Proceeds from this screening benefit ongoing improvements to the Hollywood Theatre, Portland's historic nonprofit theatre.

Note: This screening and artist talk takes place at Noon.

After casting Franco in the award-winning film “Milk” (2008), Van Sant showed him the dailies and other footage that he had shot many years before for “My Own Private Idaho” (© 1991 New Line Cinema Corp. All rights reserved), which starred River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as street hustlers in Portland, Oregon. Franco describes being mesmerized by Phoenix's "uninhibited acting" in this unreleased footage.  “I humbly asked Gus if I could…cut something together, and if he didn’t like it, I would never show anybody,” Franco said. “I thought it would be interesting because it took us six months to cut the film together, and James was going to do it in a month,” Van Sant said. “By himself.”  “My Own Private River” consists largely of shots of Phoenix’s character, Mike, woven into a compelling portrait; his edit captures the gifted actor at his most emotionally expressive and physically dynamic. The score is by Michael Stipe.

Gus Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1952. He obtained a BA from the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied painting and cinema. Best known for his work as an award-winning director, he has also exhibited his art at galleries and public institutions including Jamison-Thomas Gallery, Portland, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, and The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.

James Franco was born in Palo Alto, California in 1978. He obtained a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. He is currently enrolled in the Digital Media Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. An acclaimed actor, Franco is also actively engaged in performance art, painting, video, and installation art. He has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Clocktower Gallery, New York, and Peres Projects, Berlin.