The Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology (PFCAT) returns to the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry Aug. 21–25 for another year of showcases and competitions. Founded as the touring International Festival of Cinema and Technology, PFCAT rebranded in 2022, establishing Portland as its permanent home.
Organizers say this year’s lineup will include 150 films originating, up 20 from last year, from 30 different countries. Four screens will show films at all times, with at least two theaters concurrently running at any given point. 15 different films from Portland filmmakers will be featured at PFCAT. Winners of categories such as “Best Feature,” “Best Oregon Short,” and “Best Music” will be given awards designed by local artist Mike Bennett. PFCAT audience members can also vote for some categories via an augmented reality smartphone app.
Downwind—director Mark Shapiro’s documentary about nuclear testing’s impact on Native Americans in Utah, narrated by Michael Douglass and Martin Sheen—could be a PFCAT standout, as it’s won multiple awards since its debut at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival.
Portland animator Joanna Priestley will also hold a retrospective presentation relating to her work in the industry. Priestley, whose presence in the independent animation world spans more than 40 years, has also held retrospectives at the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. A “Breaking Into Animation” panel will also be offered, held in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Woman In Animation, to help young creators understand what a career in animation entails.
Last year, animator Bill Plympton showed off parts of his latest animated feature, Slide. Now that it’s complete, Plympton will be screening Slide in its entirety, as well as offering autographs after the movie ends. Plympton has had a long history with animation. His short film Your Face was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987, though many may know him from his work on a few of The Simpsons’ opening “couch gag” sequences.
PFCAT will be screening more feature length films this year, with many of them being animated and documentaries. “In terms of the number of screening hours, it went up quite considerably over 2023,” says Peter Issac, a PFCAT co-founder.
OMSI’s planetarium will offer an unorthodox way to watch a few of the original animated films and documentaries, completely encompassing the viewer in the movie experience. Films made for virtual reality systems will also be shown via headsets, allowing for a similarly immersive experience tailored by independent filmmakers.
PFCAT’s organizers hope the strong sense of community bonding they say manifested for the local film industry at last year’s festival returns.
“Last year was just so much fun, there was great creative energy,” says Marisa Alexander, a PFCAT co-founder. “People were meeting each other, coming up with ideas for new projects. We had a really great turnout of people so we figured we would try it again and even ramp it up a little bit.”
SEE IT: Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology at OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave, 503-381-5789, pdxfestofcinema.com. Wednesday, Aug. 21 to Saturday, Aug. 25. $12 adults, $11 seniors, and $10 youth with $2 off for OMSI members. All-access festival passes are $48 adults, $46 seniors, and $44 youth with $3 off for OMSI members.