Last Updated on June 8, 2023, 7:32 AM | Published: June 8, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s opening day for the biggest film event in all of Oklahoma: deadCenter Film Festival 2023!
For the next four days, filmmakers, tastemakers, critics, reviewers, and above all, cinema fanatics will be descending upon OKC to catch as many films, panels, and events as possible.
But with a multi-day slate packed possibly fuller than ever before, you might be struggling to know where to be among the screenings and events, and that’s where Free Press has you covered.
Be sure to catch these happenings on Day 1 of deadCenter Film Festival 2023, and check out our featured selection for the day at the end:
Opening Night Party on the Rooftop – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – 5:00 pm
deadCenter is taking over the recently renovated rooftop terrace at OKCMOA, kicking off the festival right with some of the best views in the city. Pass-holders will be treated to some speeches, plenty of drinks, and the can’t-miss chance to chat with filmmakers, programmers, and festival organizers to get the inside scoop on what this year has to offer.
“What Rhymes with Reason” – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 15 – 6:30 pm
Locally produced feature in collaboration with the state’s new 988 Mental Health Helpline following a group of teens struggling with the mysteries of youth, loss, and a quest for a hidden landmark.
“Black Barbie: A Documentary” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – 7:00 pm
The official Opening Night Feature for deadCenter 2023, this documentary explores the complex intersection of race, commerce, and the history of the world’s most popular doll.
Comedy Shorts – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 14 – 7:00 pm
The first of many short film collections scheduled throughout the festival, this is where the programming really shines. As deadCenter is now officially an Oscar-qualifying festival for both live-action and animated shorts, these shorts presentations feature some of the very best submissions from all over the world.
The nine short offerings featured in the opening night Comedy Shorts cover everything from a group of friends stuck in a broken-down car to a date night gone awry to Jesus’ face in a piece of frybread.
Opening Night Afterparty: presented by Freestyle Creative – Jones Assembly – 9:00 pm
If you’re a pass-holder and you’re looking to keep the opening night festivities going late, then you’ll want to be at the Jones. Drinks will flow and the OKC film community is sure to be out in full force to celebrate the day.
Midnight Shorts – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 14 – 9:30 pm
If you’re in the mood for some seriously strange, darker fare rather than the late-evening party vibes, then you’ll want to make sure to hit this shorts collection showcasing six little films that walk on the wilder side.
Here you’ll find some stop-motion surrealism, throwback horror, paranoia parables, and some seriously left-field adventure.
FREE PRESS FEATURED PICK – “Hell Hath No Fury” – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 14 – 9:00 pm
One of the most anticipated local features at this year’s deadCenter, “Hell Hath No Fury” tracks one fateful night in the life of a married couple who are each secretly planning to murder the other.
It’s a wacky concept brought to life by brothers Zachary Burns and Jacob Leighton Burns, two-time “Best Oklahoma Film” winners with “Electric Nostalgia” and “Shifter.”
For this go-around, Zachary is in the director’s chair for the first time, and though the film is already making waves at other US festivals, he said that deadCenter remains the most important to him.
“deadCenter is my favorite film festival,” Zachary Burns told Free Press. “I’ve been coming to deadCenter for well over ten years and I look forward to it every single year, whether we have a project in the festival that year or not. This is my home festival, and every screening of one of our films here is just that much more special because of it. I don’t think we ever look forward to any other festival more than we do deadCenter.”
“Hell Hath No Fury” was designed by the brothers to lean into its craziest, zaniest tendencies, fully committing to the “dark” in “dark comedy.”
“I really wanted to push the comedy further and make it more of a modern-day screwball comedy, inspired by classics like ‘Arsenic & Old Lace’ and ‘His Girl Friday,’ as well as more modern farces like ‘Noises Off,’ ‘Clue,’ and ‘Burn After Reading,'” Burns said. “I’ve always been a big fan of movies that have that heightened style and tone and really just have fun with their characters, and so it seems kind of obvious now that of course my first feature film would do just that.”
That kind of commitment to the strange and unexpected is something that Burns sees as a welcome hallmark of Oklahoma’s evolving film community.
“It seems the last few years things have really exploded in the film community in Oklahoma,” he said. “More diverse Okie filmmakers are making more diverse types of movies every year. And that’s another reason I love deadCenter because even as the festival has grown over the years, they always highlight the best that Oklahoma film has to offer.”
deadCenter Film Festival runs June 8th through June 11th.
Check back each day for our can’t-miss selections and our daily Free Press Featured Pick!
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
