DISCOVER PORTLAND’S POWERHOUSE ANIMATION SCENEshowcases 20+ short films from local independent animators. Including both masters and remarkable amateurs, this is a line-up of new works and seldom-seen gems you won’t find anywhere else. $6 students / seniors CLICK HERE to buy advance tickets 492 East 13th Ave Amazing short films from Portland’s powerhouse animation scene! The city that produced the California Raisins, the voice of Bugs Bunny, the creator of The Simpsons, and hit feature films such as Coraline, Portland has become the hub for a dynamic and diverse grassroots animation scene. is a showcase of twenty-two animated short features from local independent animators, including experienced masters and exceptional amateurs. Presented by the same people who organize the Northwest Animation Festival, an event that seeks to shine a light on remarkable but obscure animated short films, Portland Animation Now! is a ninety-minute attraction that presents a wide variety of entertaining and artistic films involving a mix of animation styles.

Highlights include: Ursula 1000–Rocket by Eric Kilkenny: A love story told as a fever dream involving stolen works of art, dualistic robot terminators, and a giant floating head who seriously needs his moustache trimmed. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective by Sam Niemann and Stacey Hallal: It had been a long night and Ruby Rocket, Private Detective, needed a stiff one–then HE walked in. Missionary by Mike A. Smith: Geopolitical allegory as cartoon slapstick, featuring eggs and fearsome hand-on-stick technology. Old-Time Film by Barbara Tetenbaum and Marilyn Zornado: Handset type, printer’s ornaments and antique engraving come to life in the first film created entirely through letterpress printing. Operation: Fish by Jeff Riley: After a series of goldfish abductions, a secret agent is dispatched to bring the fishnappers to justice, and possibly save the world! CINEMA PACIFIC FILM FESTIVALis being presented as part of Cinema Pacific, an annual film festival based at the University of Oregon in Eugene that is devoted to discovering and fostering the creativity of international films and new media from Pacific-bordering countries, including the U.S.

Through onsite and online presentations, the festival connects stimulating artists and ideas with a diverse public, furthering our understanding of world cultures and contemporary issues. • Tokyo Drifter – with guest director Matsue Tetsuaki • Midori-Ko – introduced by festival fellow Jonathan Hall • Portland Animation Now! – with animator Sven Bonnichsen • Overheard 2 – with actor Danie Wu • The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps – introduced by Jonathan Hallichiban sushi menu south hadley • The Heavenly Kings – with guest actor/director Daniel Wuaki sushi east northport order online • Kanzeon – introduced by Jonathan Halljiro dreams of sushi pelicula online

• Ringing in their Ears – introduced by Jonathan Hall • A Simple Life – with producer-screenwriter Roger Lee • Adrenalin Film Project and Afterparty • Abraxas – introduced by Jonathan Hall • The Welcome – with guests Bob and Moe Eaton • Jiro Dreams of Sushi – with fresh sushi at concessions!From grace & poise to frantic, impish energy, Toshiro Mifune’s screen presence was truly multitudinous, most notably across his sixteen films with Akira Kurosawa. An unparalleled presence in international cinema, not to mention the West’s go-to yardstick for East Asian performers, Mifune’s image is intertwined with that of Japanese cinema on a global scale, as well as that of the cinematic Samurai. It’s fitting, then, that Mifune: The Last Samurai should not only reclaim the title of Hollywood’s most notable Japanese story (one with a white American at its center), but extrapolate the meaning behind that very reclamation. The film espouses not only the virtues of the Samurai, but its cinematic history, one that both birthed and absorbed the Toshiro Mifune we know today.

From Japan’s early chambara films (named for the onomatopoeic clashing of swords) to the country's post-war renaissance, Mifune: The Last Samurai chronicles all the individual elements that made up the late thespian, both in his personal life as well as his iconic imagery, with the occasional peeks behind the curtain that was his unique method. That being said, the downside to being so all-encompassing in a single film is the lack of discernible thesis statement, resulting in an interesting investigation that simply fizzles out. Keanu Reeves, an actor equally misunderstood, but an actor who would’ve thrived in early Japanese cinema, is the vocalization of the film’s historical lens. Despite its presentation as a “standard” documentary with talking heads in every direction, director Steven Okazaki (Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo) imbues his interviews with minute details that offer insight into its interviewees and how Mifune influenced them. The usually sterile environments for the talkies are meticulously framed here, shortened lenses obfuscating, though not entirely obscuring, background details that denote workmanship, from sets to movie posters to memorabilia, as if Mifune’s artistic influence was present in the background of every frame, and every artist’s subconscious.

While the breadth of its focus may work to its detriment, eventually hardening its thoughtful approach and turning it somewhat clinical (as it attempts to pad out its runtime with the latter years of Mifune’s life), there is admittedly an appeal to that very breadth. Where else can you find such a multitude of perspectives on Mifune, from co-stars and fight choreographers, to the sons of Mifune and Kurosawa, to Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese? The film peaks around the same time as Mifune himself, following his falling-out with Kurosawa and his brief time in Hollywood, his obsession with cars, and his destructive drinking habits. He lived a star’s life and a star’s rise-and-fall, though the film has much more to say about his upward trajectory. It also strays away from conventional subtitles and title cards, introducing brightly coloured text instead; whether or not you’re a seasoned documentary/foreign film enthusiast, it’s a tiny detail that comes as a huge relief!