A one-day film festival will feature more than two dozen documentary shorts made by filmmakers from around the world. The Oregon Documentary Film Festival is being held at The Commonwealth Pub on Sunday, Feb. 15. It begins mid-afternoon with a social networking event involving the filmmakers. An awards ceremony is at 3pm with screenings beginning at 4pm and ending around 10pm. Topics vary from protests to an unsolved murder to nature, with most films lasting about 10 minutes or less. The longest, at 44 minutes, is “The Most Biodiverse Place in America.” Naturalist and director John Fiske turns his camera on San Diego County, which is the most biodiverse county in the nation. Fiske shares his knowledge of habitats and species with his young sons as they explore the geography of the ocean, mountains and desert.
An adventure film, “The 3100,” takes viewers on a journey through wild whitewater in Idaho. It explores the scenic rivers raging through the state and the human transformations experienced by rafters facing the challenges of raging water.
Oregon-based films include the sights and sounds from a No Kings Protest in Corvallis and an emotional portrait of a Portland family seeking justice in the unsolved murder of a young family member. About half of the selected films come from the western U.S.
The Oregon Documentary Film Festival was originally scheduled in Portland but was moved to Bend for the first time. The change was done to better accommodate the festival’s judges, leadership and long-term vision to hold the festival around the state. The move also resulted in a lower ticket price, making the festival more accessible. The Commonwealth Pub has capacity for 150, with seating for 75, and will have multiple screens for viewing.
“Bend has a thriving arts community and a deep respect for independent artists. I think mixing film in a pub environment has always been a great idea here,” Festival Director Derek Sitter wrote in a news release.
The Oregon Documentary Film Festival has held 17 screenings over the past eight years in Portland and The Dalles.
Oregon Documentary Film Festival
Sun. Feb 15 2pm networking, 4pm screenings
The Commonwealth Pub
30 SW Century Dr., Bend
filmfestivalcircuit.com/event/oregon-documentary-film-festival-winter-2026
$10
This article appears in the Source February 5, 2026.
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