deadCenter 2023 Awards: Big winners, surprise announcement

Last Updated on June 12, 2023, 12:24 PM | Published: June 11, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – In a late night, pass holders-only afterparty filled with drinks, dancing, and the required celebratory pizza, deadCenter Executive Director Cacky Poarch announced (most of) the award winners for the film festival’s 23rd installment.

Here are the big winners for deadCenter 2023 (this post will be updated as further winners are announced throughout the festival’s closing day):

Best Narrative Feature – Fancy Dance

Best Oklahoma Feature – Dadiwonisi (We Will Speak)

Best Oklahoma Short – The External-Internal Monologue of an Interdependent Insomniac

Best Documentary – Bad Press

Special Jury Prize: Narrative Feature – Quantum Cowboys

Special Jury Prize: Documentary Feature – Black Barbie: A Documentary

Special Jury Prize: Best Short – Take Me Home

Best Live-Action Short (Academy Award-qualifying category) – Young People, Old People, and Nothing in Between

Best Animated Short (Academy Award-qualifying category) – Swing to the Moon

Best Short Documentary – Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

Best Series – Breadwinners: Choy Division

Best Music Video – Lincka: “Chinga La Migra”

Best High School Film – Booties

Best Indigenous Feature – Fancy Dance

Best Indigenous Short – Dead Bird Hearts

Best Pride Feature – BLACK AS U R

Best Pride Short – Aikane

Best VR Film – Body of Mine

Film ICON 2023 – Erica Tremblay

Festival ICON 2023 – Sara Thompson

Surprise Recognition

The announcement of longtime deadCenter Director of Programming Sara Thompson as this year’s Festival ICON winner was a surprise to all in attendance, including to Thompson herself, who stood shocked and excited next to Poarch as the announcement was made.

“She has been an integral part of the success of this festival,” Poarch said of Thompson. “It’ll be sad to see her go, This is her last festival, and what a festival it’s been.”

Speaking with Thompson after the announcement, she said that she had no idea about the award beforehand.

“It feels amazing,” she told Free Press. “This is my favorite organization.”

Thompson said that she plans to stay on as Director of Programming until an official replacement is named, but that after that, she’s not sure what her next ambitions will be, only that this year’s festival has been a particularly memorable one to go out on.

“Working with Cacky has been a dream,” she said, “and coming back from the pandemic, it really has been a special one.”

A deadCenter programmer for the past 16 years, Thompson has been instrumental to the major developments and evolutions of the festival in recent years.

“Sara Thompson is the reason we are an Oscar-qualifying film festival,” Poarch said in announcing the award. “She has worked so hard and she has been the glue that has kept us together this year.”

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