A small, defiant celebration of the good stuff.
Astoria Picture Show is an annual film festival held over four days each October in Astoria, Oregon. We screen short films, features, and documentaries — curated around a simple, stubborn belief: that cinema is still capable of making you feel better about being alive.
Not better in the way a feel-good movie makes you feel better. Better in the way a really honest conversation does. Or a strange joke that lands exactly right. Or a film that shows you something you’ve felt but never managed to say.
The Whole Thing, Said Plainly
“The world is burning down — but relax, it’s not total garbage yet. There’s still fun! Absurdity! Beauty! Snacks!”
This festival is a small, defiant celebration of the good stuff: cinema that chooses life over despair, curiosity over cynicism, and wonder over ‘well, that’s bleak.’
Each film is tuned into life’s weird little frequencies — its contradictions, textures, and moments of accidental magic. Expect surprise and astonishment, not through explosions or trauma, but through recognition: the joy of seeing something honest, strange, and alive on screen.
These films suggest that feeling better doesn’t require a grand solution — just closer attention.
Feel Like Feeling Better?
We have Movies.
What to Expect
Four Days. A Lot of Movies.
The festival runs Thursday through Sunday each October. Programming includes short film blocks, feature-length films, documentary screenings, and special events throughout the weekend.
The Student Showcase
Every year, students from the APS Film School screen their work at the festival. This isn’t a side event — it’s part of the main programming. Come see what your neighbors made.
Salons: Q&As and Conversations
Many screenings are followed by conversations with filmmakers, educators, or just whoever in the audience has something interesting to say. We like when the film keeps going after the credits roll.
The Venues
Our anchor venues are the Columbian Theater and Liberty Theatre in downtown Astoria — historic, beautiful places to watch a film. Additional venues may be added as the festival grows.
Passes and Tickets
Single-screening tickets and multi-day passes are available. Student and community pricing is offered. Details on the Screenings & Schedule page.
The Festival Is Part of Something Larger
The Astoria Picture Show festival is the most visible part of what we do — but it’s not all of it. The APS Film School runs year-round. Our future project program will fund local films. Our Salons will keep the conversation going between Octobers. The festival is the celebration. The rest is the foundation.
