On the Town: DeadCenter shaping up to be world-class film showcase - Journal Record

Lillie-Beth Brinkman

Sara Thompson, director of programming for deadCenter Film, used the best words to describe the new free outdoor screenings announced recently as part of Oklahoma City’s major film festival in June.

“Music, art and community” are the common themes of these screenings that champion the human spirit, she said in a news release. But art and community are also apt words for the entire festival from June 10-20 that will celebrate the power of storytelling through film, as she noted.

So make your plans now and buy all-access passes for the 21st annual deadCenter Film Festival’s lineup of more than 175 films, most of which will be streamed virtually again this year. Some unique and Oklahoma-made films will be screened in person throughout the city.

Add these free outdoor screenings to your calendar as well for June 11 and 12:

We Are the Thousand, a music documentary about the global formation of a 1,000-plus-member band made up of people who love the Foo Fighters, will be screened in the Wheeler District on June 11. Directed by Anita Rivaroli, the film follows Foo Fighters superfan Fabio trying to convince the band’s leader, Dave Grohl, to come to Italy and perform. He gathers the 1,000 musicians to play Learn to Fly together.

Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a music documentary from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, will come to Booker T. Washington Park in northeast Oklahoma City on June 12. The movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, features the Harlem Cultural Festival as it celebrates Black history, culture and fashion through music. It includes previously unseen footage of concert performances Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.

Also of note, OKC Thunder Film will debut its new short film, Pause the Game, as an opener for the Summer of Soul on June 12. It’s the fourth year the Thunder has premiered a film at deadCenter. This one takes a look at March 11, 2020, considered the day that changed everything in the pandemic, with the Thunder game in Oklahoma City at the center of it as the world shut down to entertainment, live sports and more. Pause the Game includes interviews with Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett, Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti and members of his staff, Thunder players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Tony Bradley, Thunder broadcasters, fans and others.

“DeadCenter is where creativity, community, and celebration intersect to create one of the most anticipated events of the year and we are so excited to curate unique experiences that celebrate the magic of independent film,” said Alyx Picard Davis, executive director of deadCenter Film, in the release.

Other things to know about deadCenter this year:

The Opening Night film is How It Ends, with Zoe Lister-Jones, Fred Armisen, Olivia Wilde, Helen Hunt and Lamorne Morris. It is about one last party in the face of an apocalypse. Two other notable narrative features are Inbetween Girl, directed by Mei Makino, about a teen artist struggling with her identity, and Moving in 2008 from writer/director/producer Calogero Carucci’s lens.

Twenty-eight films come from Oklahoma filmmakers, including Justin Monroe (Holy Frit); Ben Tefera (Feel So Good); and Zoe Sherinian (Sakthi Vibrations).

Oklahoma musicians to be showcased in the Music Video short film program include Greyson Chance, Samantha Crain, Jabee, The Imaginaries, Mothica, Onyx Lane, Jessica Ray, Roberto, and Salem Blue.

This year also marks the first year for the Best Indigenous Short Film Award, complete with a cash prize of $1,000 sponsored by the Cherokee Nation Film Office.

For information, go to deadcenterfilm.org.

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