Sisters Movie House plays host to Bend Film Festival

The eighth annual Bend Film Festival rode into town and paid a visit to the Sisters Movie House on Friday, October 7, with the premiere showing of "Wild Horse, Wild Ride."

A sold-out theater greeted owner Lisa Clausen and director of the film, Alex Dawson. The film, about the taming of wild mustangs, documents the efforts of wild-horse trainers who attempt to get the horses ready to compete in the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas.

"I actually got to screen some films this year," commented Clausen, "and when I saw this film I said that this had to be our opening film and we had to have it on here twice, it's that good."

This is the festival's third year in Sisters. Clausen noted that attendance for the festival has grown each year, and that this year she expanded the showings to two auditoriums.

"Last year we were in just one auditorium, but this year we expanded to two because of demand, and it also just really gives it more of a film festival experience," Clausen said.

The festival, which primarily shows films at different venues throughout Bend, including The Tower Theatre, The Oxford Hotel, The Regal and McMenamins, is a big shot in the arm to the local economy. Even though Clausen estimates that in Sisters, "about 70 percent" of the attendees are local, patrons to the festival come from all over the Northwest.

"In addition to people from places like LaGrande and Prineville, we get people from Olympia, Seattle, Portland, Salem, Eugene," Clausen commented. "I had people here from as far away as Michigan, so it's really great for all of Central Oregon."

Not only does the festival bring in patrons from all over, directors, producers, and others involved in the making of the films travel from as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Sweden.

As the Bend Film Festival continues its relationship with Sisters Movie House, look for more support from Bend.

"Ya know, the first couple of years we were kind of on our own, but now as the organization has grown so has the support, and it's really been great," Clausen said.

As the festival continues to grow, so too do the quality of the films submitted. Filmmakers must submit their films to a selection committee who score the films, with the highest scoring films making it into the festival.

Clausen noted, "It's always going to be something creative and different, and that's what makes it a film festival."

For more information on this year's festival, visit http://www.bendfilm.org.