Oklahoma’s premier yearly cinematic event is once again upon us as the 25th annual deadCenter Film Festival kicks off Wednesday and runs throughout the weekend with more panels, more parties, and more films screening than ever before.
To celebrate the silver anniversary, they’re pulling out the stops and aiming for the biggest festival with the most film screenings in their history, so there’s a lot to cover in any rundown of the week’s must-see movies.
So without further ado, here’s just a taste of the features, docs, and shorts that should be filling up your schedule for deadCenter 25.
‘Reverence’
Though the whole festival is kicking off this year (for the first time) with the Okie Shorts package, all eyes each year are always on the Opening Night feature, a film usually selected for its local production and emotional depth. This year, that’s “Reverence.”
From writer/director Kyle Kauwika Harris, this dramatic thriller follows the disappearance of a teenage girl and the clash between the police investigation that ensues and the boiling tensions of her distraught father.
’67 Bombs to Enid’
Guaranteed to be one of the standout documentaries of this year’s fest, “67 Bombs to Enid” examines the surprisingly large and culturally rich Marshallese population of Enid, Oklahoma and the terrible history of atomic testing by the US that led to their migration from the Marshall Islands.
I was lucky enough to get an early look at the film, and it’s a powerful, intimate portrait of a unique community.
‘Queens of the Dead’
What could be better than a wild new comedy-horror take on the zombie genre? How about a look at what would happen if the undead outbreak hit during a Brooklyn warehouse party, leaving a group of “drag queens, club kids, and frenemies” to fight off the horde and find a way to survive.
And if that’s not already intriguing enough (and why wouldn’t it be?) it’s also written and directed by Tina Romero, daughter of legendary “Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead” mastermind George Romero, the father of the “living dead” himself.
Music Videos
Obviously the annual Music Video showcase is always going to be a must-see, and this year it’s bursting with talent from global stars like T-Pain to local heroes like The Imaginaries, Thunder Jackson, and award-winning Okie director Lauren Bumgarner.
Special shoutouts go to the unnerving stop-motion nightmare of “Sleep” from metalers Rainbows are Free” and the beautifully shot “First Light” by Hindi-language rapper Sun Deep, co-starring dancer/choreographer Natasha Abu-Fadel and OKC’s own illuminated nighttime skyline.
‘Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening’
The newest offering from Oklahoma City’s SPARK! Creative Lab, this doc showcases their recurring live performance piece “Ditty Bops,” which uses the rhythms and beats of Morse code to tell the story of a Vietnam vet and code interpreter and his post-war battle with Parkinson’s.
It’s a bold and singularly unique piece of performance art that’s wowed audiences from OKC to Washington DC, and it should be experienced on the big screen while it can be.
It’s a Mad, Mad World Shorts
Dystopian futures, absurdist alternate realities, and the terrifying and tragic realities of the modern world all collide in this package of shorts from all across the globe.
So much of the focus at deadCenter each year is on the local Oklahoman filmmakers, but showcases like this one offer a rare look at the staggering creativity and passion coming from all corners of the storytelling world.
‘Salt of the Earth’
Speaking of dystopian futures, the withering societies of a post-collapse America set the stage for “Salt of the Earth,” a grim, gritty look at a pair of siblings on either side of the rule of law and their search to reunite their family in the face of devastation and disease.
It’s the newest offering from directing duo Kara and Jeremy Choate, the Oklahoman filmmakers behind 2022’s breakout “Tenkiller,” so you can bet that you’re in for a bleak, bloody ride.
Family Fest Shorts – featuring “Pow!” from filmmaker Joey Clift
It’s not all revenge thrillers and wastelands at deadCenter. Children and families can get in on the film festival fun as well.
The annual Family Fest Shorts package is a perfect way to bring the whole family out to enjoy the festivities and to catch some rousing, eye-poppingly fun new selections.
This year, that includes “Pow!” a new animated short that sees a young, video game-loving Indigenous boy racing against the clock to charge his dying game console at an intertribal powwow.
I caught up with “Pow!” writer/director Joey Clift ahead of the festival to ask what he hopes young audiences take away from his short and what being selected for deadCenter means to him.
“Screening at deadCenter is important to me because I want to show people that a cartoon Native kid can be as funny as Bart Simpson, and that our stories deserve to screen alongside any classic, major award award-winning cartoon,” Clift said. “Something I’ve learned in my life is that my culture and traditions have everything to do with me, and also, loving video games and being a contemporary member of society and practicing the centuries-old practices of my people don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can do both!”
‘Susan’
Anyone who has ever loved or lived with someone who’s suffered from dementia will understand the pain, confusion, and heartbreak at the center of “Susan,” a new feature-length Oklahoman documentary from director Russ Kirkpatrick.
The film follows Oklahoman Susan Suchan from her dementia diagnosis through her days navigating her family’s struggle to care for her and her own wishes for a final celebration before an inevitably tragic end.
‘Bloodstained Ivory’
One of the most buzzed-about new local features in this year’s fest, director Klein Haley’s bloody, obsessive thriller is also the final Closing Night feature.
A morbid tale of a relentless and unraveling music student determined to be at the top of his class at all costs – no matter how deadly – “Bloodstained Ivory” also boasts a new score from Lennon Bramlett of OKC’s Mad Honey.
For more from the 25th annual deadCenter Film Festival, including a full lineup and schedule, visit deadcenterfilm.org or download the deadCenter Film Festival app.
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 our Arts and Entertainment Editor. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for 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.
