deadCENTER Film

Pick of the Week: WINNEBAGO MAN at the OKCMOA

You may have noticed it on our main page, but there’s a little shindig we’re pretty excited about this Thursday night at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The festival smash hit WINNEBAGO MAN is screening as a co-presentation with deadCENTER Film, followed by a meet-and-greet with festival staff and complementary Stella Artois. (what’s that? free beer?)

Why this film, why now? Well, there are some fresh faces around the deadCENTER Film offices these days, namely new Executive Director Lance McDaniel and Programming Director Kevin Ely. We thought it would be a good idea to give us all a chance to bond the deadCENTER way… with fine movies and great beer. But we’re also celebrating all that has come before, by honoring our two outgoing angels, Cacky Poarch and Melissa Scaramucci, who helped build this crazy ship and steered it to where we are today. And while we’re at it, what better way to celebrate deadCENTER’s impact than showing a successful film that was partially funded through our fiscal sponsorship program?

So head down to the OKC Museum of Art at 7:30pm for the screening, and stick around and say hi afterwards. We’d love to see you.

For information on ticket pricing, directions and other fun happenings at the OKCMOA, please visit, www.okcmoa.com.

deadCENTER Movie Club – Episode #1

The premiere episode of the deadCENTER Movie Club is now online and ready for your download and enjoyment! Read More »

deadCENTER Film @ Guthrie Junior High & Langston University

The deadCENTER Film education team recently visited the campuses of Guthrie Junior High and Langston University to talk about independent film. In Guthrie, fabulous 8th Grade English Comp teacher Cate Hart opened her class to a seminar about storytelling and creative writing by watching different types of short films – animated, narrative and documentary – and discussing ways of picking topics, creating interesting characters and composing complete stories. The Langston University session was introduced by their wonderful Communication and Television Professor, Carolyn Ross. The group of 25 college students watched best of class college produced short films and then studied clips from the movie Pearl, produced by the Chickasaw Nation, filmed in Guthrie and debuted in Oklahoma at the deadCENTER Film Festival. Through Pearl, we were able to explore the different education opportunities in Oklahoma and the 50+ positions and careers available in film production.

deadCENTER Film @ AIDS Walk 2010

The staff, board and volunteers of deadCENTER Film raised over $1300 dollars for local AIDS/HIV support organizations this past Sunday for the OKC AIDS Walk. 13 official team members and a horde of other supporters marched through downtown OKC to draw attention to those people living with HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma. This year was the largest AIDS Walk in Oklahoma history and was a fantastic celebration.

Terrence Malick begins filming in Oklahoma?

You may have heard reports that legendary reclusive auteur director Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World) would be shooting his newest film in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where the filmmaker spent some time as a youth.

We’ve heard some rumblings under the radar ourselves, but now it appears the news has gone public. /Film has posted a report and some photos from the set, and while they really don’t reveal anything other than the fact that something is afoot, it’s exciting to think that one of the most respected names in cinema will be producing his next film here in OK. We hope to confirm a Malick sighting soon, but considering he’s known for never speaking to the press, we aren’t holding our breath for an interview.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

deadCENTER Film Festival is now accepting entries for the 2011 festival, which will be held June 8-12, 2011. Submitting your film or short screenplay is easy and free. Clicky on the link above to check out categories, deadlines, and entry rules.

Happy submitting! Read More »

Announcing The deadCENTER Movie Club Podcast.

We here at the deadCENTER film festival are always trying to think of new ways to get in touch with you, our favorite independent film audience members. Usually, this involves a few of us sitting down with some beers and debating the merits of an idea. During one such session, I proposed that we start showing up at your houses, DVD in hand, drink your beer, and then argue with you about the movie we brought. After a few calls to their locksmiths, the other staff members said that idea was far too creepy, and we could probably use that newfangled internet device to accomplish the same thing.

So here we are a few weeks later to announce the deadCENTER Movie Club Podcast. Here’s how it works: Once a month, we’ll announce the movie selection via blog post. You’ll update your Netflix queues, and a week later we’ll post a podcast of Kevin Ely, myself, and a few guests discussing the film. You’ll listen, marvel at our genius, and keep the conversation going in the comments section. Hopefully they’ll be at least half as fun for you to listen to as they are for us to make.

We’re going to kick things off with Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans. The film is available through Netflix, though sadly not on instant viewing. If you really want to stream it, you can “rent” it through Amazon’s video on demand service.

Toronto Dispatch: Mike Mills’ BEGINNERS

OKCMOA Film Curator Brian Hearn is at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will be posting some of his thoughts on what he’s seeing. Here’s his latest report:

I like Mike Mills. He seems like a cool guy. He’s a graphic designer, musician, and film director, perhaps best known for his music videos and his debut feature THUMBSUCKER (2005) which featured his distinctly “indie” visual style. I was lucky enough to catch the world preem of his new film BEGINNERS starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, and Melanie Laurent. Despite the $40 ticket at the old school, cushy red velvet seated Elgin Theater (probably my favorite venue at TIFF), it was worth every penny. Read More »

Son of a %@#*%! “Winnebago Man” screening and FREE Stella Artois? #&%^ Yeah!!!

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art and deadCENTER Film present the hilarious and charming film “Winnebago Man” – Thursday, September 30th at 7:30PM. In “Winnebago Man”, director Ben Steinbauer sets out in search of the legendary RV salesman whose hilarious, foul-mouthed outbursts were caught on video and became an online phenomenon. “Winnebago Man” is a laugh-out-loud look at viral culture and an unexpectedly poignant tale of one man’s response to unintended fame.

That night, deadCENTER will also be honoring past and present staff members…and drinking lots of complimentary Stella Artois. Audience members are encouraged to stay after the film for a meet-n-greet with the staff…and drink delicious, complimentary Stella Artois with us.

For information on ticket pricing, directions and other fun happenings at the OKCMOA, please visit, www.okcmoa.com.

Pick of the Week: THE RED SHOES

Darren Aronofsky’s new thriller BLACK SWAN premiered this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, and while it may be a few months before local audiences get to experience it ourselves, the trailer has been making the rounds as a pretty suspenseful piece of cinema in itself.

Aronofsky’s story of a ballerina on the edge has already drawn comparisons to THE RED SHOES, another epic ballet drama directed by Michael Powell.  While the comparisons may be unfair (SWAN promises to be a nerve-wracking horror while SHOES is classic melodrama), both films focus on the psychological toll caused by the pursuit of perfection, and could easily make an interesting double bill.

So this week we’re recommending checking out THE RED SHOES, available now in a gorgeous new Criterion Collection edition.  It’s also available on Netflix Instant if you just can’t wait for the DVD to arrive in your mailbox.  Check it out, and when BLACK SWAN hits theaters we’ll meet up and compare notes.