles of the weekend are two feature-length films showing at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in McKenzie Theatre. The larger venue allows for physical distancing so these showings will be open to the public. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Friday’s feature, “The Beta Test” will only be shown in-person. All other films will be available for online viewing during the weekend. 

Musical acts in La Grande coordinate with each night of movies. The full schedule and ticket details are available at eofilmfest.com.