City puts on a reel deal

Moviegoers pack the Kennedy School gym Wednesday for a festival of local films.

Except for the odd lecture, the festival of local films that screened Wednesday, April 29, at the Kennedy School focused on Portland's growth, including many of the pains and opportunities involved. Some highlights of the festival—and links to watch online—are listed below.

The city also showcased a few of its public-funded film projects (two are online here and here), which herald the large new apartment buildings recently built around town. Given the loss of thousands of affordable homes citywide, these apartments increasingly are about the only option available for many residents now and in the future. Still, this newly built landscape begs for more creativity and quality—trademarks of past Portland architecture.

Perhaps the city could hold a contest as it did to improve "skinny houses," only this time for designs of apartment buildings with character, ones that look interesting and contribute to their surroundings, with, say, public plazas and greenery?

Along with United Neighborhoods for Reform's movie of what Portland loses and gains in these heavy demo days, highlights of the evening included:

Kunal Mehra's Elegy to Doug 35: 75 years to grow, 2.5 hours to erase.

A capacity crowd watches and learns.

The Coalition for a Livable Future's Equity Shares Project: "Sometimes I think the landlord doesn't do the repairs because I can't speak English."

Karina Adams and Lizette Cosko's Birds Striking Building Windows: When buildings go up, birds go down. New ideas can save them.

Ifanyi Bell and Kathleen Holt's Future : Portland: One of Portland's native sons talks with those who came before, and stayed.

Ruth Ann Barrett's In My Backyard: Short but not so sweet.

The Portland Chronicle's Growing/Vanishing: Title tells all.

Greg Baartz-Bowman and George Wolters' Den$ity: In two high-profile cases, neighbors win appeals of contested projects. Or do they.

Chris Hornbecker, Digital One, and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's Roll On, Oregon: The world looks better on two wheels.

Karl Lind's The Friends of Memorial Coliseum: When good buddies grow old, you take care of them.