OKLAHOMA CITY – The 26th deadCenter Film Festival finally kicks off in just a couple days, and that means that everyone is scrambling to set their schedules and parse the sprawling, five-day lineup of films, parties, panels, and more.
But if you know deadCenter, you know that there’s some particularly special attention paid to the short film programming.
That’s because deadCenter is an Oscar-qualifying festival for all three of the shorts categories – live-action, documentary, and animation – so you could very well get your first look at some remarkable and exhilarating shorts this week on their way to eventual Oscar glory.
The deadCenter slate of shorts this year is huge, and if you’re planning to attend, then you surely already know that you should be jumping into as many of the shorts programs as possible.
But here’s just a taste and a little look at some of the can’t-miss selections you should be seeking out, from redemptive Oklahoma-made true stories to wildly imaginative bursts of creativity.
‘Absolution’
Right out of the gate, the very first screening of the 26th deadCenter fest is set to be the Okie Shorts program, spotlighting some of the best short-form filmmaking that Oklahoma has to offer, and you’ll find a lot of the entries on this list in that block.
That includes this moody new horror offering from OKC’s own Dylan Cole Black and Dead End Film House, following a minister visiting the distraught family, only to find their home haunted, both by grief and by something way more sinister.
And as a bonus, it stars “Hailey’s Game” standout David Greyson and Victor Caballero, education director for deadCenter and co-founder of the Oklahoma Latin American Film Festival.
‘Poetic Justice’
From Oklahoman director Nicol Ragland and deadCenter’s own Executive Director herself, Amy Janes, comes this short documentary diving into the Poetic Justice nonprofit bringing arts, writing, poetry, and creativity education into prisons and correctional facilities.
“This is a phenomenal program in women’s prisons across the state of Oklahoma,” Ragland told Free Press ahead of this year’s fest. “The film follows several women in the process of finding their voice and finding their dignity and their ability to find inner freedom in a really difficult situation.”
‘He Brings the News’
Longtime Oklahoman writer, actor, and producer John Selvidge finally steps up into the director role for this dark, psychological comedy produced by Mickey Reece and shot by Jacon Burns (both of whom have features on the dC schedule this year.)
It’s a tale of the collapsing psyches of a lonely, loosely hinged couple that become dangerously obsessed with the only person that they regularly see: their mailman.
If that already sounds odd, then you might not be ready for just how far off the wall Selvidge can go.
‘I Got My Brother’
Another powerful short documentary entry exploring the stories of redemption and humanity at the heart of America’s often dehumanizing justice system.
Documentarian Victor Gabriel zooms in on the story of brothers Jarrett and Baylon Harper, who grew up in a Los Angeles foster home where they experienced horrific, life-altering abuse. When Baylon killed their abuser at just 17, he received life in prison, complicating and ultimately strengthening the bond between the brothers as they recall their tale through humor and candidness.
‘Em & Selma go Griffin Hunting’
Anyone in the audience for last year’s Manhattan Short Film Festival at OKCMOA will know this fantastical tale of a mother taking her daughter on her first hunt for the mythical griffin as a rite of passage to cement her journey into womanhood.
It’s loaded with mood, imagination, and some seriously remarkable visual effects that reach way beyond what you normally find in a little indie short.
‘Just One Peek’
Of course we can’t forget the animated shorts.
The selection of animated short films this year is as wide and surprising as the topics tackled by the films themselves, and though there are all-animation blocks popping up all over the schedule, there will also be loads of animated shorts peppered throughout the fest’s creatively conceived programs all week.
But this four-minute foray into the frightening and fraught world of tech trappings and social media seduction feels perfectly apt for our currently overstimulated and over-connected world.
We all know the feeling of trying desperately to stay off our phones and the immediate, brain-scrambling rabbit holes that we fall into the moment we give in.
Filmmaker Mulan Fu animates that experience in the most vivid, eye-popping ways imaginable.
All Dogs go to deadCenter Shorts
It’s an entire short film block dedicated to movies with dogs, about dogs, and celebrating the human bond connecting us to dogs.
Because who doesn’t love dogs?
‘The Freedom Fighters’
The winner of OKC’s 48 Hour Film Project competition, director Elijah Felkins and his Zebra Salad team give us a brief glimpse into one of the deepest and most tantalizing dreams of modern American life: exacting revenge on a hateful, unreasonable HOA president.
If you’ve ever wanted to get one over on the type of entitled jerk that lets the slightest bit of power go to their head, then you’ll want to be sat for this local comedy.
Music Videos
And of course, what would deadCenter be without the fan-favorite block of music videos?
Each year, the music video program showcases some of the most exciting and visually creative clips from artists across sounds, styles, and even global boundaries., and this year’s lineup looks as solid as ever.
There’s Oklahomans like Kayln Fay, TRAX, Mothica, recently exploding rockers Money, and Free Press favorites like the untouchably unique Sundesi and the mighty stepmom.
As ever, the music video showcase is set to be the place to be for this year’s deadCenter.
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.
