The McMinnville Short Film Festival wrapped its 14th annual outing last Sunday with a mid-afternoon awards luncheon scheduled to avoid conflicting with the Oscars. Reflecting afterward on all the films and conversations, I’m struck by a paradox.
The festival’s mission is to showcase and celebrate the small, but this event, easily the largest cultural celebration in McMinnville and possibly in Yamhill County, increasingly has an epic vibe. Let us count the ways.
More than 100 films from more than 15 countries were screened over four days, including 18 world premieres and nearly 30 Oregon premieres. It was the longest festival yet. Screenings and talkbacks have long been a staple, but now an expanding menu of mixers and industry panels allows viewers to put questions to professional filmmakers such as Ellie Foumbi and Kevin Jerome Everson…