Grab your buds—the human and botanical kind—and make your way to Revolution Hall for the inaugural SPLIFF Film Festival. Hosted by Dan Savage and presented by Portland Mercury and Oregon’s Finest, the festival will feature 24 international films all underneath a time limit of 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
The films range from animated to live action and comedic to instructional, with each celebrating the culture of recreational marijuana. Portland Mercury describes the films as “hilarious, weird, sexy, trippy and unlike any stoner films you’ve seen before.”
Bottom line? We’re not talking about Harold and Kumar or Reefer Madness. These are a new generation of stoner films, perfect for the green-minded Viking to watch on Mary Jane’s birthday.
Films to look out for:
Fully Froggo, the animated tale of a chubby frog enjoying some “groovy gummies.” He dissolves into the cosmic unknown, taking us on a journey through time and space within the confines of a lily pad.
Corporate Coitus, from Seattle, is a stop-motion film that at times looks like a page from an I
Spy book. Set to simple yet unsettling ambient music by David Hahn, you’ll be searching deep within yourself for meaning amongst the animated paper scraps.
The Philadelphia film Green features a young woman with the munchies encountering the trippiest inflatable dancing dude—you know, the ones flailing around outside car dealerships—she’s ever seen.
Also, stick around for the end of the night, and you’ll get to vote for some cash prize winners. Support your fellow artists-in-pot by voting for the trippiest film, funniest film, stupidest film and “best in show.”
So, in summary:
The Event: SPLIFF, a film festival made by the stoned, for the stoned
The Location: Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St #203, Portland, OR 97214
The Time(s): First showing at 6 P.M., second showing at 8:30 P.M.
The Cost: $20 per ticket
The Restrictions: Ages 21+, obviously
Disclaimer: Thanks to something called “the law,” you can’t smoke in or outside the theater. Try having an edible before you leave (Trimet or ridesharing is recommended), so you’ll be luxuriating in a perfectly-timed high during the festival.
Maggie Lombard is a future theatre educator and current grocery store cashier. She has been published by the Portland State Vanguard and Neopets. You can find her online @calilombardi on twitter or in the park blocks, acting like a Disney princess to urban pests.
