The Cinema Unbound Awards, presented by PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow, celebrate the intersection of art and cinematic storytelling. This annual event, a highlight of the West Coast cultural calendar, honors internationally renowned creative polymaths—visionaries who push the boundaries of media arts, shaping the future through their storytelling, joy, and innovative perspectives.
Unbound impact
Each year the Cinema Unbound Awards raise critical funds to fuel PAM CUT’s mission to change how cinematic stories are told—expanding who is telling and who is watching. Every ticket purchase helps fund youth and adult summer camps, artist residencies, Tomorrow Theater programs, and the Carte Blanche series which has brought artists like David Byrne, Titus Kaphar, Julio Torres, and Miranda July to Portland audiences.
Interested in supporting? Download the 2025 Sponsorship packet, or reach out to: Harper Brokaw-Falbo at cua@pamcut.org.
Honoring those redefining storytelling
The Awards celebrate visionary artists who push boundaries, defy categorization, and seamlessly navigate multiple artistic disciplines. These honorees are not confined to a single medium but instead create groundbreaking work that transcends traditional artistic limits. Past recipients have included renowned figures such as Guillermo del Toro, Fred Armisen, Tessa Thompson, John Cameron Mitchell, Steve McQueen, Sterlin Harjo, Shirin Neshat, Carrie Brownstein, and Mickalene Thomas. The Awards have also been presented by influential cultural icons, including Bong Joon-ho, Celine Dion, Justin Vivian Bond, and Ava DuVernay.
An evening like no other
This electrifying evening is more than just a ceremony—it’s an immersive experience where individuality takes center stage. Attendees walk a non-traditional red carpet, setting the tone for a night that embraces boldness, authenticity, and artistic freedom. It’s an opportunity to showcase your personal style, whether that means dazzling in couture, statement-making ensembles, or anything that makes you feel like your most radiant self. This is a night where fashion meets storytelling, and every guest is invited to participate.
Bold cuisine
Since 2023, the CUAs have celebrated groundbreaking chef collaborations, highlighting those who push the boundaries of cuisine. In its first year, we featured Gregory Gourdet of Kann, followed in 2024 by Peter Cho and Sun Young Park of Han Oak and Jeju—each exemplifying Portland’s innovative food culture.
Past Awards
Discover past Cinema Unbound honorees
Past honorees include:
2024
- Mickalene Thomas (Award-winning multidisciplinary artist)
- Sterlin Harjo (Award-winning filmmaker, co-creator and showrunner of Reservation Dogs)
- Irene Taylor (Oscar-nominated, Emmy, duPont and Peabody-winning filmmaker; Hear and Now; I AM: Celine Dion; Trees, and Other Entanglements; Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of The Boy Scouts.
- Peter Cho and Sun Young Park (Award-winning culinary team behind acclaimed Portland restaurants Han Oak, Toki, and Jeju.)
2023
- Guillermo del Toro (Academy Award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and author; Pan’s Labyrinth; The Shape of Water; and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
- Jacqueline Stewart (Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
- Gregory Gourdet (celebrated chef, best-selling author, and television personality; Sousòl; Kann; Top Chef)
- Fred Armisen (comedian, writer, producer, and musician; Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, Documentary Now)
- Jon Raymond (award-winning author and screenwriter; The Half-Life, Rain Dragon, Freebird, and Denial; Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, First Cow, Showing Up; Mildred Pierce)
- Tessa Thompson (critically acclaimed actress and producer; Thor, Creed, Selma; Dear White People)
2022
- Carrie Brownstein (writer, director, and musician; Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia)
- Reinaldo Marcus Green (writer, director, and producer; King Richard)
- Arthur Lewis (Partner and Creative Director of Fine Arts and the UTA Artist Space)
- Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Academy Award-winning filmmakers; Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse; The Lego Movie; The Mitchells vs. the Machines;Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.)
- Shirin Neshat (award-winning artist and filmmaker)
- Roger Ross Williams (award-winning director, producer and writer; Life, Animated)
2021
- Steve McQueen (Academy Award-winning artist and filmmaker, 12 Years a Slave)
- Garrett Bradley (narrative, documentary, and experimental filmmaker)
- Gus Van Sant (filmmaker, painter, photographer, and musician; Milk; Good Will Hunting; My Own Private Idaho; Drugstore Cowboy)
- Mollye Asher (Gotham Award and Film Independent Spirit Awards-winning producer; Nomadland; The Rider)
- Alex Bulkley (Academy Award, Emmy, and Annie award-winning producer and co-founder of ShadowMachine)
2020
- Todd Haynes (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning writer and director; Carol, Far from Heaven, Mildred Pierce)
- John Cameron Mitchell (Tony Award-winning writer, director, and actor; Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Anthem: Homunculus, Shrill)
- Julie Goldman (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer of over 50 feature documentaries, including Life, Animated, Buck, Weiner)
- Michel Reilhac (Filmmaker, Experiential Artist and Head of VR, Venice Biennale)
- Rose Bond (Internationally-recognized, large-scale, site-specific animations)
- Rajendra Roy (The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA)
- Amanda Needham (Emmy-winning costume designer; Portlandia, Shrill)
Past presenters include:
2024
- Kimberly Drew
- Wes Studi and Ethan Hawke
- Celine Dion
- John & Janet Jay
2023
- Doug Jones
- Ava DuVernay
- Padma Lakshmi
- Lance Bangs & Corin Tucker
- Todd Haynes
- Boots Riley
2022
- Jeff Goldblum
- Will Smith
- Tasha Smith
- Peter Lord
- Isabella Rossellini
- Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
2021
- Charles Burnett
- Rajendra Roy
- Paige Powell, Thomas Lauderdale, Walt Curtis
- Chloe Zhao
- Guillermo del Toro