Movies & Film
The home of acclaimed directors Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes boasts many movie theaters and film festivals.
While packing an impressive array of movie theaters into nearly every neighborhood, Portland makes it easy to catch a film, or even to stumble into a film festival — and the fact that many movie houses also serve local beer and wine doesn’t hurt, either.
Oregon-Famous Movies and Filmmakers
What movies where filmed in Oregon?
The Goonies (1985) was shot around the Oregon Coast, in Astoria and at Ecola State Park.
Free Willy (1993) featured Keiko, an orca who recuperated at the Oregon Coast Aquarium before his release back into the wild in 1998.
Mr Holland’s Opus (1994) included many scenes filmed at Northeast Portland’s Grant High School.
Coraline (2009) was created at LAIKA, a stop-motion animation studio in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro.
Wild (2014) was based on a memoir by Portland author Cheryl Strayed and filmed in Oregon.
Green Room (2015) was filmed in Portland, Astoria and Mount Hood National Forest.
Metal Lords (2022) includes a Battle of the Bands filmed at Revolution Hall.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) was filmed at ShadowMachine animation studio in Portland.
What TV shows were filmed in Portland?
Grimm (2011–2017)
Portlandia (2011–2018)
The Librarians (2014–2018)
Shrill (2019–2021)
What movies take place in Portland?
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020)
Pig (2021)
Who are notable filmmakers in Portland?
Todd Haynes: Far From Heaven (2002); I’m Not There (2007), inspired by the life and music of Bob Dylan; and documentary The Velvet Underground (2022).
Kelly Reichardt: Wendy and Lucy (2008), First Cow (2019), Showing Up (2022).
Theaters
Scattered throughout the city, Portland’s beloved movie theaters run the gamut from funky to swanky, serving up all manner of drinks, food and films.
Movie Theaters That Serve Beer and Wine
In downtown’s West End, find Living Room Theaters, an intimate cinema that plays new indie and foreign films on six screens and offers gourmet American food, as well as a full bar. In nearby Nob Hill, Cinema 21 — founded as a single-screen theater in 1926 — now has three screens showingart-house, foreign and classic films. Alongside standard movie snacks like popcorn and candy, Cinema 21 also serves beer, wine and New York-style pizza.
In Northeast Portland, the Laurelhurst Theater is a local landmark built in 1923. It features nine beers on tap, fresh pizza and a steady stream of second-run and revival screenings in four auditoriums. First opening its doors in 1926, the Hollywood Theatre is the mainstay (and namesake) of the Hollywood neighborhood. With three screens, it can seat 1,500 people in total, and offers a wide variety of screenings, talks, festivals and game nights, plus pizza by the slice, beer, cider and wine.
The Academy Theater in Southeast Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood is a fully restored 1948 moviehouse that features three screens with stadium seating, plus microbrews, wine and pizza. Moreland Theater, discreetly tucked between the bustling businesses in Westmoreland, is a vintage, single-screen cinema that shows new releases and offers classic theater snacks alongside a rotating list of beer and wine. Between the Division/Clinton and Woodstock neighborhoods, Studio One Theaters is a boutique multiplex that feels like an extravagant home theater, with plush couches and dinner delivered right to your seat.
After New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, Portland ranks fourth in the U.S. for number of operating historical theaters, with 22 across the city. While some no longer show films, like the Aladdin Theater and the Alberta Rose Theatre that instead host stage plays, live comedy and concerts, many remain as independent movie houses, including those mentioned above and the Avalon Theatre on Belmont and CineMagic Theater on Hawthorne.
Several of McMenamins’ historic properties in Portland feature movie theaters: Mission Theater in Nob Hill, Bagdad Theater on Hawthorne, Kennedy School in Northeast Portland, and St. Johns Theater in North Portland. All serve up recent releases, cult classics, and art films, along with handcrafted ales and signature pub fare.
Other Theaters
Regal has multiplexes within central city shopping centers like Pioneer Place and Lloyd Center showing Hollywood blockbusters. Regal Fox Tower, across from Director Park, tends to screen more independent films. Cinemark Century Eastport Plaza is a multiplex in the Lents neighborhood that offers assigned seating with advance ticket purchase and reclining armchairs, perfect for kicking back and watching new mainstream and independent features, and even Met Opera Live in HD, for the classical musical lovers.
With more than 90,000 titles on Blu-ray, DVD, and VHS, and a museum dedicated to some of Hollywood’s iconic movie memorabilia, Movie Madness is a must-see for any film-lover. This unassuming movie warehouse opened in 1991 on Belmont Street and is a beloved Portland institution that was saved by a community fundraiser and the Hollywood Theatre in 2017.
Movie Theaters in Portland
Film Festivals & Events
Ongoing Series
Find special movie events at Hollywood Theatre on Sandy Boulevard, with their Signature Series featuring 40+ genres of screenings from cult classics to B-movies to films for the whole family. At PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater on Division Street, their Signature Series highlights local and international film and artists nearly every night of the week.
Film Festivals
Portland hosts more than 20 film festivals every year. Here’s an overview of some of the city’s top cinematic events.
Put together by Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, the Portland Jewish Film Festival screens five new full-length films and two selected shorts exploring the complexity, history and joy of Jewish life at Lincoln Hall each January.
In May, Filmed by Bike holds a two-day festival at the Hollywood Theatre, screening bike-themed independent short movies from around the world. In all, about 30 films, all under eight minutes in length, celebrate bike culture.
Every September at the Hollywood Theatre, the Portland Latin American Film Festival features films, documentaries, and short films from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, and the USA.
Come October, the Portland Film Festival brings a broad diversity of independent voices together on one stage.
QDoc is the first festival of its kind in the United States and only the second in the world devoted exclusively to documentaries with queer content. QDoc aims to engage with the core issues of queer identity in politics, history, culture, family, aging and coming out issues, queer diversity, gender identity and sexuality. Films screen at the Hollywood Theatre every November.
A festival featuring films and shorts highlighting the magical worlds of mushrooms, lichens and micro-fungi shot by filmmakers of all backgrounds. In 2022, the Fungi Film Festival celebrates all things fungi with over two hours of film time from sixteen different films from ten different countries. Films are screened at Cinema 21 in Northwest Portland.
Movies in the Park and Outdoor Movies
Gather up the family and head to Pioneer Courthouse Square (POI link) for free movies and popcorn under the stars. Flicks on the Bricks transforms Portland’s Living Room into Portland’s largest outdoor movie theater. Arrive early to score one of the limited theater-style seats, or bring your own low-back chairs, blankets or cushions.
The Portland Parks Summer Free For All festival hosts “Movies in the Park” in neighborhood parks around the city from July–August.
There is no ticket needed for Hollywood Theatre’s Outdoor Movie series, held every summer at Oregon State Parks, all within an hour’s drive of Portland.
Upcoming Film Events
Explore the film events and festivals in Portland.
Queer Horror: Birds of Prey
QUEER HORROR celebrates Feminist March and Carla Rossi's birthday with BIRDS OF PREY (2020)! Hosted by Portland's premier drag clown, Carla Rossi, this birthday celebration opens with a preshow tribute to Carla's favorite clown queen, Harley Quinn, sponsored by Double Mountain Brewery and Cidery. Produced by Margot Robbie and directed by Cathy Yan, Birds of…
TAG! Queer Shorts Festival
TAG! Queer Shorts Festival is your Portland, Oregon-based international festival of short films, featuring work made exclusively by queer and transgender directors. A sponsored program of the Historic Hollywood Theatre in Portland. TAG! Is moving into its second decade with an all-new 2024 selection. Featuring live program and special streaming blocks, the next big Tag! Queer…
Portland Film Festival
Portland Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing filmmakers and audiences and celebrating the power of a good story. The festival focuses on the people, ideas, technology, skills and artistry behind filmmaking and provides entertainment and educational opportunities to the public. The festival stands by the belief in equity for everyone, regardless of…
Policing Justice
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) presents Policing Justice, an exhibition and related programming with local, national, and international artists. Guest curated by Nina Amstutz, Associate Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oregon, and Cleo Davis, local social construct artist, designer, educator, historian, and community leader, this exhibition examines policing practices…
Showing Up an A Conversation with Cynthia Lahti
Following the screening of Showing Up, sculptor and visual artist Cynthia Lahti will be in conversation about her work with Grace Kook-Anderson, Arlene & Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum. Cynthia’s drawings and sculptures are featured in the film Showing Up, moonlighting as fictional character Lizzy (Michelle Williams)’s artwork. ON SCREEN: Showing Up 2022. Directed by…
The Gospel of Eureka w/ Danny Grody Performance + Filmmaker Q&A
PAM CUT presents a special Easter Weekend screening of Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s beloved documentary The Gospel of Eureka. Love, faith, and civil rights collide in a southern town as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes. Guitarist and soundtrack contributor Danny Grody will perform a live, intimate set before the film screening (with special guests…
Batman (1989) in Concert
Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic 1989 DC Superhero film, Batman, live in concert. The Dark Knight, the defender of law and order in Gotham City, treads the shadow zone between right and wrong, fighting with only his skill in martial arts and his keenly honed mind to defend the innocent and…
Midsommar w/ Flower Crown Making
From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairy tale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight. Bring your Easter holiday back to its pagan roots with a screening of Midsommar. Get there early to make your own flower crown before the screening. ON SCREEN: Midsommar 2019. Directed by Ari Aster. Runtime: 140…
B-Movie Bingo
Every first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm, Hollywood Theater plays B-Movie Bingo, a game that is exactly like it sounds. Or more. It’s simple. They play bingo to the most awesome movie cliches ever committed to celluloid, like “long boring scene or male ponytail," "teamed up with rookie or animal," and "white suit…
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is one of the world's largest and most prestigious mountain festivals. Hot on the heels of the Festival held every fall in Banff, Canada, the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. With stops planned in 600 communities and more than 40 countries across the globe, this…
The Masked Villain of Sellwood
Rogue Pack produces their first film. Diving into Hollywood nostalgia, Charlie Chaplin-style, “The Masked Villain of Sellwood,” is a black and white silent movie directed and written by Randy Sean Schulman, inspired by stories written by teen participants in Oregon Youth Authority custody. With the second industrial revolution in full swing, a genius boy’s broken…
Queer Movie Night
Every Fourth Sunday of the month, Fuse will be presenting a celebrated film from Queer cinema. After the film, there will be trivia and discussions about the movie and the evolution of the depiction of lgbtqia+ characters over the last 50 years. Check the website for each month's film.
Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows Part I in Concert
The end begins… Witness the beginning of Harry’s most important battle yet, with the feature film accompanied by a live symphony orchestra. Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to track down the secret to Voldemort’s power Artists TBA, Conductor Oregon Symphony
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