Celebrating independent film, music, and community. The Eastern Oregon Film Festival (#EOFF2025) returns for its sixteenth annual celebration of independent cinema, community, and culture. From October 16–18, 2025, La Grande will become a hub for film and music enthusiasts, with screenings and events at McKenzie Theater and Schwartz Theater on the Eastern Oregon University campus, The Liberty Theatre, HQ, and a partner venue for late-night showcases.
Founded in 2009, the Eastern Oregon Film Festival has become one of the region’s most anticipated cultural events. Now celebrating 16 years, EOFF continues to amplify bold voices in independent film, provide platforms for emerging artists, and build community through the arts. Oregon Film, Eastern Oregon University, Roundhouse Foundation, and many other local and regional contributors support this event.
Pre-festival festivities kick off on Wednesday, October 15, with a special staged reading of Bad Day for Bigfoot at Schwartz Theater, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of screenings, panels, and parties. On Thursday, October 16, #EOFF2025 begins with a strong lineup of feature narratives and documentaries, including an Opening Night Double Feature at EOU’s McKenzie Theater with hitoláayca (Going Upriver) and Burrowing Owls: A Love Story—two poetic films in conversation, one exploring heritage and myth upriver, the other examining fragile lives on the edge.
A young family of burrowing owls photographed during the making of Burrowing Owls: A Love Story
“EOFF continues to amplify bold voices in independent film, provide platforms for emerging artists, and build community through the arts.”
The celebration continues with an after-party at HQ, featuring James Dean Kindle and His Country Combo, followed by a late-night special screening of The World Drops Dead and When the Moon Returns, and ending with a Q&A with filmmaker Brandon Colvin.
On Friday, October 17, festival-goers are invited to explore the beauty of the Grande Ronde Valley before immersing themselves in a day of cinematic storytelling. At 10 am, audiences can choose from three exciting short film programs across downtown venues. At the McKenzie Theatre, a block of Party Shorts features a lively mix of bold party-set narratives with stylistic experimentation, including Aloha Means I Love You, Patina, Centaur Baby, Wrecking Party, Endzgiving, and Chasers. Expect humor, heart, and plenty of surprises from these films.
At the Schwarz Theater on the Eastern Oregon University campus, a trio of Oregon Comedy shorts will spotlight Northwest wit and comedic voices, including AstroVan, The Ogre, and My Friend, Chevy. This program highlights the quirky, heartfelt humor of Oregon filmmakers.
At the Liberty Theatre, the Drama Shorts block features emotional storytelling that takes center stage in this collection, including Flightpaths, Quaker, American Teenager, Shell, Comets, NANI, and The Last Wish—films that tug at the heartstrings and explore human connection in all its complexity. With something for everyone, these morning blocks set the tone for a full day of discovery at #EOFF2025.
At 1 pm, the McKenzie Theater presents A Walk to the Fire’s Edge and A Forest in Flames, two striking shorts featuring indigenous voices that lead up to the feature documentary Firebreak.
Directed with grit and compassion, Firebreak follows Brandon and Royal—two men who, after serving time and training as firefighters while incarcerated, built careers in the field against the odds. Determined to open doors for others, they founded their own nonprofit and fire department, offering a second chance to a new generation of trainees. The film captures their tough but transformative program, exploring themes of resilience, redemption, and the fight for meaningful opportunity. This powerful program examines fire and its human impact from strikingly different perspectives, culminating in a Q&A with visiting filmmakers after Firebreak.
Kate and Lily on the dance floor in Wrecking Party, a short film screening in the Party Shorts block at #EOFF2025
“La Grande will become a hub for film and music enthusiasts, with screenings and events at venues across the city.”
Also at 1 pm, the Historic Liberty Theatre will screen the WTF Shorts Block—a wild mix of eccentric, queer, and boundary-pushing films, featuring Got Your Nose, Baby Tooth, Cockroach, The Release, Chicken Salad, Softboy, Anniversary_6, Emilycore, and MEOW!.
At 4 pm, festival-goers can choose between two very different yet equally engaging programs. At the McKenzie Theatre, there’s a dynamic double feature of The Protagonist Gene and American Comic. This pairing combines sharp storytelling with thoughtful reflections on humor and identity, showcasing the creative diversity of independent cinema.
The Horror/Thriller Shorts Block at the Schwarz Theater features a chilling lineup, including Rash, Private Moments, Astray, The Camcorder, Séance For The ’Gram, Mondegreen, and The Knock Knock Game. Expect a rollercoaster of tension, dark wit, and spine-tingling craftsmanship. Friday night concludes with a diverse mix of cinema and celebration at the McKenzie Theater, which presents the powerful double feature of Tandem and Trash Baby—an intimate student short from Poland paired with a heartfelt, full-length coming-of-age film that has already won audiences on the festival circuit.
As the evening deepens, audiences can drift downtown, where HQ comes alive at 9 pm for After Party 2, featuring the dreamy, synth-laced sounds of Night Heron. For those looking to end the night on screen rather than on the dance floor, the late slot offers End of Trip, Sahara at 9:40 pm—a meditative journey pulled from half a century ago, whisking you across stunning desert landscapes and long-forgotten memories—the perfect way to close a full festival day.
On Saturday, October at 10 am, audiences have a chance to revisit some of #EOFF2025’s most inventive short programs. Across three venues, festival-goers can choose from the WTF Shorts Block at McKenzie Theater, the Drama Shorts Block at the Liberty Theatre, or the Horror/Thriller Shorts Block at Schwarz Theater. These reprises offer another chance to capture the energy, artistry, and bold voices that defined Friday’s screenings.
A moment from The Opener where the street performer plays live during his rise.
“With film, music, and community, EOFF’s sixteenth year concludes in true festival spirit—bold, heartfelt, and unforgettable.”
At 1 pm, the McKenzie Theater will screen Te Seguiré A La Oscuridad, a charming short about a determined high schooler who pushes herself to learn Spanish in hopes of landing in her crush’s class. Following the program leads to The Prospect. Directed by Robert Schultz and Dana Donnelly, this 93-minute comedy follows small-town senior Jerry Vanetti as he attempts to scam his way into college by posing as a star baseball recruit—despite never having played a sport in his life. Clever, fast-paced, and filled with outrageous schemes, The Prospect delivers both laughs and heart.
At the Schwartz Theater, there will be a lively return engagement of festival favorites, reprising the collection of Party Shorts, which brings audiences back into the energetic spirit of short-form storytelling, mixing humor, creativity, and bold experimentation. At 4pm, audiences can head to the McKenzie Theater for Surrender to the Sound, followed by The Opener, directed by Jeff Toye. This inspiring documentary tells the story of a street performer who, in the depths of the pandemic, wrote 30 songs in 30 days to process grief and isolation. His music struck a chord with millions — and eventually with Grammy-winner Jason Mraz, who invited him on tour and gave him the chance to prove himself on the big stage. The Opener is a feel-great reminder of resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of music. Meanwhile, the Schwarz Theater reprises the Oregon Comedy Shorts Block, spotlighting Northwest humor with a fresh round of laughs for those who may have missed it earlier in the festival.
For the closing night, on Saturday, October 18, at 7 pm, the McKenzie Theater hosts EOFF2025’s final program featuring the emotionally raw experimental short It’s Only Love, followed by the deeply personal documentary Into the Unknown: My Cancer Story. Directed by Matthew Thomas Ross, this powerful film chronicles his own journey through a rare Stage 4 appendix cancer diagnosis in his 30s. Using a mix of childhood home videos, candid interviews, and raw current footage, Ross offers an honest yet hopeful glimpse into vulnerability, resilience, and creativity in the face of uncertainty. The filmmaker will be present for a post-screening discussion, making this a meaningful and unforgettable conclusion on the big screen.
The celebration then shifts to HQ at 9 pm for After Party 3, where festival-goers can close out #EOFF2025 with the swagger-soaked rock and grooves of Thrown-out Bones. With film, music, and community, EOFF’s sixteenth year concludes in true festival spirit—bold, heartfelt, and unforgettable.
A complete list of films is available at https://www.eofilmfest.com/2025-films/. The full schedule of events can be found at https://www.eofilmfest.com/festival-schedule/. Passes can be purchased online at https://www.eofilmfest.com/tickets/.
