Why should I enter/attend the Eugene International Film Festival?
Eugene is a city you will come to known for its creative environment and stunning success stories. You may well become one of those legends. With a long history of filmmaking, world-class soundstages, state of the art recording studios, industry professionals and savvy students, Eugene is the place to strut your stuff. EIFF trophies are of “heirloom quality” and presented with the respect you deserve at a memorable gala. Each artisan glass trophy is individually handmade and etched with your name at Eugene’s renowned Aurora Glass Foundry. This is a festival by filmmakers for filmmakers held in a filmmaking community. The camaraderie is like telling stores around the campfire. It’s your connection to a wonderful personal experience. If fine dining makes your day you will have options. Consider doing lunch in the cafeteria where the famous “Animal House” food fight took place. It’s still frequented by campus Greeks. There is a shrine commemorating the location of the “Delta House” where much of the “Animal House” filming took place. Alas, the actual fraternity serving as the location has been replaced by a new building. What were they thinking? Or, dine at the restaurant where Jack Nicholson’s character tried to order toast, an item not on the menu. He ended up ordering a chicken salad sandwich, asking the waitress to hold the chicken between her knees. The film is “Five Easy Pieces.” If fitness is your second passion after filmmaking, go for a run on the trails and track where Steve Prefontaine trained and set his world records, as seen in “Without Limits.” Nike’s famous athletic shoes were invented and tested here by the world’s greatest athletes. Is mailbox baseball your sport? Go for a drive on Royal Ave. where Kiefer Sutherland’s character in “Stand by Me” trained his team. Does ancient history row your boat? Check out “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” and “Rachel and the Stranger,” filmed in Eugene in 1939 and 1947 respectively. Before that there was the 1929 independent film “Ed’s Coed” and a Eugene produced wild river documentary featuring the then isolated Deschutes River in rugged Eastern Oregon. Some say Ken Kesey launched the 60’s from here when he drove across America in his bus Furthur dispensing “electric cool-aid.” He wrote the novels behind the screenplays for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Sometimes a Great Notion.” A bronze casting memorializes his artistry in the center of town. The Merry Pranksters and the Kesey family are still a part of our community. You may meet one at the festival. Our ratio of brewpubs to population is lifesaving. The region is home to the resurrection of American craft brewing. The first post prohibition microbreweries were founded in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia in the early 1980’s. You will have opportunities to share a pint and a bite with the festival mentor of your choice. Eugene is located in the southern Willamette Valley, also famous for its wineries, mushrooms and truffles. Considering the charisma of doing your deal on a napkin provided by one of the local wineries. Having fun here is hard to avoid, especially when you cast yourself as a member of the international filmmaking community that is the Eugene International Film Festival. Join us. | 
James Cloutier
