This year’s deadCenter Film Festival organizers received a historically high number of entries, with the most Oklahoma-made films to ever be considered.
And with this summer’s festival changing to a streaming platform, filmmakers could have their entries seen by a crowd larger than past festivals.
When entries closed in February, deadCEnter organizers had 1,600 products to consider for the June festival.
“The quality of the films was just spectacular,” said Lance McDaniel, executive director of deadCenter.
The films, discussions, screenplay readings and film classes will start June 11 and run through June 21, using the latest streaming and community engagement technologies. Tower Theatre’s Steven Tyler is helping to bring the most-enriching online experience to pass holders. deadCenter Film is also planning to offer pop-up drive-in movie experiences for pass holders and sponsors throughout the festival. Passes are 50% off the previous price and are currently on sale. Individual film tickets will be available soon.
“The new reality of streaming is that it’s perfect for our medium,” said McDaniel. “I think people are on board with this new style of receiving movies and now we’ll offer movies that they can’t see anywhere else.”
Basketball fans will get their first look at “Eddie”, the definitive documentary about Oklahoma State University coaching legend, Eddie Sutton. It was announced in February that Sutton will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Eddie” leads the slate of 140 films from across the globe that will premiere during the festival. Of the 140 films selected to screen at the festival, 20 are feature-length movies and 120 are short films. Thirty of the chosen films were made in Oklahoma or by Oklahoma filmmakers.
It’s been a trying few months for the deadCenter Film Festival team since it not only had to figure out how to take the event online, but the online launch meant some filmmakers had to pull their entries. The entry change demonstrated the caliber of films the festival attracted this year.
“Once all the festivals went digital, HBO and Netflix said they couldn’t stream their movies with us,” McDaniel said. “Because we had so many entries, we were able to go back and fill in pretty quickly.”
Read the full story on VeloCityOKC.com.
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