The ambitious Portland Film Festival came out of nowhere last year, attracting 30,000 attendees with dozens of films and workshops that were all over the map, including outside screenings at Wallace Park. This year’s highlights read like a cinematic Mad Lib, where all the artists filled into the blank spots below will be in attendance. Trailers for the films are after the Madlib, along with a couple other picks for the fest.

Sex Ed
Aug 26, Crystal Ballroom

Also screening opening night:

Glena
Mission Theater
The documentary about a Portland single mother turned mixed martial arts fighter Glena "Heartless" Avila. Read our interview with Avila, who will be in attendance.

Opening Night Party
Crystal Ballroom

Road to Paloma
Sept 1, Mission Theater

Labyrinth and Lessons Learned
Aug 28, Cinema 21
Twenty-eight years ago, baby Toby was kidnapped by the Goblin King on the set of Labyrinth. The son of Brian Froud, who designed Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, the real Toby grew up to move to Portland and become an animator himself at Laika. Watch a newly restored copy of the cult classic, and then watch Toby's new short film. Read our recap of the short's world premiere and exclusive interview with Froud, who will be in attendance.

House of Last Things
Aug 28, Mission Theater

Portland Film Fest
Various Venues
Aug 26–Sept  1

Other festival highlights:

Bronx Obama
Aug 31, Closing night film in Waterfront Park
One of the more decorated films in the fest (it won Best of the Fest at AFI Docs), Bronx Obama follows the POTUS lookalike, Louis Ortiz as he builds a career as the second face of change. You might recognize the story from a This American Life feature about Ortiz. We just wish the doc included his trip to the White House punking the Secret Service.

Back Fence PDX: Reel Stories
Aug 28, Hollywood Theatre
The second installment of Reel Stories features James Westby (Rid of Me, The Auteur), Beth Harrison (The Winding Stream), October Moore (Portlandia, Grimm, City Baby), Ian Berry and Jason Rouse (Make Mine Country), and Casey Parks (Diary of a Misfit, a work in progress) telling stories and screening clips from their films.

Bronx Obama

Road to Paloma

Lessons Learned

House of Last Things

Glena