Can’t-miss films, events – Day 2 – deadCenter Film Festival

OKLAHOMA CITY — With the Opening Night parties over and the applause still dying down for the opening features, deadCenter 2024 is now fully underway and firing on all cylinders as the sun rises on Day 2.

For the next three days, filmmakers, tastemakers, critics, reviewers, and above all, cinema fanatics will continue to descend upon OKC to catch as many films, panels, and events as possible.

This year’s festivities are loaded with a host of thematically exciting (and sometimes creatively bonkers) shorts and features, with filmmakers from across the nation and the world all lending their talents to the lineup.

Friday is all about the most creative and anticipated feature-length films screening at this year’s fest, with some unique, hard-hitting documentaries and the most insane, gleefully convoluted time travel odyssey you’ve maybe ever seen.

Catch these happenings on Day 2 of deadCenter Film Festival 2024, and check out our featured selection for the day at the end:

‘Citizen Sleuth’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – 5:30 PM

Documentarian Chris Kasick takes us inside the increasingly challenging world of the true-crime podcast craze and of America’s raging obsession with the most scandalous, dramatized true-crime entertainment.

Centering on podcaster Emily Nestor and her “Mile Marker 181” podcast “investigating” the mysterious 2011 death of an Ohio woman, “Citizen Sleuth” dives headfirst into the questions of professionalism, exploitation, and the personal hunger for fame that swirl around the entire genre.

But as Kasick continues digging deeper into the stories behind Nestor, her podcast, the death that she pondered, and the emotions kicked up by her conclusions, he finds himself potentially dancing across the very same lines.

‘Hail to the Breadsticks!’ – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 13 – 9:00 PM

Another documentary exploring the depths and backgrounds of an all-American obsession, director Donick Cary (a former writer for “The Simpsons” in its golden age) takes a crack at unraveling the controversy and conflict around the unfortunately, problematically named Washington Redskins.

Along the way, Cary speaks to more than 75 Native and Indigenous figures (including Oklahoman icon Sterlin Harjo) to get their thoughts and perspectives, but more importantly, to hear their stories and the realities of how their people have been marginalized, dehumanized, and caricaturized for centuries.

Featuring plenty of comedy, loads of deep questions and hard truths, and several somewhat “Simpsons”-style animations, the oddly-yet-eventually-aptly titled “Hail to the Breadsticks!” is one of this year’s most anticipated features.

‘Tim Travers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox’ – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 10 – 9:30 PM

If you’re a fanatic for the intricacies and infinite possibilities of a completely unhinged, off-the-wall time travel story (like I am!) then you’ll want to be at Harkins for “Tim Travers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox.”

Writer/director Stimson Snead expands his acclaimed, wildly creative short of the same name into a full-length, fully insane romp about a time traveler who decides to finally toss all the rules of temporal danger to the wind and explore the limits of what the universe will allow.

Any time travel fan will know all about the worries and potentially catastrophic paradoxes on the line, such as the implications of killing yourself in the past. So what happens when an angry, spiteful time traveler decides to intentionally create and navigate those very paradoxes?

If it’s already making your head spin, then you’re thinking about it correctly. Trust me.

Also, the supporting cast includes Felicia Day, Joel McHale, Danny Trejo, and the cinematic majesty that is Keith David. A roster like that should alone be enough to convince you.

FREE PRESS FEATURED PICK: Music Video Showcase, including ‘What I Do’ by JMASTY – Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 15 – 5:15 PM

Each year, one of the most anticipated and buzzed-about screenings is invariably the music video showcase, presenting the most creative, groundbreaking short-form filmmaking and indie musical artists in the most timeless of artistic pairings.

This year’s lineup of music videos is stacked, with local breakouts like Branjae, stepmom, and Olivia Komacheet all repping their newest colorful, powerful, audio/visual creations.

Also included in the showcase is a new video for the song “What I Do” by local singer/songwriter JMASTY (AKA Josh Masterson) which has already taken on a life of its own and spawned a new artist encouragement program and prize.

“It all came out of COVID when I was really down and just needed to write a song to encourage me to get out and do stuff,” Masterson told me on deadCenter’s opening day. “And one thing led to another and I just ended up meeting the right people to turn it into a video and make something with it.”

The resulting video features the art and contributions of 11 local Oklahoman artists, all exploring the motivations and drives behind creativity and what pushes people to do what they do.

Through Masterson’s connections in the Plaza District (for whom he helps book and organize shows and events) and with the help of people like his wife Ligia, arts non-profit consultant Brenna Noble, and friends throughout the local music and arts scenes, he’s launched the new non-profit What I Do OKC.

“It’s all about helping to fund and encourage local artists,” Masterson said. “We’re doing this Summer Showdown concert in July with ten bands performing at Resonant Head in a “battle of the bands”-style event. We’re expecting to raise over $2,000, with that money all going to fund a new music video for the winning band. So it’s all about just keeping this rolling and paying it forward to keep helping other artists do what they do.”

For more information about the new What I Do OKC non-profit, visit whatido.org.
For more information about the 2024 deadCenter Film Festival, including the full lineup and schedule, visit deadcenterfilm.org.

Check back each day for our can’t-miss selections and our daily Free Press Featured Pick!

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