La Grande–native Ian Clark is quickly becoming one of Oregon’s best and brightest independent filmmakers. Clark grew up in the small city of La Grande, where he co-founded the Eastern Oregon Film Festival in 2009. His first film, the exquisitely-shot Pool Room, debuted in 2010; his second, Country Story, followed in 2011. Most impressively, Filmmaker Magazine included Clark on its prestigious 25 New Faces of Film list in 2012, while Clark was working on an MFA in Digital Arts from University of Oregon. 

Clark's newest project is pushing the boundaries of contemporary film even further. MMXIII is an experimental self-portrait exploring “phenomenological subtlety, intersections of construct and verité, and the ways in which technology, landscape, and beauty coalesce,” says the Clark. After playing at the Northwest Filmmakers Festival and a number of other festivals, he has decided to take the film on an online screening tour—a new digital method of exhibition that complements his innovative approach to filmmaking.

"This is essentially an experiment in distribution, playing off the idea of a limited theater release,” Clark explained. “In some ways, the internet is the most appropriate venue for MMXIII. Video is a fluid medium. I'm also interested in our desire to share images, stories, and experience, which has been part of this project's conceptual framework since the beginning.” 

The online screening tour was partially inspired by the film world’s ongoing conversation regarding premiere politics and policies. The question of accepting online works into festivals has long been debated, and while attitudes are changing, they’re not doing so as quickly as Clark might prefer.

We’re joining Clark’s exhibition experiment by being the exclusive Portland website to stream MMXIII. You can watch it now below, but act fast, because we're taking it down on March 2 at midnight.

This screening is now over. For other opportunities to see MMXIII, see the tour schedule below.

Complete Tour Info
EOFF / Feb 20–23
FILMMAKER / Feb 24–27
PORTLAND MONTHLY / Feb 27–Mar 2
CINEMA RESET / Details TBA
OREGON FILM / March 8–13
UO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION / March 14–16
MICRO-WAVE CINEMA SERIES / March 30