The Ashland Independent Film Festival returns for its 25th year with more than 40 programs across multiple venues, highlighting a wide range of storytelling styles and subjects. Director of programming Aura Johnson says this year’s lineup reflects both careful curation and broader creative trends.
Films are loosely grouped into categories like environmental stories, activism, history and narrative fiction, though many overlap.
“There’s a lot of crossover,” Johnson said. “It almost feels like a collective unconscious coming to the surface.”
The mix offers audiences multiple entry points, whether they’re drawn to social issues, personal stories or experimental filmmaking. The result is a program that mirrors both current events and deeper human themes.
Local filmmakers and connections take center stage
This year’s festival highlights strong local ties, from featured filmmakers to unexpected regional connections. The opening night film, "The Big Cheese," includes a surprise link to southern Oregon.
“I started watching this film, and all of a sudden I discovered that Sam Rollins, who New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro (in Talent, Oregon) was named after, is a central character,” Johnson said.
The film features Rollins, now a cheesemonger in Portland, and others competing in an international cheese competition in France.
The screening aligns with the Oregon Cheese Festival, and a cheese tasting is included in the film festival’s opening night gala.
Two Ashland-raised filmmakers are also debuting feature films: “Trash Baby,” directed by Jacy Mairs, and “A Simple Machine,” directed by Mark Hoffman.
“Trash Baby” follows a 12-year-old girl as she navigates her identity while being drawn to an older, more rebellious peer.
“A Simple Machine” centers on a debt-ridden young man who secretly abandons his conventional life to pursue an extreme minimalist reset.
“They’re both really impressive," Johnson said. "I couldn’t be prouder that they’re having their hometown premieres."
The emphasis on local artists underscores the festival’s role as both a cultural hub and a launchpad for regional talent.
Rogue Award honors innovative documentary storytelling
Filmmaker Sam Green will receive this year’s Rogue Award, recognizing his unique approach to documentary filmmaking. His work often blends personal curiosity with immersive, experimental techniques.
His latest film, "The Oldest Person in the World," began as an exploration of longevity but evolved into a broader reflection.
“What started out as an inquiry… morphs into a meditation on mortality and the joys and pains of life,” Johnson said.
The festival will also screen Green’s earlier film, “32 Sounds."
“It’s an exploration of sound and how sound influences our perception of reality,” Johnson said.
The film incorporates elements like binaural audio to create a more immersive listening experience.
Alex Cox reimagines a literary classic as a Western
Director Alex Cox brings "Dead Souls" to the festival, adapting Nikolai Gogol’s 19th-century novel into a Western set in the American frontier.
“I’m always looking to find an excuse to make a cowboy film,” Cox said.
The story follows a mysterious figure collecting the names of the dead, a concept Cox connects to historical systems of exploitation.
“My film takes place… when the Chinese… were no longer needed,” he said, referencing the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Cox's adaptation shifts the narrative to focus on the commodification of human lives in the American West, drawing parallels between Russian serfdom and U.S. history.
Independent filmmaking continues to evolve
Cox’s career reflects broader changes in independent filmmaking, from studio-backed projects to crowdfunding platforms that allow filmmakers more freedom to pursue passion projects.
He also pointed to the influence of the spaghetti Western, a genre that reshaped traditional American storytelling.
“They create a very cynical… financially motivated vision of the West,” he said.
That reinvention, he said, helped keep the Western genre alive and relevant.
The festival reflects that evolution, bringing traditional storytelling and experimental formats together.
For ticket and venue information, visit ashlandfilm.org.
