“Never Look Away”
Documentary

 In August 2021, the first mural in Portland dedicated to the LGBTQIA2S+ community was unveiled, spanning an entire city block and rising to 3 stories high. Pride Northwest is thrilled to present Never Look Away, a film documenting the story behind the mural and its creation.

Throughout the documentary the filmmakers highlight how the mural demonstrates the power of regular people coming together to build something bigger than themselves - and of how public art is another layer in the lifelong process of coming out for our community.

In 2019, Zoe Piliafas noticed that the progressive city of Portland, Oregon - with a reputation for being a welcoming place for the LGBTQIA2S+ community - didn't have any public art specifically for the Queer community. So she formed a production team with local artist Cassandra Swan, project manager Ruban Lawrence, and Pride Northwest to try to create the mural. This was the genesis of Never Look Away.

Public art is a way of staking out a share of public space - of saying to the world, "We exist, and we have a right to exist." The documentary speaks to the Queer community's history and how a massive piece of public art goes from being an idea to manifesting in the public sphere, and how a small group of regular people, and a whole lot of community support can make anything happen.

Never Look Away Mural Production Team: Zoe Piliafas, Cassandra Swan, Ruban Lawrence, Pride Northwest

Community Support: Pat Reser, RACC, City of Portland

Portland based filmmaker and videographer, Devin Boss, captures both the pain, as well as the joy, of what it means to be queer in our society.