Research + Creative Work

A new feature-length suspense-thriller, written by Portland State Film professor Dustin Morrow, premieres on the Lifetime network on Saturday, July 12th, before moving to streaming the following day. 

Outliers and Outlaws is a full-length documentary uncovering the history of the large and vibrant lesbian community of Eugene, Oregon. Hundreds of women and lesbian-identified people migrated to Eugene in the 1960s-80s.

Film faculty Jennifer Ruth co-directed this documentary about the largest protest movement on college campuses since the one protesting the war in Vietnam. Scholars from diverse disciplines explain what is at stake in these protests and why so many young people identify with the Palestinian cause. 

Courtney Hermann, film faculty, is a creative collaborator on this community-based, digital humanities project, which aims to preserve and share the unique history of the lesbian community in Eugene, Oregon. The project includes an oral history archive, a digital exhibit, a museum exhibit, and a documentary film in-progress.

Jungmin Kwon co-edited "Re-Examining Communication and Media Practices in/across Queer Asia," a special issue of QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking.

The “Teaching Media Dossier” was published in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. The dossier was convened and edited by School of Film Assistant Professor Ben Mendelsohn and includes a preamble by Dr. Mendelsohn and an essay by School of Film Associate Professor Courtney Hermann.

Kristin Lené Hole coauthored Film Feminisms with Dijana Jelača, which offers a global and updated overview of the history, present-day concerns, and future of feminist film and theory. She teaches a course on this topic.

Jungmin Kwon, faculty of film studies, released her book Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies, published by the University of Iowa Press. 

Courtney Hermann, film faculty, collaborated with celebrated author and film production educator Michael Rabiger to co-author the 7th edition of the popular textbook Directing the Documentary, published by Routledge. Three PSU School of Film alumni are featured on the cover:  Anchitta Noowang, Sean Oulashin, and Ross Reaume

Routledge recently published the fourth edition of School of Film Associate Professor Dustin Morrow’s book Producing for TV and Emerging Media co-authored with television producer Cathrine Kellison and Western Washington University professor Kacey Morrow (Prof. Morrow’s sister).

Check the PSU Vimeo page for student work in film production classes.

The School of Film hosts an annual curated showcase of the best in production and writing. Prizes are awarded for best essays and films in various categories. 

Chessa Casper's film called Rotten Fruit was accepted at the NW Film Forum's Local Sightings Film Festival in Seattle. Their film screened during the virtual festival that took place during September, and they won a Jury Award for Best Experimental Short.

The School of Film annually awards prizes to the best essay written during the academic year.