Announcing the Eastern Oregon Filmmaker Residency

Eastern Oregon Film Festival, an La Grande based nonprofit is excited to announce the inaugural year of its Filmmaker Residency program. The residency is a month-long retreat for writers and directors to receive designated time and space to work on feature-length screenplays. 

The application for attendance opens on filmfreeway.com on January 17 and closes on February 21, with an early bird deadline of February 7. 

The goal of this 4-week program is for artists to walk away with a draft that has the potential to be produced in Oregon in the coming years, and for attendees to learn about resources and opportunities available to them for filmmaking in this region. Most importantly, this is a dedicated and focused time for talented writers to produce work in whatever form they see fit. Unlike most artist residencies, this is specifically geared toward filmmakers.

Residencies are a sacred time and space where creatives have a sole mission: write and develop their ideas.” says H. Nelson Tracey, a Los Angeles based filmmaker and EOFF alumni who is helping to develop the residency program. “It’s a step away from inevitable commitments and distractions in life at home, and an added purpose of creation that can be difficult to conjure when left to one’s own devices. A successful residency combines ample solo time for focussed work, along with a tight community of fellow artists to share goals and ideas through a series of focussed gathering points, exploration of Eastern Oregon’s pristine locations.

The EOFF team hopes to work with their current and ongoing partners like Eastern Oregon University to connect students and filmmakers through integrated academic events as well as social & engagement events. The visiting artists will rely on HQ, a creative digital media studio (112 Depot Street ), as a creative space and hub for collaboration. Local lodging and food options to support the selected residents are being organized by EOFF staff and they are still looking for additional support. 

The amount of support for this program has been awesome. We have connected with so many wonderful programs around the Pacific Northwest in our development journey.” says festival director Christopher Jennings. “Our festival community is known for its supportive and engaged relationship with visiting filmmakers and we look forward to playing on this strength and immersing the incoming residents in a supportive, inclusive, and creative environment.” 

Interested applicants are invited to attend one of two informational ZOOM meetings prior to the application deadline. Tuesday, Jan 19 at 7PM PST and Friday, Jan. 22 :: 4PM PST.  Register in advance for this meeting by clicking on the links found at the festival website. 

The EOFF Residency Application can be found at https://www.filmfreeway.com/eofilmfest-residency

Additional information and a FAQ found at https://www.eofilmfest.com/filmmaker-residency