Tonight begins the first of five jam-packed nights of the always fun and thought-provoking PDX Film Fest at the Hollywood Theatre. The first screening is called Charged In the Name of Terror, which is described as “four video portraits by contemporary artists that look at the Patriot Act and abuses of power.” I watched the first of those four portraits and it was like dying in my sleep—I just wasn’t feeling it. But that’s not to say tonight’s a write-off.

At 9 pm, there’s a big ass opening night party (Matt McCormick gives you 1080 reasons to attend) at Audio Cinema (226 SE Madison, underneath the Hawthorne Bridge) that coincides with the launch of Retinal Reverb, a huge installation of video installation art curated by Stephen Slappe and Mack McFarland. These guys have a great reputation for pulling together really good work of this genre. The show will also be open from Thurs-Sat, noon-6 pm, and I think it’s going to be one of the best art shows of the month, if not the spring. Stay tuned for more PDX Film Fest updates as the week rolls on.