Allan Luebke’s feature documentary ‘Glena’ on Portland resident Glena Avila, tracks her life in becoming a professional cage fighter selected as Opening Night Film

GLENA - Trailer Slamdance World Premiere from Allan Luebke on Vimeo.

PORTLAND, Ore. – August 13, 2014 – After playing across the country to critical and audience acclaim, winning numerous festival awards, and landing a major cable broadcast deal, director Allan Luebke's film 'Glena' is finally coming home as the opening night film at the Portland Film Festival. In January, three years of following Glena Avila led Luebke into one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, Slamdance—a festival that plays side-by-side with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Slamdance discoveries include directors Christopher Nolan ( The Dark Knight) and Lena Dunham (HBO's Girls). “It's been a whirlwind ever since,” an elated Luebke said. A Hollywood remake is in the works, with the project currently being shopped to top actresses by L.A.-based producers.

Luebke filmed in and around The Dalles where Avila and Luebke first met. During Luebke’s tenure at a local TV station he met Avila and quickly realized how great her story would play on screen. After securing initial financing from a Portland producer, he set out on his journey that lasted more than three years. Luebke married during the production and brought on his wife Ashley Joy as the executive producer. “Ashley’s belief in this project and me strengthened not only the film, but also our relationship.” The independent production was “made for next to nothing,” Luebke admits. “We found old gear on Craigslist, edited at the kitchen table, and recorded sound effects in my mom's closet.”

Initially planned as a short film, Luebke continued to record Avila as her dream of cage fighting stardom began to jeopardize her livelihood and family: a bitter custody dispute over her young daughter, impending foreclosure, and damaged relationships with her boyfriend and teenage son became the focus of Luebke's filming. “It's really a portrait of the modern American family,” he says. And audiences have responded. Avila became a star attraction at film festivals around the country as she traveled to present the movie and speak to eager audiences. “To get to share what I went through – and what my family went through – with other people and hopefully get to inspire them...it's been a dream come true,” said a tearful Avila.

Luebke’s film will play on August 26th at 7:00pm at The Mission Theater and follow up with a second screening on the 30th at 2:00pm at The Clinton Street Theater. Both Luebke and Avila will be in attendance to participate in a Director’s Q&A. An after-party will be held at the Crystal Ballroom. Tickets to the film are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/glena-tickets-12211303337.

For more information about the film, its cast and crew go to GlenaTheMovie.com. For more on the Portland Film Festival, go to www.PortlandFilmFestival.com.

About Allan Luebke
Allan is an Emmy-winning filmmaker from Portland, Oregon. He produced the web series ZetamanTV, the first-ever documentary about real-life superheroes, and has produced non-fiction entertainment programs for cable including Discovery International. Allan earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, where he won the 2006 National College Emmy Award for Best Short Documentary for Behind These Walls, a revealing and uplifting look at Oregon's prison inmate work programs.