OKLAHOMA CITY – With an ever-exploding slate of productions and a persistently swelling national interest, Oklahoma is finally firmly on the filmmaking map these days.
But while the country at large is only now coming around to what we’ve known all along, there have still been plenty of memorable movies made in our neck of the woods over the last handful of years, from Oscar-winners and blockbuster smashes to indie darlings and underseen niche jewels.
And this month is offering no shortage of chances to catch them.
With a month-long Okie-made movie showcase, a buzzmaking streamer, and a rare spotlight on the stranger, far-out experimental side of things, April is the month for Oklahoman films.
And it starts, of course, with the father of them all.
‘Twister’ – Oklahoma Film Exchange – Saturday, April 11th
That’s right, I’m willingly wading back into the treacherous waters that are my opinions of the “Twister” franchise.
But rather than the lamentable recent sequel, the Film Exchange crew is taking it back to the original, a movie that nails all the goofy fun, serious excitement, and (at the time) groundbreaking visuals that a true blockbuster needed in the 90s.
Sure, Jan de Bont’s 1996 cow-twirling action-epic of killer storms isn’t any more concerned with science or accuracy than its 2024 sibling. But it does have loads of tone, a stacked cast of screen legends capable of making you care about the ridiculous stakes and Hollywood energy, and a pretty genuine and mature story of reconciling lovers (rather than a half-baked meteorological meet-cute.)
And yes, the entire climactic finale scene is historically dumb, but at least it has the decency to be so dumb that it’s historic, instead of trying to take itself seriously.
Regardless of any of that, though, it was just so cool to see Oklahoma represented on the big screen back in 1996, and if you were there at the time, you know it’s still fun to relive that feeling when you can.
For more, visit oklahomafilmexchange.com.
‘Elusive’ – Rodeo Cinema (presented by VHS & Chill) – Saturday, April 25th
All month long, Rodeo is actually hosting a full slate of “Made in Oklahoma” films, including Oscar-winners like “Minari” and underseen gems like “Te Ata.”
But the one absolute can’t-miss selection rounding out the schedule is “Elusive,” writer/director Nick Sanford’s 2022 “stupid Bigfoot movie” that takes the mockumentary format into some decidedly broad, moronic, and unreasonably funny territory while also, against all odds, discovering a legitimate heart at its own center.
It’s a screwball faux documentary about the search for Bigfoot. That’s really all you need to know.
But with OKC comedy lynchpin Bradchad Porter in the lead, there’s also a surprisingly heartwarming and effective story running beneath the screwball-ness of a disgraced father attempting to impress his son.
And there’s also some equally hysterical turns from Mickey Reece, Oklahoma’s alt-film king, and an unrelentingly watachable co-lead turn from the sadly departed Alex Sanchez (he didn’t die, he just moved away from Oklahoma.)
It’s funnier than it has any right to be and it’s more emotional than it has any reason to be and you can finally see it properly in a local theater with a game audience and maybe some of the cast and probably Sanford himself.
It’s an extra-special occasion, though, because this screening is part of the “farewell tour” from OKC’s premier guerilla pop-up cult screening concern VHS & Chill, who plans to hang up the travelling VCR for good after 2026.
So come out on a Saturday night and support the weirder, wilder side of Oklahoma’s indie movie scene.
For more, visit rodeocinema.org.
Wide Open Experimental Fest Festival – Oklahoma City Museum of Art & Oklahoma Film Exchange – Thursday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 26th
Speaking of weird and wild, the ever-growing, ever-strange Wide Open Experimental Film Festival returns once again this month, with a bigger-than-ever weekend of exceptionally far-out, eye-opening experiments designed to push the boundaries of what a film can even be.
Things kick off Thursday, the 23rd at the Film Exchange with a full screening and filmmaker Q&A event before shifting over to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art for three loaded days of psychedelic, expectation-shattering screenings and creative, forward-thinking panel events featuring a slew of local filmmaking minds.
Though it’s a truly international fest this year, convention-shirking shorts from local filmmakers abound, with new offerings from creative Oklahoman forces Lily Tucker and Jessi Kyle (who will both be in-person during the weekend,) as well as plenty of locally-focused panels featuring the likes of director/photographer Lauren Bumgarner, deadCenter’s Julia Witcher, OK Film Exchange’s River Lunsford, and more.
Sunday the 26th is even set for a special event from Dissociation OK co-founder (and regular Free Press feature) Andrew Lee, who will be screening his experimental film offering “Myein” alongside a full live accompaniment by his audio alter ego, ut mutem.
The WOE Film Fest is a total trip every year, and this one is looking to be the biggest and boldest yet.
For more, visit wideopeneff.com.
‘Salt of the Earth’ – Now on digital
And how about a streaming option as well?
Yeah, you can keep supporting Okie cinema without even getting up off the couch, because brutal, blood-soaked apocalypse drama “Salt of the Earth” is available now on digital platforms for purchase and rent.
It’s the newest offering from Oklahomans Kara and Jeremy Choate, the duo behind breakout “Tenkiller,” and it sports a who’s who of local faces, including Adam Hampton, Jessi Kyle, Cate Jones (leader of the band Lover Girl,) Ben Hall, Mary Buss, Jacob Ryan Snovel, Alex Sanchez (again,) and the Choates’ frequent collaborator, Raygun Busch of Chat Pile.
If you missed it when it tore up deadCenter last year, then you can dive into all the boiling family drama, the rabies-infected freakouts, the shootouts, and the relentless, abject bleakness of a backwoods world in the ruins of hat used to be civilized society.
You can check it out on Amazon now.
Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
