17th Portland International Film Festival to Open

Dear Editor:

The Portland Art Museum Northwest Film Center would like to remind our friends in the Puget Sound region that the 17th Portland International Film Festival will be held Feb. 17- March 6, 1994.

Film lovers will have the opportunity to survey more than 60 new films from more than two dozen countries, all of which will be having their Oregon, in most cases Northwest, and in some cases, American premieres.

Highlights this year will include a "Pacific Rim Showcase," and a survey o£ Spanish language films from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and other Latin American countries.

For more information and a complete schedule, call the Film Festival offices at (503)-221-1156.

Sincerely,

—Dan Eichler, Northwest Film Center

In Defense of  The Port Townsend Feature Film Conference

Editor:

In response to Paula Hunt's article (in Jan. '94 MM) that trashed the Port Townsend Feature Film Conference, all I can say is: lighten up a bit. I think the $250 tuition fee was a bargain for what was presented. Yes, the conference did have some weaknesses (most notably, the lack of someone to muzzle The Man in the Red Shirt), but overall, I was very pleased to listen to and meet people like Tom Wright, Steve Conrad, and Michael Apted. The personal aspect of the audience driven discussions were altogether more powerful than reading text from a book. My hat is off to all the organizers of the conference. I think they did an extremely commendable job, especially considering the teething pains that accompany any inaugural event of this nature.

Sincerely, 

—Kelly M. Caviezel

Producer, Backlash Productions, Inc. Open Screening Virtues Open to Debate

Dear Kelly Hughes:

Although your article in the January '94 issue of MovieMaker was very informative and encouraging, I have to protest your derogatory portrayal of the Open Screening. 911's Open Screening offers opportunity for anyone working in media arts, ranging from those who follow your guidelines of movie-making etiquette, to those folks who don't care about rules or commercial appeal. You had the nerve to call Open Screening a "circle jerk." I must inform you that we never, ever sit in a circle.

Your Pal,

—Alan Pruzan , 911 Programs & Sevices