McMinnville Short Film Festival POP UP!
BEST OF FEST
DATE: Saturday, May 2
TIME: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
TICKETS: $12. Tickets available online, at the theatre box office, or
by calling 503-436-1242.
The McMinnville Short Film Festival (MSFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an annual international film festival held in McMinnville, Oregon each February. The mission of the festival is to screen new and emerging voices in independent cinema and showcase the work to audiences who would otherwise not have access to these cinematic storytellers. The MSFF also hosts year-round programming through its POP UP! film series.
The lineup (in order):
THE WHALE – Director Winslow Crane Murdoch
Runtime: 25:42
When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence OR on November 12th, 1970, he had no idea that the story he was about to tell would forever define his career. Following a small Oregon town, an exploding whale, and the man who made the story famous, Oh Whale is about how we don’t get to choose our fate, only what we make of it. (USA)
-Winner – Best Documentary – 2026 MSFF
THE PIC – Director Frances Chewning
Runtime: 7:32
Single mom Jen gets an unexpectedly provocative pic from her friend Steve (Dan Lippert, “Comedy Bang-Bang,” “Hacks”). Through the course of a phone conversation, she tries to figure out what’s going on in this modern screwball romantic comedy. (USA)
-Nominee – Best Comedy – 2026 MSFF
THE LONG REIGNING KING OF ROLLERCASTLE SKATEWORLD – Director David Hull
Runtime: 12:52
The long-tenured manager of an aging, castle-themed roller rink faces the final three days of business for his beloved little empire. A quirky, neon-dripping exploration of loneliness, nostalgia and generational obsolescence amidst changing times. Shot on 16mm film. Starring the great Michael Hitchcock. (USA)
-Winner – Best Comedy– 2026 MSFF
THERE’S A DEVIL INSIDE ME – Director Karina Lomelin Ripper
Runtime: 15:00
Teresa, a devilish teen, is going through her Catholic confirmation. She’s struggling with what it means to be controlled by God. After class, stranded and bored, she gets up to some mischief – snooping in the church’s sacristy she finds a nun habit and puts it on. Only shortly after donning this costume she’s mistaken to be a real nun and given the church’s collection basket full of cash. Teresa flees, using her mom as her unwitting getaway driver with her little sister in tow in the back seat. The drive home is chaos. Involving a wrestling match over a bag of fries that turns bloody. In the end, Teresa opts for an act that is neither good nor evil but embraces her desires for pleasure, power and mischief. (USA)
-Winner – Founders Award – Outstanding Female Filmmaker – 2026 MSFF
THE PEARL COMB – Director Ali Cook
Runtime: 15:00
In 1893, a fisherman’s wife becomes the first person to cure someone of tuberculosis. A doctor, intent on proving a woman’s place is in the home and not practicing medicine, investigates – only to discover the source of her unearthly power. (UK)
-Winner – Best Horror/Sci-Fi – 2026 MSFF
-2026 Oscar short listed
-2026 BAFTA long listed
THE SINGERS – Director Sam Davis
Runtime: 17:36
A genre-bending film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden men connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. With a cast comprised of first-time actors from the unlikeliest corners of TikTok and YouTube, the film is a celebration of diamonds in the rough and a testament to the power of vulnerability through art. Shot on 35mm film with mostly non-actors and no script. (USA)
-Winner – Grand Jury Prize (Drama) – 2026 MSFF
-Winner – Best Live Action Short – 2026 Academy Awards
