This was the first in-person festival I’ve attended since prior to the pandemic, and it was a tremendous joy to converse with various artists whose work has left an indelible mark on my life. While seated next to powerhouse producer Liz Cardenas during the awards ceremony, I told her about the singular experience I had years ago at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, when her film, David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story,” played to a packed house that remained completely silent as Rooney Mara ate a pie in a single fixed shot over the course of five wordless minutes. I’ve also been a longtime admirer of my fellow juror, Tallie Medel, for years prior to their key role in one of 2022’s most beloved films, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Medel performs in the uproarious comedy trio Cocoon Central Dance Team alongside Eleanore Pienta (star of the brilliant “See You Next Tuesday”) and Sunita Mani (who sports the iconic hot dog hands in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”). Kwan and Scheinert (a.k.a. Daniels) produced the trio’s wonderful forty-minute showcase, “Snowy Bing Bongs Across the North Star Combat Zone,” which is currently streaming on Mubi, and should be sought out by every Daniels fan.
Honored with the title of Indie Woman of the Year was Tamara Jenkins, the phenomenal director of “Slums of Beverly Hills” and “The Savages,” who joined her husband, Alexander Payne’s frequent co-writer Jim Taylor, for a fascinating hour-and-a-half-long panel moderated by BendFilm’s tireless Head of Festival Programming, Selin Sevinc. I told the couple how the endings of “Sideways,” for which Taylor won an Oscar, and Jenkins’ latest triumph, 2018’s “Private Life,” are two of the best I’ve ever seen in how they refuse to tie up all the loose ends, leaving us with plenty to think about long after the credits roll. Jenkins shared a hilarious quote that speaks to how one can tell whether or not a film is working: you can “feel it in your ass,” since your sphincter will noticeably tighten whenever you sense that something is askew. I then had the great privilege of seeing “Private Life”—a film the vast majority of viewers have been able to see solely on Netflix—at Bend’s Tower Theatre with an engaged audience, and I can honestly say that every moment of that film feels absolutely right, all the way down to that sublime final shot, a masterwork of nuance that would make Mike Nichols proud. Thank you, BendFilm Festival, for reminding me why movies are a communal experience to be savored with as many people as possible.
COMPLETE LIST OF JURY AWARD WINNERS AT 2022 BENDFILM FESTIVAL
Best in Show: “You Resemble Me,” Dina Amer
Best Director: Elisa Levine and Gabriel Miller for “Sweetheart Deal”
Best Narrative Feature: “The Game,” Ana Lazarevic
Best Documentary Feature: “Sam Now,” Reed Harkness
Best Indigenous Feature: “Uýra: The Rising Forest,” Juliana Curi
Best Outdoor/Environmental Feature: “Au Revoir,” Justin Loiselle and Jonathan Ferguson
Best Cinematography: Bae Jin Baek for “Unidentified”
Best Editing: Jason Reid and Darren Lund for “Sam Now”
Special Jury Award for Excellence in Personal Filmmaking: “Bad Axe,” David Siev
Special Jury Award for Narrative Features: Malek Rahbani for his performance in “Jacir”
Best Narrative Short: “Enjoy,” Saul Abraham
Best Documentary Short: “Meantime,” Michael T. Workman
Best Animated Short: “Ice Merchants,” João Gonzalez
Best Northwest Short: “No Spectators Allowed,” Kanani Koster
Best Indigenous Short: “Daughter of the Sea,” Alexis C. Garcia
Best Outdoor/Environmental Short: “Monumental Divide,” Brian Olliver
Best Student Short: “El Carrito,” Zahida Pirani
Special Jury Award for Social Impact: “One Buck Won’t Hurt,” Christopher Stoudt
Special Jury Award for Animated Short: “The Seine’s Tears,” Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleur
Special Jury Award for Personal Vision: “Babysitting,” Patrick Noth
To view the complete virtual festival lineup, which is available for streaming through Sunday, October 23rd, click here.