About
Mission Statement
Eastern Oregon Film Festival is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating a cinematic experience in Eastern Oregon that promotes discovery, entertainment, and education via artistic exhibition and viewership. Through the mediums of independent film and music, we aim to enrich and expand the cultural experience within our community.
History
Eastern Oregon Film Festival was formed in 2009 by Ian Clark and Mike Surber. The first edition was a quaint, two-day event held in a pop-up space downtown. Ian organized a collection of films and served as the director and organizational ambassador, while Mike—a touring musician—brought together groups from Portland, Boise, San Francisco, and of course, La Grande. It began as a curatorial project driven by a desire to showcase contemporary film/music, progressive experiments, and to cultivate artistic dialogue in the community. EOFF was also the first festival to utilize Skype for filmmaker Q&As (please kindly call us out if we’re mistaken).
In its second year, EOFF was joined by Christopher Jennings – who took the baton as festival director, Benjamin Morgan – film programmer and nuts/bolts extraordinaire, and Brent Smith – one of the coolest lawyers in Oregon. The event expanded and added a third day of programming and additional music venues. Soon after, the group sought to become a non-profit organization, and in 2011 became a registered 501(c)(3) in the State of Oregon.
Today, like many small arts organizations, EOFF continues to evolve and aspires to become a sustainable community project.
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Board of Directors
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Contact
Address
112 Depot Street
La Grande OR 97850
Festival Director // Christopher Jennings // director@eofilmfest.com
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