H. Nelson Tracey is the director of Breakup Season. In this piece, he explains how the Eastern Oregon Film Festival residency led to the film, and how his selection for the Port Townsend Film Festival’s Filmmaker-in-Residence program is supporting his second film.—M.M.
The inciting incident for directing and producing my debut feature, Breakup Season, was participating in the inaugural Eastern Oregon Film Festival Residency program, where I spent a month in La Grande, Oregon, writing and developing what became an early draft of that film. When I trekked out there for the first time (initially attending the festival with a short film), I had no clue that a small town in Oregon would become the setting for my debut feature. I had even less of a clue that utilizing the time spent in a residency to build community support for a future film production would become a key component of my filmmaking strategy.
Living in Los Angeles, I often felt like one of thousands of aspiring filmmakers, forever on the outside looking in. Worse yet, because my career is primarily working as an editor, I never felt like my professional peers viewed me as a director. But on the festival circuit, even with a short film, I could meet people under this pretense. Right from the get-go, Eastern Oregon Film Festival director Christopher Jennings and his team made me feel seen as a bona fide director. Their belief in me made contemplating the enormous leap from short to feature seem possible. And when Chris announced the inaugural Eastern Oregon Film Festival residency program and shared it with festival alumni, I made sure I was first in line to apply and ultimately participate.
Without first attending the festival, I never would’ve known about the residency, proving you truly never know where a festival may take you. After being one of six filmmakers selected for the program, I spent four weeks in La Grande, writing screenplays alongside five other filmmakers.
It was clear early on that this is where I wanted my debut feature to be set: I was not only creatively inspired by the stunning geography of the location, I was beginning to see how a small town would be way more amenable to our production needs than a major metropolis. A few key necessities were confirmed, and a ton of research and development would come. Two years later, we shot Breakup Season in that very town.
Jennings explains: “The residency concept was built around the idea of facilitating sacred creative time for artists. Eastern Oregon has a way of slowing you down and opening you up, and when you pair that with a community of filmmakers doing the same work, big ideas start to crystallize. That’s exactly what happened with Nelson and Breakup Season, which grew from that experience into a feature film made right here.”
In a town where no feature films have been shot for over 25 years — the last major motion picture filmed in La Grande was 1969’s Paint Your Wagon — a few key locals were genuinely excited about a film production. Our core allies allowed us to pull off a few things that would’ve been near impossible to do in Los Angeles: turning off all the downtown city lights, filming at a functioning small airport, shooting next to a freight train, transporting cast daily for three weeks, and creating a nightclub dance party with over 30 extras at a reasonable cost.
This combined with the Oregon state-level rebate program allowed us to make an indie movie that looked far bigger than what it cost to make. It may have cost a similar amount in Los Angeles, but the production value and the unique texture far exceeded the equivalent project because of the unique access we had to La Grande.
Our filmmaking team felt like we unlocked an alternate, attainable way to make an indie movie: lean into a location where the local community is excited about the novelty of a feature film shooting in their community, and therefore enthusiastic about the work and resources that entails.
My experience with Breakup Season inspired my application to the Port Townsend Film Festival’s Filmmaker-in-Residence program. From the outset, I am taking an even more intentional approach to pairing my visit with a plan to initiate excitement for a future production in the town where I’m writing it. Just like my introduction to the Eastern Oregon Film Festival and La Grande, I first explored Port Townsend when I attended with Breakup Season for the Port Townsend Film Festival in 2024.
I was immediately impressed by the historic seaside village surrounded by mountain vistas, the highly engaged audience (which sold out both screenings), and the emphasis on making every filmmaker feel welcome. Right before I was accepted to this program, PTFF was chosen as one of MovieMaker’s 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World in 2025.
Here’s what some of my fellow PTFF Filmmakers in Residence have to say about their residency experience:
“PTFF allowed the time and space to reflect deeply on our film edit. We treasured the honest feedback from the local community on our film cut as well, and made lasting relationships with cinema enthusiasts.” — Mo Scarpelli of Rake Films, who took part in the 2015 PTFF Film Fellowship with Alexandria Bombach)
“The Port Townsend Artist in Residency is so much more than a typical artist’s retreat – it’s a warm embrace from a welcoming community. It’s an entire new world of experiences and conversations that can break open incredible ideas. We loved the creative freedom and we love Port Townsend!” — Lisa Klein and Doug Blush of Madpix Films, 2020 PTFF Filmmakers in Residence
“With the active assistance of PTFF, we turned the artist in residence into a highly productive and extremely worthwhile six-week workshop to develop a live musical theater piece, based on a documentary we showed at the festival. A group of 12 local volunteers participating with the PTFF staff was creative, dynamic and supportive. This wild idea was wonderful in every way.” — Gary Weimberg of Luna Production, 2019 PTFF Film Fellowship (with Catherine Ryan)
In letting me know I would be the 2026 Filmmaker in Residence, PTFF Executive Director Danielle McClelland said of my application: “This integration of writing, production planning, and community support building while you’re here is really the fulfillment of everything we’ve been hoping the residency could be. A big part of our mission is to nurture and support filmmakers. Another is to show the world the stories that are lived here. You’re starting with the idea that the location and the people will inspire what you write. It’s the perfect pairing!”
In collaboration with the PTFF staff, I’m already preparing to utilize the month I’ll be there to pave the way for a long-lasting relationship with the community. Our initial press release announcing my residency will point potential local crew members to ways they can get involved and direct local film enthusiasts in how they can help us identify potential locations. PTFF also offers fiscal sponsorship to alumni filmmakers who are planning productions in the Olympic Peninsula region, so we’ve already begun receiving tax-deductible donations to the project (and will continue welcoming support at any level).
I have a romantic comedy and a horror film in early stages of writing, both of which may be a good fit for filming Port Townsend. I plan to see which one suits the region better, but to actively scout and develop both while I’m up there. They’re about as opposite as it gets, and both excite me for different reasons, so I’m starting with an open mind as to which ends up being Feature #2, or something else entirely. It largely depends on what locations we discover and if they suit the respective stories.
I know I’m still very early in my career, but I’ve already determined that making regional film festivals and their communities integral to my process is the way in which I want to make movies. And this experience is transferable to just about any location in the United States.
You can contact Nelson here and learn more about the 2026 Port Townsend Residency here.
The 2026 Port Townsend Film Festival is open for submissions until April 15 and will be held September 24-27, 2026.
The 2026 Eastern Oregon Film Festival is open for submissions until July 19 and will be held October 15-17, 2026.
Learn more about the Port Townsend Filmmaker in Residence Program, now open to festival alumni for 2027 applications.
The Eastern Oregon Film Festival is now hosting Filmmaker Field Trips, an offshoot of the residency program, and will be open for applicants for fall 2026 later this year.
Main image: (L-R) Christy Spencer, H. Nelson Tracey, Carly Stewart, Brook Hogan and Vincent Carlston at the Port Townsend Film Festival. Photo by Lily Eckert