Northwest Film Center

Tried for a ticket for one of tonight’s showing-​no go even with a disability and no ability to wait in lines the festival is not a good host. Super unhelpful and not interested in really serving the disabled population of Portland.

This review is for the movie theater which is in the lower level of the Portland Art museum. I once heard a art talk thing in here, but twice now I have seen movies.
As part of the film center, I saw a documentary which was fascinating, today I saw a random screening of a soon to be released film, Youth. (I recommend it but warning it is odd.)
To enter for after hours films you enter the museum through the side door (near the sculpture garden) and go downstairs. Once in side it is a very large theater. It has carpets, comfortable chairs, a huge screen and good sound.
They do a lot of series, currently they are doing Japanese movies, several of which looked interesting. They are about to start a series on ORSON WELLS! block busters like Citizen Cane to lesser known films all on a big screen… tempting!
Warning eat before you go as there is no food or drink inside.

I love watching movies here. The movie theater here is part of the museum, so you have to keep in mind that when you come here to watch movies, the art museum rules apply to you. Unfortunately, that’s why I have to omit a perfect 5 stars from this review. It’s just not going to be a place for everyone. At the same time, the movies they show here are not for everyone.
The NW Film Center is a classy place. I can turn the class on, but sometimes, class is just not in the picture for me. And on those days, I go to the Hollywood or Laurelhurst. In these theaters, I can drink beer, eat popcorn, and sometimes even acceptably heckle at the screen (see: hecklevision). This behavior will not be tolerated at the NW Film Center. And frankly, when I’m watching a movie at the NW Film Center (aka the Whitsell Auditorium) I would not tolerate those kinds of shenanigans either. Actually I’m pretty passive so I would probably tolerate it, but I wouldn’t be happy about.
If you’re a cinephile, you will loooove this place. They play retrospectives here, foreign films, local films, and just tasteful, highly acclaimed films. The theater is quite large– I believe it seats something like 300. Maybe 500? I’m not 100% sure. It’s very museum-​like in the auditorium. It’s clean and crisp. The movie screen is huge and far back enough that you do not need to strain your neck if you sit in the front row. You can’t eat in the theater, but it’s worth it and you can definitely see why they enforce this rule when you’re in there.
I love watching movies here and I love museums, so all in all, this is a really valuable asset to the Portland community.

Cute location — came here to see Thermae Romae. The seats are kind of weird because they are not staggered very much — meaningly that it’s hard to see over anyone else in the theater. The movie itself was amazing. I was bummed however that there was no popcorn or snacks but I don’t know if that’s just my general ignorance of how art house places work.
I’ll definitely be back!

I also went to the Top Down series on the roof of the Hotel DeLuxe to see «Zelig» and it was such a great experience. Not only was the view of the city gorgeous but there was great food and great people. I highly recommend this event to everyone but also don’t want everyone to know about it just yet. :)

Went to the NW Film Center rooftop movie and saw Zelig, an old Woody Allen Movie on the top floor of the Hotel DeLuxe Parking Garage. The whole ambiance was great. The weather was warm, you could buy food and drink, and the movie was fun. I guess it is every Thursday during the summer months, and I only heard about it through Unilocal.I will definitely consider going again next Thursday for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Overall a good time was had by all.

This is a review of the NW Film Center’s film school based on my experiences as a student. Most of the other reviews on Unilocal are for the related theater/​auditorium at the Portland Art Museum.
I decided to take an introductory course in digital film-​making (Art of Filmmaking taught by Bushra Azzouz) to see if it might be something to pursue as a hobby. Overall, I would rate the class a ⁴⁄₅. I learned a ton of information about using digital cameras to make movies, and the basics of Avid, the industry standard for editing software. We got to jump right in and use the equipment and software after only about two weeks. There was an accompanying text book that was an easy read but kind of boring and technical (but occasionally a good reference).
The class was structured like any other semester-​long college course and lasted from January to late April, with a number of hands-​on exercises and projects for students to complete. I appreciated the instructor’s friendly nature and her flexibility in accepting one of the assignments late when my work schedule got in the way. One thing I wish I had learned more about was how to tell a story using video as the medium, although students who continue on in the program or earn a certificate probably learn more about this. I also felt that the handouts with «instructions» for the editing software were difficult to understand, especially if I missed a class due to being sick. They were hand-​typed lists of directions that were difficult to navigate, rather than something more formalized and clear. This was probably a result of the recent adoption by the NWFC of a different software, which I discuss more below. And although the course was very good at teaching the relevant skills, it had a very self-​directed feel to it, in that students had to learn some things on their own outside of class by trial and error (at least that was my experience) without much assistance.
So, the class was mostly good, but there are a few things the Film Center could improve on that had to do with the school itself rather than the class. For one, I began this course during a transition at the NWFC in editing software (from Final Cut Pro to Avid). When I needed assistance or had a question about the software when working in the editing room, there were barely any employees who could help me. Most of them had only used FCP and claimed they didn’t know anything about Avid. Some of them seemed apathetic about this, rather than being concerned that students had questions they could not answer. I feel that the NWFC should have prepared employees ahead of the transition by providing training in this program. It seemed that they expected students just to figure it out themselves and learn what they could in class rather than providing the appropriate human resources to assist them.
Second, some of the people who worked in the Equipment Room were not the most friendly bunch, nor did they seem to be on the same page about the processes and rules for equipment and editing. On more than one occasion, they seemed to be bothered when I needed their assistance with something, especially if I had a question about the editing software. They were also extremely inconsistent in the information they shared with me regarding reserving spots in the editing room and checking in/​out equipment. There were a few occasions when I was misinformed about what time my equipment was to be checked out or checked in, which sometimes led to them think I was late and either scold me or attempt to charge me a late fee. Regarding editing times, they have a strange system where you can only edit in specific three-​hour increments, so there is a lack of flexibility for students with varying schedules. Things like this are just annoying and unprofessional, and don’t make for a very good experience or lasting impression (and I’m sure they rely on returning students to fund programs).
Aside from all of this, the NWFC provides high quality video equipment, software, and computers for editing (it’s a Mac-​based lab). The instructors definitely know what they are doing and help when they are able. If you are interested in signing up for a class, they have a number of topical offerings appropriate for different skill levels. Be prepared to purchase a text book and a hard drive to hold your footage and projects.

My contribution is to tell you how to get in. If the museum is closed, or the front entrance blocked for some other reason, walk to the south side of the building and there will be a sign (enter in the Hoffman Lobby). If you are like me and arrive places way too early, you may find the door locked so just hang out until someone come to unlock it. You present your ticket at the counter, and then walk downstairs to the theater or take the elevator.
It is a nice comfortable theater.

This is a plush venue with high-​quality projection and sound. It’s located downstairs at the Portland Art Museum. Not much legroom, but the seating is otherwise comfortable. We went yesterday for one of the Portland International Film Festival offerings. It was my first trip to Whitsell and a great introduction. It’s like a movie museum – no martinis or snacks a la my home away from home, Living Room Theaters – but very nice for what it is.

LAME. The Whitsell plays great movies but they are expensive and a lot of the time you’re surrounded by pretentious, stuffy, snotty, uptight, and annoying people. You can’t enjoy beverages or food (obviously) because its a museum. It’s the movie going equivalent of going over someone’s house with plastic on their furniture.

Awesome older flixs and Indy pics!

Disclaimer: I would like to title this review as «An evening on a rooftop with Tom Waits.»
Thursday nights on top of the Hotel deLuxe parking garage the NW Film Center is hosting its Top Down Film Festival. Last night they showed Big Time, a movie on the infamous and fabulous Mr. Tom Waits. What a great night: stars, people watching, music, food, beverages, and amazing weather. That combined with the beautifully lit buildings of downtown and the mountains made for an amazing backdrop.
The Northwest Film Center did a great job organizing the event. Everything went smoothly. The lines for food or drinks moved quickly, folks got in to the event quickly, and the movie started at some point after 9pm and before 9:30pm. I would suggest securing seats near where they are showing the movie (on the ramp in between levels four and five) as if you get stuck towards the back (like us) you may have trouble hearing and/​or seeing. I only saw one speaker down towards the front and the screen is not that big. For some odd reason there were two couples near us that literally talked during the entire movie. It was pretty frustrating.
Bring a chair! They did have a lot of chairs but they filled up fairly quickly. We were quite pleased to have brought our own as folks were standing and leaning against a wall. Everyone appeared to have fun though, I know we did.
Lots of great movies are coming up… see you there! It was a lot of fun. What a great night!

Housed within the Portland Art Museum, the Whitsell Auditorium keeps to a schedule that focuses predictably on art, foreign, and independent films.
This is also the site of many film festivals and screenings and is the resident theater for the NW Film Centers many showings, festivals, and events.
The Whitsell is essential in the Portland film world.