20th Annual BendFilm Festival

One of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World

Twenty years and counting – our friends at BendFilm Festival celebrate independent films and the risky, passionate, rugged and brilliant people who make them October 12-15 in-person, and virtually October 16-22. The 2023 festival brings back all of the wonderful Bend theaters, friends, volunteers, popcorn, fun and, best of all, the FILMMAKERS that we all love. In fact, during this special anniversary festival 100 films will be screened from Regal Old Mill ScreenX & IMAX up to Madras, and more than 125 filmmakers join from across the country. Plus, BendFilm will continue to offer virtual screenings to welcome film lovers any way possible.

A consistent fixture on MovieMaker magazine’s “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”, BendFilm celebrates the talented independent filmmakers and the art they create. Categories range from full-length documentaries and animated short films to music videos, leaving multiple opportunities for film lovers to test their cinematic threshold.

The BendFilm Festival is now recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – you know them as the folks that host the Oscars –  as one of 64 film festivals in the world that serves as an Oscar-qualifying festival for short films. Following the BendFilm Festival, organizers share the winning Indigenous, Narrative and Animated short films with The Academy screening committee for Oscar consideration.

Get your passes at BendFilm.org and behold the work of some of the globe’s most talented independent filmmakers, connect with future collaborators, and explore all that BendFilm has to offer virtually and in beautiful Bend and Central Oregon.

Can’t make it to the film festival this year? No problem. BendFilm hosts a series of cinematic events year-round. Check out a flick at the Tin Pan Theater or screen an indie movie online through their “Film Pharmacy” offerings.