Oregon’s Union County has untapped potential for film production, according to six filmmakers who attended a four-week 2023 Eastern Oregon Filmmaker Residency Program that ran through the end of May.

The filmmakers, some of whom have already produced award-winning works, focused on putting the finishing touches on screenplays they have been writing and made numerous trips through Union County and Northeastern Oregon during their stays.

Filmmaker Anna Baumgarten, of Los Angeles, said she was so struck by the beauty of Union County that she named her film, intended to be a fantasy work, “Beyond the Sky.” Baumgarten hopes to return to Union County to make her movie.

She said many others who participated in the residency, based in La Grande and at The Lodge at Hot Lake Springs, hope to do the same thing.

“We want to produce movies in places we love. We love La Grande,” Baumgarten said.

The filmmaker was so excited about being able to come to Union County and be part of the residency that she quit a job with a company that makes reality television shows to join the residency program. She said it was a decision she will never regret.

“I would make the same choice 100 times again,” Baumgarten said.

She said it was refreshing to be somewhere where people welcome those making movies.

Baumgarten noted that in Los Angeles many people are jaded by filmmakers and are not receptive to those in the business.

“Los Angeles is so saturated,” she said.

Alex Bush, also of Los Angeles, said he so enjoyed his stay in the La Grande area that when he gave a presentation on his experience here during a public concluding event, he described it as a “love letter to La Grande.”

Bush, who is working on the screenplay for a movie about a farming family in turmoil, said he wants to later showcase the community in his film.

“La Grande will be its own character,” he said.

Bush describes La Grande as receptive to creativity, whereas in Los Angeles the bottom line is all that matters to many.

“(Los Angeles) is so business oriented,” he said. “It is hard to create something new and earnest. It can be frustrating.”

Bush noted that there are many obstacles to filming in Los Angeles. For example, if one wants to film in a coffee shop for a few hours, it may cost $10,000.

“You don’t have time and space,” he said.

Kat Hunt, of Woodstock, New York, described her experience with the residence program as a joyous one.

“I now feel so full and happy,” she said.

Hunt is writing the screenplay for a film named “Delivery Woman,” about a woman who works for Amazon in Idaho and Oregon delivering items along a route that follows the Oregon Trail. She said the lead character, Demi, is still evolving.

Hunt said she liked the feeling of trust she enjoyed with the other five residents. She said this made everyone feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and characters.

Garrett Detrixhe, of Atlanta, who is writing a screenplay for a movie about the struggles a veteran returning from a two-year deployment in Iraq faces, said he welcomed the chance to concentrate on his writing, for long periods. Detrixhe said this something he rarely can do in his regular daily life.

“Writing in short bursts is more difficult,” he said. “I wanted the chance to focus more.”

Linda Mai Green, of San Francisco, is writing the screenplay for a gothic thriller that may be based in Northeastern Oregon. She said it is important to realize how much work goes into making a film, noting that it often takes seven years to produce a feature film.

“It is a marathon sport,” the filmmaker said.

Max McGillivray, of Los Angeles, who is making a movie focusing on life in the old West and its emphasis on tough spirit, had mixed feelings about the many open spaces he saw in Northeastern Oregon.

“It is beautiful but it is also terrifying,” he said.

Support and funding for the residency project was provided by organizations including the Roundhouse Foundation, Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Film and Praise Photography.

Dick Mason is a reporter for the LaGrande Observer.