DOCUMENTARY REEL

My reel is an ever-evolving story. Updated regularly.

Oregon Arts and Culture

Mini Documentary for the 2025 Oregon Arts & Culture Caucus

(Oregon) Art Does That

A few months ago, I attended a concert to see jazz pianist and composer Darrell Grant — Someone I deeply respect and admire both as an artist and as a friend. And before he took the stage and delivered an incredible performance alongside esperanza spalding, I felt compelled to say to him, “Darrell, I hope I don’t have to remind you, but if you ever need your help or if you can ever use my filmmaking skills, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m there.” To my delight, only a few weeks later, my phone rang. After some brainstorming, we sketched out a series of short films featuring his words, my visuals, and populated by a mix of extremely talented Oregon artists. Shown at the 2025 Oregon Arts and Culture Caucus Kick-off event, these videos serve as a love letter to Oregon artists, as a call to action, and a reminder that Art is not just for the artists but it is an essential part of what makes us human and that the act of creating and expressing ourselves is as essential as breathing.

A film by Darrell Grant & Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal

Written by Darrel Grant

Creative Direction by Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal

Cinematography by Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal & Ivan Cantú-Villarreal

Produced by TZOM Films

Music

Joel Pickard - Idle 02

Jumbo - Searchin'

TROX - Body Groove

Featured Artists

Open Space

Franco Nieto

Dinah Gardner

Elisa Trujillo

Maeve Ethridge

Omar Vargas

Kiri Maasen

Estelle McGuinness

Natalie Becker

Dreckig

Shana Lindbeck

Papi Fimbres

Forest Grove Highschool Mariachi Tradición

Chatter PDX

Alicia Lee

James T. Shields

Emily Cole

Amanda Grimm

Kevin Kunkel

Jeremy Okai Davis

New Expressive Works

Subashini Ganesan-Forbes

Angela Mazziotta

Jordan Isadore

Music Joel Pickard - Idle 02

Jumbo - Searchin'

TROX - Body Groove

Sponsored by Oregon Community Foundation, Creative West

(formerly WESTAF), the Cultural Advocacy Coalition Foundation, the Independent Venue Coalition and Friends of Rob Nosse.

LET FREEDOM RING

Read by

Zach Banks

Meredith Kaye Clark

Mic Crenshaw

Ed Dunsavage

Charles Grant

Chisao Hata

Fuchsia Lin

Latoya & James Lovely

Ernesto Javier Martínez

Crystal Akins Meneses

Susannah Mars

Anis Mojgani

Paradise of Samoa

Vo Vo

Christopher Whyte

Roger Woods

when i close my eyes

Experimental Artist Documentary | Cine Reel

His ability to paint portraits of Saddam Hussein likely saved his life. Oil painter Samir Khurshid reflects on his own tumultuous life growing up surrounded by death and chaos in war-torn Iraq. His densely layered work is heavily influenced by both the cross-cultural chaos of life as a refugee in the U.S. as well as his past, modern religion, ancient mythology, politics, and daily emotional life.

Director: Samuel Eisen-Meyers

Director of Photography: Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal

Producer: Michael Hull

1st AC: Marcie Cadell

Gaffer: Rob Martinez

Grip: Haley McCoy

Technical Director: Allison Blaine

1st AD: Claire Sapone

On Set Production Support / Set Build Assistant: Allison Blaine, Janessa Narcisso

Cine Reel edited by Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal

Edna & Heldáy

We Got Each Other’s Back - multi-channel video installation

Live at the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art

Part of a long-term documentary project by interdisciplinary artist Carlos Motta— in collaboration with artists Heldáy de la Cruz and Edna Vázquez– We Got Each Other’s Back is a three-part, multi-channel video installation featuring portraits of queer artists and activists in the United States who are or have been openly undocumented, and who are producing work to denounce historic and present-day broken US immigration policies. The project demonstrates how the intersections of sexuality, gender, ethnicity, race, and economic background define the environment of marginalization and discrimination to which immigrants are subjected, while challenging mainstream media narratives of immigration and sexuality by presenting nuanced, real-life stories of living at the margins of the legal system. We Got Each Other’s Back also includes live and online events and public programs that engage the challenges faced by undocumented migrants.

Director / Carlos Motta

Director of Photography / Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal

Camera Operator / Kanon Havens

Sound / Kai Tillman and Sam Hamilton

Gaffer/ Eli Haan

Set Design / Gabi Villaseñor

Transcription and Translation / Camilo Godoy

Producer / Ella Marra-Ketelaar

Edna Vázquez Interview

La Tienda | Letra Chueca Press

artist documentary featured in PBS

Two patiperras (Camila Araya and Daniela del Mar), hailing from Chile now based in Portland, Oregon, share their journey to create bilingual art that intertwines social justice with craft.

Project was made possible by Prosper Portland and Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Support their work at LetraChuecaPress.com

Shepard Fairey in West Dallas

21 Cartas | Documentary & Live Projections

Jazz pianist/composer Darrell Grant & singer- songwriter Edna Vazquez draw on their diverse backgrounds to address the hopes, hardships, struggles, and dreams of those who have risked everything for better lives for their children. Interwoven with filmmaker Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal’s portraits of Oregon’s immigrant community, 21 Cartas represents the bravery, search for justice, and power of a mother’s love that are common to the immigrant stories that define our country.

Darkest Hour | Documentary

Junior players | Micro Doc