The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is proud to be a returning sponsor of the deadCENTER Film Festival (DCFF) taking place Wednesday, June 10, through Sunday, June 14, at five locations in downtown Oklahoma City.
Named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 20 Coolest Film Festivals in the World,” each year the mission of DCFF is to promote, encourage and celebrate independent films. The festival generated an economic impact of over $2.1 million dollars for Oklahoma City and attracted a record-breaking event attendance of over 25,000 people last year.
After receiving well over a thousand submissions, this year’s DCFF will showcase nearly 100 genre-spanning films in multiple formats from international, national and local filmmakers. Among the Oklahoma films to be screened, selections include “Skid”, “The Verdigris: In Search of Will Rogers”, “Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story”, “Ronnie BoDean”, “Lone Man’s Land”, “Funeral School”, “Culpability”, “The Real Enemy” and “Mekko”, the latter of which utilized the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program administered by OF+MO.
OF+MO will honor this year’s selection of Oklahoma films and filmmakers with a special reception on Friday, June 12 at 8 p.m. on Film Row at IAO Gallery. The retro-themed event will feature a live DJ set from Flo Res, interactive games and select beverages courtesy of Hanson Brothers Beer Company. The reception is open to all deadCENTER pass holders.
“deadCENTER is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this June with award winning films from Sundance, awesome short films from around the world, great panel discussions and more Oklahoma made feature films than ever before,” according to Executive Director Lance McDaniel. “The support we have received from the Oklahoma Film + Music Office has allowed us to grow from a one night screening into an award winning international film festival, attracting 25,000 people to Oklahoma to celebrate independent film.”
“OF+MO is proud to be a continued sponsor of the deadCENTER Film Festival,” said OF+MO Director Tava Sofsky. “For over 15 years, deadCENTER has grown into not only an amazing film festival, but one of the most prestigious arts events in the state of Oklahoma. This is a testament to the amazing leadership of the deadCENTER staff and our Oklahoma filmmakers who continue to have their exceptional work showcased at the festival each year. Through our sponsorship and participation at this year’s event, we look forward to promoting the state’s film industry and incentive program to both a local and international audience.”
In addition to the festival screenings, DCFF will host a variety of workshops and panels including the “Filming in Oklahoma Panel” moderated by OF+MO Director Tava Sofsky on Friday, June 12, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Confirmed panelists include Dave Hanon, Maura Anderson, Chris Freihofer and Abby Kurin.
- Dave Hanon
Dave Hanon has more than 25 years of direct experience in production management, including more than a decade working in the film industry at Compass Arts, Bearing Fruit Entertainment, Every Tribe Entertainment, EGM Films, Gray Hour Productions and Toy Gun Films. As the current COO of Toy Gun Films in Oklahoma City, Dave oversees the management, planning and execution of all projects and production-related activities with film credits including “End of the Spear”, “Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Running Deer” and “The Veil”, the latter of which utilized the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program administered by OF+MO.
- Maura Anderson
Maura Anderson has worked in independent film production since 2006. After working for Gigantic Pictures in New York, Maura began work as a freelance production manager on films such as the Academy-Award nominated film “Winter’s Bone”, “On The Ice”, “Ceremony” and “Night Catches Us”. In 2011, she produced the horror film “Would You Rather” which was acquired by IFC Midnight. In 2013 she became EVP for “WIGS”, a web channel conceived by Jon Avnet (“Black Swan”) and Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs”). Currently, Maura is making her directorial debut on the film “Heartland” which is filming in Oklahoma utilizing the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program.
- Chris Freihofer
Chris Freihofer has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years as an actor, theatre director, theatre producer, acting teacher and casting director. With the launch of Freihofer Casting in 2004, Chris became one of the leading casting directors in the state of Oklahoma and is the only Casting Society of America (CSA) member Casting Director in Oklahoma. While the agency is based in Norman, Freihofer works on productions throughout both the state and region casting features such as “August: Osage County”, “Rudderless”, “To The Wonder”, “The Veil”, “Te Ata”, “Monday at 11:01am” and “Heartland”, on which he also serves as co-producer.
- Abby Kurin
Tulsa native Abby Kurin serves as the Director of Film, Music, Arts & Culture for VisitTulsa. In this role, she works to promote Tulsa as a cultural hub for the development of film, music and cultural projects, including XPO, a video game conference and festival. Prior to her position in Tulsa, Abby worked with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) as Development Coordinator creating and overseeing the office’s initiatives at prestigious film and music events like Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest Festival. Her additional credits include her roles as co-creator and producer of Oklahoma’s Buffalo Lounge, Associate Editor of internationally distributed “ArtDesk Magazine” as well as Associate Producer for Discover Oklahoma.
OF+MO will also share representation with the Oklahoma Arts Council at the “Finding Grants and Sponsors” panel on Saturday, June 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Downtown Oklahoma City Norick Library. This panel seeks to educate audiences on best practices for organizers seeking grant and sponsorship opportunities for film festivals and film-related events. deadCENTER panels are free and open to the public.
All-access passes for the festival may be purchased online for $150 and include entry to all screenings and networking events beginning on Thursday, June 11. For more information on this event, please visit deadCENTER Film.
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About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office:
Created in 1979, The Oklahoma Film + Music Office strives to share all that Oklahoma has to offer by welcoming filmmakers and music professionals to the state and by creating a network of support to develop Oklahoma’s film and music industries. For more information about the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program or the Oklahoma Film + Music Office please visit www.okfilmmusic.org.