Film, culture, art, tech and business events highlight the calendar in October

It’s impossible not fall in love with Central Oregon in the autumn.

Warm days on the trail turn into crisp nights around the fire pit, the colors start to change in Drake and Hollinshead park, and Bend itself is filled with some of the most inquisitive minds on the planet as creatives flock to town for events like the Bend Design Conference, the BendFilm Festival and more.

Here’s some of our favorite events during Tenth Month:

BendFilm Festival

October 10-13

BendFilm is an independent Oregon film festival in the truest sense. Rugged, brilliant, daring, adventurous, fun and engaging. Now in its 16th year, BendFilm is an imaginative and thought-provoking film festival that should not be overlooked. It truly is intimate, allowing filmgoers immediate access to the next up-and-coming filmmaker.

With tremendous local support, it’s no wonder that more than 1,000 films get submitted to the festival every year. BendFilm hosts a wide variety of film genres that cover just about every topic imaginable. The festival is hosted in a number of local theaters, including a historic movie theater downtown, a state-of-the-art cinema in the Old Mill District, inside a craft brewery, and a chic performance venue, and in BendFilm’s own movie house, the Tin Pan Theater.

Bend Venture Conference

October 17-18

Now in its 15th year, the Bend Venture Conference is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, nearly $10 million has been invested in 41 companies as a result of the conference.

Last year alone, seven businesses walked away with approximately $1.8 million in investments awarded before a sold-out crowd at Bend’s Tower Theatre. More than 600 entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders attend the multi-day conference annually.

The 2019 Bend Venture Conference will feature three competition categories:

Growth Stage Competition: Open to companies that have a proven concept, have generated initial revenues and are prepared to scale quickly with investment. Companies can be located anywhere in the U.S.

Early Stage Competition: Open to companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. Companies can be located anywhere in the U.S.

Impact Competition: This category includes for-profit companies, whose business models are integrated with a mission to have a significant and measurable social or environmental impact. Companies should be aiming to generate long-term enterprise value and attractive returns on capital. Companies can be located anywhere in the U.S.

Bend Design Conference

October 23-26

What could the future look like? Bend Design gathers the people, inspiration, and tools we need to shape it together. Every October, Bend Design convenes creative thinkers from a diverse range of practices and professions for talks, shows, workshops, screenings, and problem-solving sessions. And let’s not forget the parties, meetups, and dinner conversations.

Bend Design’s intimate, welcoming atmosphere enables the leaders of tomorrow to engage with the exceptional, experienced creatives of today. Our participants make new connections, collaborate on new projects, and learn new skills. Together we explore how creative thinking and practices can lift up our lives, our communities, and the wider world.