Throughout film history, the U.S. state of Oregon has been a popular shooting location for filmmakers due to its wide range of landscapes, as well as its proximity to California, specifically Hollywood. The first documented commercial film made in Oregon was a short silent film titled The Fisherman's Bride, shot in Astoria by the Selig Polyscope Company, and released in 1909. Another documentary short, Fast Mail, Northern Pacific Railroad, was shot in Portland in 1897.
Since then, numerous major motion pictures have been shot in the state, including F.W. Murnau's City Girl (1930), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Animal House (1978), Stand by Me (1986), Free Willy (1993), and Wild (2014). Portland—Oregon's largest city—has been a major shooting location for filmmakers, and has been featured prominently in the films of Gus Van Sant, namely Mala Noche (1985), Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), and Elephant (2003).
This list of films shot is organized first by region, and then chronologically by year. Some films may appear more than once if they were shot in more than one region.
Northeast Film Year Location(s) Where Cowboy is King 1915 Pendleton Passing on the West 1924 Pendleton Winds of Chance 1925 Wallowa County City Girl 1928 Our Daily Bread 1928 Pendleton Singing Waters 1931 Pendleton The Lusty Men 1952 Pendleton The Great Sioux Uprising 1953 Pendleton Pillars of the Sky 1955 La Grande Paint Your Wagon 1969 Baker Napoleon and Samantha 1972 John Day Joe Bell 2020 La Grande The Year in Lincoln Plains 1987 Condon Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey 1993 Joseph 8 Seconds 1994 Pendleton Sammyville 1998 La Grande Dog Story 1999 La Grande New Life 2023 Joseph Breakup Season 2024 La Grande
Southeast Film Year Location(s) Bronco Billy 1980 Meek's Cutoff 2010 Burns Lean on Pete 2018 Burns
Southwest
Film Year Location(s) Grace's Visit to the Rogue Valley 1915 Jackson County The Stolen Pie 1916 Klamath Falls Find Your Man 1924 Klamath Falls The Ice Flood 1926 Klamath Falls The General 1927 Cottage Grove The Reporter 1927 Ed's Coed 1929 Eugene Abe Lincoln in Illinois 1940 Canyon Passage 1946 Last of the Wild Horses 1948 Jacksonville Rachel and the Stranger 1948 Eugene How the West Was Won 1962 Grants Pass Fields of Honor 1964 Shenandoah 1965 Marcola Mackenna's Gold 1969 Grants Pass Getting Straight 1970 Eugene Five Easy Pieces 1970 Eugene Drive, He Said 1971 Eugene The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid 1972 Jacksonville Emperor of the North 1973 Cottage Grove Lost in the Stars 1974 Cottage Grove Rooster Cogburn 1975 Grants Pass Street Girls 1975 Eugene Flood! 1976 Animal House 1978 How to Beat the High Cost of Living 1980 Eugene Hell and High Water 1981 Rogue River Personal Best 1982 Eugene Mystery Mansion 1983 Jacksonville Sacred Ground 1983 The Dream Chasers 1984 Stand by Me 1986 Inherit the Wind 1988 Jacksonville Spirit of the Eagle 1988 Grants Pass Finish Line 1988 Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow 1988 Eugene Girl of the Limberlost 1989 Jacksonville Martial Marshal 1989 Jacksonville Grand Tour 1990 Timescape 1992 Eugene Fire in the Sky 1993 Brainsmasher: A Love Story 1993 Portland The River Wild 1993 Grants Pass The Four Diamonds 1994 Grizzly Mountain 1994 Dead Man 1994 Grants Pass Without Limits 1996 Eugene Ricochet River 1997 Eugene, Cottage Grove Inconceivable 1997 Eugene Delicate Instruments 2000 Stealing Time 2000 Eugene Raspberry Heaven 2002 Ashland Indigo 2003 The Sisters 2004 Yesterday's Dreams 2004 Ashland Zerophilia 2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 2004 Florence Conversations With God 2005 Ashland Calvin Marshall 2007 My Name Is Bruce 2006 Medford Seraphim Falls 2006 McKenzie River Sixes and the One Eyed King 2006 Medford The Go-Getter 2007 Eugene Didi's Last Wish 2010 How to Die in Oregon 2011 Redwood Highway 2013 Night Moves 2013 Something Wicked 2014 Eugene Wild 2014 Ashland Free to Play 2014 Medford Brother Nature 2016 Klamath Falls Black Road 2016 Ashland Phoenix, Oregon 2019 Klamath Falls Klamath Falls film “Phoenix, Oregon” through fluke timing becomes tops in domestic box office. Herald and News, April 3, 2020.
Northwest
Film Year Location(s) Fast Mail, Northern Pacific Railroad 1897 Portland area A Nugget In The Rough 1917 Martyrs of Yesterday 1919 The Golden Trail 1920 Portland Headed North 1920 Troutdale The Death Message 1922 The Flash 1923 The Frame Up 1923 The Power Divine 1923 The Vow of Vengeance 1923 Way of the Transgressor 1923 Beaten 1924 Harbor Patrol 1924 Under the Rouge 1925 Portland The Fighting Parson 1925 Tygh Valley Youth's Highway 1925 Flames 1926 Portland Mystery House 1927 Mount Hood National ForestCall of the Wild 1935 Mount Baker Lodge Lost Horizon 1937 Mount Hood National Forest Thunderhead, Son of Flicka 1945 Gresham Golden Earrings 1947 Corbett Bend of the River 1952 The Great Sioux Uprising 1953 Portland Portland Exposé 1957 A Day Called X 1957 Portland All the Young Men 1960 Timberline Lodge Ring of Fire 1961 Vernonia The Mightiest Clydesdale Paint Your Wagon 1969 1969 Estacada