View Full Version : deadCENTER film festival 2008 starts!



metro
06-11-2008, 07:29 AM
deadCENTER Film Festival begins
Journal Record
June 11, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – What started seven years ago as an effort to spark some local interest in the film industry has turned into a popular addition to the downtown setting.

The deadCENTER Film Festival began in 2001 and will begin another run today at various venues in the downtown area. It began as a one-day event and has turned into a five-day festival and will run through Sunday.

Kim Haywood, chief operations officer of deadCENTER, has watched it grow and anticipates about 6,000 people to attend the program. Haywood said deadCENTER will have over 100 films, some the feature variety and some considered short films.“We’ve gone from one venue to eight throughout downtown, and we’ve added a panel and workshop series that we consider kind of a mini-camp for filmmakers,” Haywood said.

“Our numbers have really increased and what we’ll have is a nice mix of local people and as many visiting filmmakers as possible.”A composer from Los Angeles will discuss musical scores and the operator of Indy Go Go will share alternative ways of funding films, and they’ll be joined by several more professionals who specialize in various areas.

The filmmakers involved in this year’s festival took from one day on up to three years to make their films, which range from a few minutes to full-length features.“We have one film, The New Year Parade, which is a beautiful narrative feature that took filmmakers three years to make,” Haywood said. “The films vary in costs from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”The deadCENTER Film Festival has kept its innocence despite its growth, Haywood said. Not all are that way, she added.“The example a lot of people give is of the Sundance Festival and how it’s sort of changed from a being a space where people can come and enjoy independent films and meet with filmmakers into an incredibly sponsor-heavy, almost corporate party place,” she said. “We created this as an outlet for independent filmmakers here in Oklahoma to gather and network and talk about films. I think we’ve successfully done that. We’ve added our parties and special events, but our primary focus is showcasing these films and giving people a platform where they can not only watch these films but afterward speak with the filmmakers about their processes.”

The deadCENTER festival invites anyone with an interest, she said. “Another reason we stand out is that we don’t exclude people,” she said. “This is really a festival where anyone can come and meet and greet with filmmakers. I don’t think we’ve lost that goal at all.”Haywood said deadCENTER is a nonprofit business funded through individual sponsorships.

One of its venues – the Kerr Auditorium owned by SandRidge Energy – was donated for the event, and others are rented, including the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Harkins Bricktown theater, Independent Artists of Oklahoma, the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, and outdoor venues at Lee and Sheridan avenues and at Third Street and E.K. Gaylord Avenue.

Tickets are $100 for all-access passes, $50 for screening passes and $10 for individual films. The deadCENTER organizers will take a short breather after the final day of the festival on Sunday. But then they will be back to it.“The festival itself is a year-around operation,” she said. “After the festival we evaluate and see what we could do better for next year. Then we start planning in July or August. We contact venues and open up submissions for films. It takes almost a year just to plan these festivals.”

deadCENTER Film (http://www.deadcenterfilm.org/)

ksearls
06-11-2008, 10:03 PM
hey!

dC was a blast tonight! Lots of people in on Film Row for the party and screening. Great event; don't miss it!

metro
06-12-2008, 07:43 AM
bump!

metro
06-12-2008, 12:07 PM
http://tyr.icebase.net/users/downtownokc/WhatsUp_June%2412%242008_Article_Image_2.jpg

Don't Miss the 8th Annual deadCENTER Film Festival through June 15

deadCENTER Film Festival kicked off last night with over 650 film fans enjoying Oklahoma-made "Rainbow Around the Sun" under the stars on historic Film Row. A great time was had by all!

deadCENTER continues tonight offering screenings of more than 90 films in just five days including Oklahoma films, Sundance award-winning documentaries and everything in between. In addition to the vast selection of quality films, deadCENTER's high-powered networking events, Panel Series, and legendary parties solidify its designation as the "Top Festival in Oklahoma".

Screenings begin at most deadCENTER venues tonight and continue throughout the weekend. The downtown venues include the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Harkins Bricktown Theater, Kerr Auditorium, Independent Artists of Oklahoma Gallery, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library as well as a f*r*e*e outdoor screening of "Nerdcore Rising" Saturday night on the lawn at 3rd & Broadway.

The documentary "Nerdcore Rising" investigates the newest wave of hip-hop, Nerdcore, as it follows the godfather of the genre, MC Frontalot, on his first national tour. Throughout the film, music industry notables provide insight into nerdcore. Old school trailblazers like Prince Paul and contemporary hip hop aficionados like J-Live examine the legitimacy of nerdcore as a subgenre of hip hop. Music-nerd celebrities like Weird Al Yankovic and Jello Biafra discuss the origins of nerdcore while gaming-geek celebs Gabe and Tycho expound on the digital revolution that is enabling the nerdcore movement.

All-access passes are available at every venue for $100, screening passes are available for $50, and tickets to individual films are available for just $10. All access passes provide access to every film and every fabulous party!

Schedules and more information available online at deadcenterfilm.org

http://www.downtownokc.com/Portals/0/images/2008%20deadcenter%20119.jpg

namellac
06-19-2008, 02:27 PM
A review of the festival here:
Current Movie Reviews, Independent Movies - Film Threat (http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=2217)

jbrown84
06-20-2008, 04:09 PM
It's funny what he says about the "air raid siren".

I was in a panel discussion at the MoA at noon on Saturday and they had to interrupt it to tell everyone that it was not a tornado.

Is that not a common thing throughout tornado-prone areas?


here's his conclusion:



The general sentiment was that this year’s deadCENTER was the best yet. Having only attended two of the festivals, I’m not exactly qualified to comment, but 2008 certainly seemed as solid as 2007, with fewer venue problems (that I saw) and bigger crowds. Kim, Melissa, and Cacky still have everything wired tight (and I have to thank Robbie, Sarah, and Beth for carting my lazy ass around), and it seems to me that as long as the same group remains in charge, things can only continue to get better.