The funny thing about this entire experience and trip was where the film festival is being held. The film festival is in Vancouver, Washington and that's confusing for two reasons. The first is that Vancouver is often associated with Canada, and the second is that Washington is often confused for Washington, D.C. There's also something else. Oregon is one of those states that you don't really think exists. I don't even know why. It's one of those states that you think is a myth. Oregon? Who lives in Oregon? It's all so strange and obscure when you think about life outside of the city you live in. I can confirm, however, that Oregon is a real place with real people. In fact, both states are beautiful in their own ways.
In the first day of our trip, we didn't spend much time in Portland. The runway for the airport lands right beside the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. The few minutes we enjoyed outside the airport was when we drove through some fields to hop onto the highway. The drive took us from Portland to Vancouver over the river and the views were spectacular.
In Vancouver, we enjoyed a nice lunch at Dolce Gelato. The city is so peaceful and quiet, beautiful and scenic. There are trees everywhere, green gardens and parks, and fresh air. In fact, we took a stroll through Esther Park afterward, surrounding ourselves in nature. This is a city I could see myself living in. The hotel we're staying in is on the Columbia River Gorge. It's walking distance from all the film festival theaters and screenings in Downtown Vancouver. There's really nothing more fun and intimate than that. The Opening Night of the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival was today. The red carpets were rolled out, and after we picked up our festival badges, we were on our way to the historic Kiggins Theatre.
The evening began with Challenging Impossibility, a short documentary on Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spirtuial teacher who took on weightlifting to inspire people. The film was entertaining, shedding light on an unfamiliar world of weightlifting. It's a documentary unlike any other I've really seen before. The film was quite heavy-handed in its structure, but it's fascinating subject matter almost made me overlook its imperfections. The film was followed by a shorter piece, Walking Through Mist. In this two-part film, which feels more like an installation in a museum, the filmmaker takes us on a journey through the Columbia River Gorge, in a beautiful and poetic manner. The film plays with our senses, as images transform every few seconds, changing and shaping our perceptions.
The centerpiece film of the evening was Jay Duplass' documentary, Kevin. The documentary focuses on Kevin Gant, a musician from Austin, Texas, who has been on quite a roller coaster of a life. The film was made on pretty much no budget, with the entire documentary being concerned with Kevin's fascinating character. Kevin is fast-talking, extremely interesting and smart person with more than musical talents. The film cleverly explores his life and shortcomings in an engaging approach. The opening night wrapped up with a short performance from Kevin Gant, as well as a Q&A with the filmmakers of all three films, including Jay Duplass. I also had the opportunity to speak with Jay Duplass after the screening, who is as cool as an independent filmmaker comes.
This is film festival is off to a great start. It's quite exciting to be so way from home, in a different town with different artists. I also discovered that there are two Armenian filmmakers participating in the festival. I'll be checking out their films over the next few days and will hopefully meet them as well.
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