This exhibition deconstructs the short documentary, The Superlative Light (SXSW 2016), a film about photographer, Robert Shults, who went from homeless to home-owning artist after taking photos of the brightest light source in the known universe.
Shults’ transition is examined in this installation throughout 4 specific mediums:
This show invites audiences to compare and contrast the documentary process across multiple formats. This approach deconstructs the nature of traditional documentary storytelling while simultaneously addressing themes of time travel, homelessness, and the photography process.
The Superlative Light: A Documentary in 4 Parts is the inaugural collaboration combining the talents of photographer Robert Shults and filmmaker Ben Steinbauer.
deadCenter is excited to partner with Current Studio to present SLICES, an exhibition of video art by four artists working in moving images. The exhibition will be on display from June 7 through 12, 2016.
Artists:Seats 245
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is a touching, hilarious comedy that drew universal praise at Sundance and opened to record breaking crowds in New Zealand, where it was produced.
The film stars legendary kiwi actor Sam Neill as a grouchy bushman and newcomer Julian Dennison as a feisty foster kid forced to forge an alliance to survive the New Zealand wilderness. Director and former comedian Taika Waititi is well known for his deft comic work on WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS and Boy and has been tapped by Marvel to direct the next THOR movie.
101 min, New Zealand
Director: Taika Waititi
Writer: Taika Waititi
Producers: Taika Waititi, Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan
Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai- Melbourne, Oscar Knightley, Cohen Holloway, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Rhys Darby, Troy Kingi, Taika Waititi, Hamish Parkinson, Stu Giles, Lloyd Scott
Seats 196
These ten films are guaranteed to make you laugh so hard you pee.
A King’s Betrayal
The Barry and Ro Show
Breakery
Living Legend
Hello Charles
The Poets
Total Awesome Viking Power
Bra’d Squad
Thunder P.
Seth
Seats 245
In June of 1964, hundreds of college students traveled to Mississippi to join the civil rights movement during Freedom Summer. That same summer, two groups of musicians and record collectors headed to Mississippi to find lost blues singers Son House and Skip James and coax them out of retirement. The groups were unaware of each other. And, finding the musicians was nearly impossible with the Ku Klux Klan roadblocks and church bombings. Luckily, they persevered.
TWO TRAINS RUNNIN’ is an electrifying look at how a quest to rescue blues performers and preserve their music crashed head on with the violent race riots in Mississippi during Freedom Summer. The film revisits an important moment when America’s cultural and political institutions were dramatically transformed. And, it tells the remarkable story of how avid blues fans were able to save the music of their heroes.
79 min
Director: Sam Pollard
Writer: Benjamin Hedin
Producers: Benjamin Hedin , Dava Whisenant
Cast: Gary Clark Jr., Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Chris Thomas King
Seats 196
Ridiculously awesome and somewhat inapprops. These films are definitely NOT for the whole family.
Dog Bowl
The Party of Special Things to do
The Singularity
Putting the Dog to Sleep
MANOMAN
The Black Bear
Too Legit
Seats 196
A young woman is haunted by visions of a faceless man after she is awoken from the dead in a body that is not her own.
ELECTRIC NOSTALGIA is the first feature film from writer/director/cinematographer Jacob Burns, and a perfect culmination of the vision and storytelling he has honed over the years with his outstanding short films, several of which played deadCenter.
Burns produced the film with long time collaborators Vinnie Hogan and Zach Burns. Hogan is an Austin based, Oklahoma born filmmaker with several deadCenter films under his belt and another feature in the works. Zach Burns is Jacob’s brother, a fine arts photographer and co-host of the webs series TALKIES.
Shot in gorgeous black and white, ELECTRIC NOSTALGIA features outstanding performances from Lauren Analla, Stephen Goodman, Page Tudyk and several actors who have graced our screens before and continue to delight in this latest science fiction drama. We are thrilled to World Premiere this beautiful film from one of Oklahoma’s most talented filmmakers.
91 min, OK
Director: Jacob Leighton Burns
Writer: Jacob Leighton Burns
Producers: Jacob Leighton Burns, Vinnie Hogan, Zachary Burns
Cast: Lauren Analla, Stephen Goodman, Page Tudyk, J. Alan Davidson, Josh Bonzie, Cait Brasel, Jamie Harris, Laurie Cummings
This exhibition deconstructs the short documentary, The Superlative Light (SXSW 2016), a film about photographer, Robert Shults, who went from homeless to home-owning artist after taking photos of the brightest light source in the known universe.
Shults’ transition is examined in this installation throughout 4 specific mediums:
This show invites audiences to compare and contrast the documentary process across multiple formats. This approach deconstructs the nature of traditional documentary storytelling while simultaneously addressing themes of time travel, homelessness, and the photography process.
The Superlative Light: A Documentary in 4 Parts is the inaugural collaboration combining the talents of photographer Robert Shults and filmmaker Ben Steinbauer.
Filmmaker and Press passholders only.
Talking burns calories! Refuel with hot, delicious lunch from Fuzzy's Taco Shops AND an icy cold Stella Artois beer at the Filmmaker and Press Lunch hosted by deadCenter’s Programming team. This one-stop event ensures you can promote your films to multiple outlets at once. And did we mention there will be beer?
deadCenter is excited to partner with Current Studio to present SLICES, an exhibition of video art by four artists working in moving images. The exhibition will be on display from June 7 through 12, 2016.
Artists:Seats 245
When Maya Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969, she introduced an honest look at the lives of African American women and launched a career that would lead to Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominations, three Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE is the first documentary about the iconic writer, poet, performer and activist who overcame racism and devastating abuse to become one of our culture’s greatest voices. Rare footage and photos unveil an intimate and often unknown view of her public and personal life with the power of her own words. And, interviews with artists like Alfre Woodward and Common and luminaries like President Bill Clinton offer insight into the legacy she leaves behind.
114 min
Directors: Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack
Producers: Rita Coburn Whack, Bob Hercules, Jay Alix, Una Jackman
Cast: Maya Angelou, Hillary Clinton, Common, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodward. President Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., Guy Johnson, Cicely Tyson, John Singleton, Nikki Giovanni, Robert Loomis, Jules Feiffer
Seats 266
Homegrown goodness.
21 Guns
Home
CTRL
WRUNG
SWIRL
Last Broadcast
Heroes of the Realm
The Superlative Light
Seats 196
Yep, we’ve got all of this in these eight films.
Stutterer
Nothing Personal
Black Swell
Scattered
Beat Around the Bush
La Veilleuse
Thunder Road
The Mother
Seats 196
Actress Lily Rabe won a Special Jury Award at SXSW for her performance as Miss Stevens in this film from writer/director Julia Hart, who was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
Stuck at a crossroads in her personal life, it falls on Miss Stevens to chaperone three of her students — Billy, Margot, and Sam — on a weekend trip to a drama competition.
Exploring the fine line between being a grown up and being a kid, MISS STEVENS is about students becoming teachers and teachers coming to realize the messiness of youth that never really goes away.
86 min, CA
Director: Julia Hart
Writers: Julia Hart, Jordan Horowitz
Producers: Alex Turtletaub, Michael B. Clark, Jordan Horowitz, Gary Gilbert
Cast: Lily Rabe, Timotheé Chalamet, Lili Reinhart, Anthony Quintal, Rob Huebel, Oscar Nuñez
Seats 160
The Plaza District, Film Row, Paseo, Western Avenue, and H&8th. Each of these Oklahoma City districts may have a unique history and aesthetic, but they also have something in common: over the past few years they all have experienced a revival with the creation of regular events that bring businesses, neighbors, and "outsiders" together.
This feature-length documentary shares stories and advice on district revitalization throughout Oklahoma City from the people who helped create positive change in their communities and want to inspire others to do the same.
62 min, OK
Director: Dennis Spielman
Writer: Dennis Spielman
Producer: Dennis Spielman
Cast: Cayla Lewis, Rachael Taylor, Brian Bergman, Douglas Sorocco, Kristen Vails, Bradley Wynn
Seats 245
Teenage buddies Cisco, Boobie, Junior, and Patty Cake skateboard the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, dreaming of getting discovered by a sponsor and skating their way out of poverty. That is, until the boys discover a bag full of pills in the back of a stolen car. Cisco’s entrepreneurial instincts take over, and in a flash their lives get better. But no one counted on having to come face to face with the cold, calculating, and notorious drug queenpin, “Momma,” who runs the toughest gang in town.
Director Steven Caple Jr. makes an auspicious Sundance debut with this atmospheric film filled with pitch-perfect performances by an ensemble cast, including newcomer Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Erykah Badu, Machine Gun Kelly, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Linda Emond, who is bone chilling as Momma. More than a crime drama, THE LAND is a beautifully rendered story about friendship, values, and what it means for disaffected youth to come of age on the streets of Cleveland.
102 min, OH
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Writer: Steven Caple Jr.
Producers: Lizzie Friedman, Karen Lauder, Greg Little, Tyler Davidson, Stephen Love, Blake Pickens
Cast: Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Ezri Walker, Erykah Badu, Michael K Williams
Seats 266
GREAT PLAINS is a dramatic thriller about a mother and her boy running from a violent, abusive step dad. The film is directed by Blair Hayes (BUBBLE BOY) and filmed on location in Oklahoma.
Tara Buck Pierce (TRUE BLOOD) stars as a tough Oklahoma cowgirl trying to raise and protect her son Kipp, played by newcomer Spencer Mabrey. After her new husband Tommy violently attacks her one too many times, she grabs Kipp and escapes, driving west down the old country roads - with dreams of California and starting over.
The journey proves more challenging than she expected, and Murel turns to her Aunt Tess, played by Beth Grant (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, HEARTLAND). Meanwhile, Tommy relentlessly calls her, trying to convince her to come home and give him another chance. It looks as though she may give in, until secrets about Tommy’s relationship with Kipp are revealed. Horrified at what Tommy has done to her son, Murel realizes there’s more at stake than just her own safety, and runs harder and faster to keep Kipp away from danger. Saving herself was easy, but saving her son will be harder than she ever imagined.
88 min, OK
Director: Blair Hayes
Writers: Blair Hayes, Mike Bencivenga, Kristofer McNeeley
Producers: Mike Leahy, Lori Leahy, Kristofer McNeeley, Fernando Szew, Sharon Bordas
Cast: Tara Buck Pierce, Beth Grant, Spencer Mabrey, Damon Carney, Billy Blair, Larry Jack Dotson, Leah Philpott, Sean Stone, Brett Bower
Seats 196
Super hunky Tom Cullen from Downton Abbey stars as the love interest for nearly everyone in this hilarious, improvised British comedy. But, the real stars are Alice Lowe and Dolly Wells, who play professional con artist sisters who assume the identity of Internationally renowned poets The Wilding Sisters after stealing their car while on the run from the cops. Competing for a large cash prize at a Poet’s Poetry Society retreat in the depths of the Black Mountains, the sisters are forced to confront not only their relationship but also their place in the world.
Black Mountain Poets is set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Black Mountains in Scotland, filled with hilarious performances from a fantastic cast, and directed with a light touch by Jamie Adams, who also directed Benny & Jolene and A Wonderful Christmas Time.
90 min, UK
Director: Jamie Adams
Producer: Jon Rennie
Cast: Alice Lowe, Dolly Wells, Tom Cullen
Seats 196
Psychos, demons, and slashers…Oh, my!
Sebastian and Them
Awakenings
Larry Gone Demon
667, Neighbor of the Beast
Market St.
ELLE
Night of the Slasher
This is a free outdoor screening.
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott, played by Henry Thomas. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore, and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.
This multiple Oscar and Golden Globe winning film from director Steven Spielberg is one of the great classics of modern cinema. We are presenting it outside in the Myriad Gardens to celebrate the amazing career of editor Carol Littleton, who was born in Oklahoma City, raised in Miami, OK, and graduated with two degrees from the University of Oklahoma. Littleton was nominated for the Oscar for Best Film Editing for E.T.
121 min, CA
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Melissa Mathison
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Drew Barrymore, C. Thomas Howell, Robert MacNaughton
This is a free screening.
Films for you and your favorite shorties.
Eggventure
Hola Llamigo
Can I Stay?
A Fistful of Presents
Stellar Moves: The Story of Pluto
When I Grow Up
Miss Roboto
La Mano
Fish and Flower
Movie Magic
This exhibition deconstructs the short documentary, The Superlative Light (SXSW 2016), a film about photographer, Robert Shults, who went from homeless to home-owning artist after taking photos of the brightest light source in the known universe.
Shults’ transition is examined in this installation throughout 4 specific mediums:
This show invites audiences to compare and contrast the documentary process across multiple formats. This approach deconstructs the nature of traditional documentary storytelling while simultaneously addressing themes of time travel, homelessness, and the photography process.
The Superlative Light: A Documentary in 4 Parts is the inaugural collaboration combining the talents of photographer Robert Shults and filmmaker Ben Steinbauer.
deadCenter is excited to partner with Current Studio to present SLICES, an exhibition of video art by four artists working in moving images. The exhibition will be on display from June 7 through 12, 2016.
Artists:Seats 196
Not so short, but sooo good.
The Light Thief
The Foreverlands
The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul WR
Phil’s Camino
Seats 266
Screens with the documentary feature Life, Animated
EVEN IN DEATH is an animated short film about love, loss, and life. It chronicles a day in the life of Jonah, a young boy living in New Orleans who is about to experience a loss in his family. Faced with grief, Jonah is visited by the Grim Reaper (Death) and is taken on a charming adventure through New Orleans that ends with Jonah learning a lesson in life and the true depth of love.
9 min, OK
Directors: Zac Davis, Melinda Lauffenburger
Writer: Zac Davis
Producers: AutismOklahoma.org
Seats 266
Preceded by EVEN IN DEATH
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, LIFE, ANIMATED is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence.
The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old whom suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires. Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like THE LITTLE MERMAID and THE LION KING, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him.
LIFE, ANIMATED evocatively interweaves classic Disney sequences with vérité scenes from Owen’s life in order to explore how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks.
Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times, leading us all toward the light.
91 min
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producer: Roger Ross Williams, Julie Goldman
Seats 196
AN ACT OF LOVE is about the trial that rocked the United Methodist Church and the minister who risked it all for his son.
In 2013, Rev. Frank Schaefer was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for
officiating a same-sex wedding for his oldest son. The wedding had been performed years before. But, a disgruntled member of his parish filed a complaint just before the 6-year statue of limitations was up. Immediately, the Schaefer family was thrust into the front of a movement for LGBTQ equality in the nation’s second largest protestant denomination.
AN ACT OF LOVE allows the Schafer family to guide the journey, but includes interviews with people on all sides of the issue to provide a balanced, emotional look at this equality issue shaking up most organized religions.
86 min
Director: Scott Sheppard
Writer: Scott Sheppard
Producers: Kate S. Logan, Scott Sheppard, Mike C. Manning, Pauley Perrette
Cast: Rev. Frank Schaefer, Tim Schaefer, Brigitte Schaefer, Jimmy Creech, Beth Stroud, Bishop Melvin G. Talbert
Seats 196
Eight Stories that are off the beaten path.
The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere
Chasing the Sun
Miss Me: The Artful Vandal
Nora
The Hollerin’ Contest at Spivey‘s Corner
Sing for Your Supper
Hum
1985
Seats 266
COMMAND AND CONROL is a harrowing documentary about a nuclear disaster that was barely averted just one state over in Damascus, Arkansas. Based on Eric Schlosser’s critically acclaimed book, COMMAND AND CONTROL exposes how the combination of technological complexity and human fallibility has repeatedly brought the nation and world to the brink of nuclear disaster.
COMMAND AND CONTROL draws upon recently declassified documents and eyewitness interviews to tell a minute-by-minute account of the events that unfolded on September 18, 1980, at a Titan II missile complex near Damascus, AR. The film offers a window into the system vulnerabilities and human fallibilities that could lead to catastrophe. The result is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that imparts crucial context to an issue Americans know little about.
90 min,
Director: Robert Kenner
Writer: Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser
Producers: Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser, Mark Samels, Melissa Robledo
Free and open to the public.
Starting at noon, deadCenter welcomes the award-winning Cleats for Kids back to the festival for its summer kick-off party. From bounce houses to volleyball tournaments, there are a variety of activities geared toward children ages 10 and up. Cleats for Kids is an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit that accepts donated shoes and athletic equipment and distributes it to the kids who need it most. Cleats for Kids is “To Kids, By Kids, For Kids,” engaging kids to give back to their community in sports-related community service. Grab your lightly used athletic shoes and equipment from the garage and head down to this awesome party hosted by the Cleats for Kids teen board.
deadCenter is excited to partner with Current Studio to present SLICES, an exhibition of video art by four artists working in moving images. The exhibition will be on display from June 7 through 12, 2016.
Artists:Seats 196
Short films so good that lives will be changed.
Alive & Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa
The Duke: Based on the Memoir “I’m The Duke” by J.P Duke
Step Into the Page
Pronouns
Bunee: The Boy from Constanta
The Waltz
Bacon and God’s Wrath
Seats 266
UNLOCKING THE CAGE follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. After 30 years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), are making history by filing the first lawsuits that seek to transform an animal from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with legal protections.
Supported by affidavits from primatologists around the world, Steve maintains that, based on scientific evidence, cognitively complex animals such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants have the capacity for limited personhood rights (such as bodily liberty) that would protect them from physical abuse. Using writs of habeas corpus (historically used to free humans from unlawful imprisonment), Wise argues on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State.
UNLOCKING THE CAGE captures a monumental shift in our culture, as the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Steve’s impassioned arguments. It is an intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform our legal system, and one man’s lifelong quest to protect “nonhuman” animals
91 min, NY
Director: Chris Hegedus, DA Pennebaker
Producers: Chris Hegedus , Frazer Pennebaker, Rosadel Varela
Seats 196
A young woman is haunted by visions of a faceless man after she is awoken from the dead in a body that is not her own.
ELECTRIC NOSTALGIA is the first feature film from writer/director/cinematographer Jacob Burns, and a perfect culmination of the vision and storytelling he has honed over the years with his outstanding short films, several of which played deadCenter.
Burns produced the film with long time collaborators Vinnie Hogan and Zach Burns. Hogan is an Austin based, Oklahoma born filmmaker with several deadCenter films under his belt and another feature in the works. Zach Burns is Jacob’s brother, a fine arts photographer and co-host of the webs series TALKIES.
Shot in gorgeous black and white, ELECTRIC NOSTALGIA features outstanding performances from Lauren Analla, Stephen Goodman, Page Tudyk and several actors who have graced our screens before and continue to delight in this latest science fiction drama. We are thrilled to World Premiere this beautiful film from one of Oklahoma’s most talented filmmakers.
91 min, OK
Director: Jacob Leighton Burns
Writer: Jacob Leighton Burns
Producers: Jacob Leighton Burns, Vinnie Hogan, Zachary Burns
Cast: Lauren Analla, Stephen Goodman, Page Tudyk, J. Alan Davidson, Josh Bonzie, Cait Brasel, Jamie Harris, Laurie Cummings
Seats 196
Six films that focus on what brings us together.
Out of the Village
My Enemy, My Brother
Yes, We’re Open
Home
Glove
The Champion
Seats 266
Oklahoma City is a Big League City with the coolest team in the NBA, the OKC Thunder. Sports stories are second nature to us. But, our judges fell especially hard for this intense look at the rollercoaster life of NBA star Lloyd "Swee' Pea" Daniels.
Lloyd Daniels was the biggest high school baller in NYC in 1986. He landed a spot at UNLV under Coach Jerry Tarkanian, despite not being able to read. But, he was arrested for buying crack cocaine from an undercover cop before his career even started.
THE LEGEND OF SWEE’ PEA follows the twists and turns of fortune in the life of a basketball prodigy who played in the NBA for 7 seasons: his dramatic downfall, miraculous comeback, and, finally, the bittersweet confrontation with a life imperfectly lived.
80 min,
Director: Benjamin May
Producer: Daniel B Levin
Seats 196
These ten films are guaranteed to make you laugh so hard you pee.
A King’s Betrayal
The Barry and Ro Show
Breakery
Living Legend
Hello Charles
The Poets
Total Awesome Viking Power
Bra’d Squad
Thunder P.
Seth
Seats 266
In June of 1964, hundreds of college students traveled to Mississippi to join the civil rights movement during Freedom Summer. That same summer, two groups of musicians and record collectors headed to Mississippi to find lost blues singers Son House and Skip James and coax them out of retirement. The groups were unaware of each other. And, finding the musicians was nearly impossible with the Ku Klux Klan roadblocks and church bombings. Luckily, they persevered.
TWO TRAINS RUNNIN’ is an electrifying look at how a quest to rescue blues performers and preserve their music crashed head on with the violent race riots in Mississippi during Freedom Summer. The film revisits an important moment when America’s cultural and political institutions were dramatically transformed. And, it tells the remarkable story of how avid blues fans were able to save the music of their heroes.
79 min
Director: Sam Pollard
Writer: Benjamin Hedin
Producers: Benjamin Hedin , Dava Whisenant
Cast: Gary Clark Jr., Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Chris Thomas King
Seats 196
Super hunky Tom Cullen from Downton Abbey stars as the love interest for nearly everyone in this hilarious, improvised British comedy. But, the real stars are Alice Lowe and Dolly Wells, who play professional con artist sisters who assume the identity of Internationally renowned poets The Wilding Sisters after stealing their car while on the run from the cops. Competing for a large cash prize at a Poet’s Poetry Society retreat in the depths of the Black Mountains, the sisters are forced to confront not only their relationship but also their place in the world.
Black Mountain Poets is set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Black Mountains in Scotland, filled with hilarious performances from a fantastic cast, and directed with a light touch by Jamie Adams, who also directed Benny & Jolene and A Wonderful Christmas Time.
90 min, UK
Director: Jamie Adams
Producer: Jon Rennie
Cast: Alice Lowe, Dolly Wells, Tom Cullen
Seats 196
Video
She Stoops to Conquer
Theodora
The Land of Exodus
Blazing Sun
ENOS
Foley Artist
Seats 245
On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand. Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, TOWER reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others. TOWER won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival.
93 min, TX
Director: Keith Maitland
Producers: Megan Gilbride, Susan Thomson
Seats 266
HEARTLAND is a wonderfully tense family drama directed by Maura Anderson, who production managed the Oscar nominated independent film, WINTER’S BONE. The film is co-written and produced by Oklahoma native Velinda Godfrey, who also plays the lead role.
HEARTLAND tells the story of a young Oklahoma artist who lands back in her mother’s stifling household after her girlfriend dies, but finds temporary escape in a reckless weekend affair with her brother’s girlfriend.
The mother is played perfectly by veteran actress Beth Grant, who has starred in three Oscar winning films and is also starring in GREAT PLAINS here at deadCenter. Laura Spencer, who plays the girlfriend, is an Oklahoma actress who now stars on THE BIG BANG THEORY and SLEEPY HOLLOW.
96 min, OK
Director: Maura Anderson
Writers: Velinda Godfrey, Todd Waring
Producers: Jennifer Wood, Velinda Godfrey, Maura Anderson
Cast: Velinda Godfrey, Laura Spencer, Beth Grant, Aaron Leddick, Eve Gordon, Steve Agee
Seats 196
Psychos, demons, and slashers…Oh, my!
Sebastian and Them
Awakenings
Larry Gone Demon
667, Neighbor of the Beast
Market St.
ELLE
Night of the Slasher
Seats 266
O' BROTHER! is a wild comedy starring comedian Spencer Hicks as Michael, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff who is caught on an adultery website and loses his wife and job in the public scandal. His estranged gay brother Luke (Lance McDaniel) comes to the rescue and hides Michael with the drag performers Kitty Bob Aimes and Norma Jean Goldenstein at his gay bar and dinner theater, The Boom. While Luke is dealing with his boy toy employee Angel (Del Murphy), Michael is quickly whisked away by his ex-con best friend Terry (Mathew Alvin Brown). Terry leads Michael on an adventure through strip clubs, bachelor parties, cock fights and gang warehouses, where he will either die in a gun fight with a Mexican gangster (Wilson Navas) or reconcile with his brother and join his true love (Stephanie Pena).
83 min, OK
Director: Lance McDaniel
Writers: Lance McDaniel, Melissa Scaramucci, Spencer Hicks
Producers: Lance McDaniel, Kenny Pitts, Rogelio Almeida
Cast: Spencer Hicks, Lance McDaniel, Stephanie Pena, Matthew Alvin Brown, Brett Young, Jeffrey Meek, Del Murphy, Wilson Navas, Edna Garcia, Dustin Wilson, Philip Paz, Jessica Bohne, Joel Decker, Sarah Henry, Kenny Pitts, Heath Robinson, Terrance Charles Bread, Mariah Webb, Victor Caballero, Colin Raley
Seats 245
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is a touching, hilarious comedy that drew universal praise at Sundance and opened to record breaking crowds in New Zealand, where it was produced.
The film stars legendary kiwi actor Sam Neill as a grouchy bushman and newcomer Julian Dennison as a feisty foster kid forced to forge an alliance to survive the New Zealand wilderness. Director and former comedian Taika Waititi is well known for his deft comic work on WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS and Boy and has been tapped by Marvel to direct the next THOR movie.
101 min, New Zealand
Director: Taika Waititi
Writer: Taika Waititi
Producers: Taika Waititi, Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan
Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai- Melbourne, Oscar Knightley, Cohen Holloway, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Rhys Darby, Troy Kingi, Taika Waititi, Hamish Parkinson, Stu Giles, Lloyd Scott
Seats 196
Ridiculously awesome and somewhat inapprops. These films are definitely NOT for the whole family.
Dog Bowl
The Party of Special Things to do
The Singularity
Putting the Dog to Sleep
MANOMAN
The Black Bear
Too Legit
Seats 266
Down, out, and heartbroken, Paul attends a spiritual retreat to cleanse himself and fix his broken life but soon discovers that the cleanse releases more than everyday toxins… a lot more.
Oscar winner Anjelica Houston (PRIZZI’S HONOR) and Emmy nominees Oliver Platt (WEST WING) and Johnny Galecki (THE BIG BANG THEORY) star in this wildly unique, masterfully made, thoughtful comedy.
The feature debut from writer/director Bobby Miller, THE MASTER CLEANSE is a humorous, weird, and soulful fantasy that examines how we deal with the things that weigh us down in life, ultimately asking the all-important question: given the opportunity to literally face your demons, what would you do?
81 min, CA
Director: Bobby Miller
Writer: Bobby Miller
Producers: Jordan Horowitz, Aaron L. Gilbert, Johnny Galecki
Cast: Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Oliver Platt, Anjelica Huston, Kyle Gallner, Diana Bang
Open to the public.
Come for the video art; stay for the party! Oklahoma Contemporary and deadCenter Film Festival present a silent rave, DJ’d by artist David Steele Overholt, at Oklahoma Contemporary’s Showroom. Overholt’s In One Ear …, a kaleidoscope of overlapping video clips broadcast on the Showroom windows and ruled by a soundtrack at 99.9 FM, will serve as the launch pad for the party, which continues with food trucks, drinks, and games. All guests will receive a complimentary set of FM headphones. Join us as festivities kick off after dark and rock into the night.
This is a free outdoor screening.
Packed wall to wall with the greatest music from Texas and beyond, including performances from Willie Nelson, Radiohead, Ray Charles, Beck, Johnny Cash, Alabama Shakes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and Bonnie Raitt, A SONG FOR YOU: THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS STORY is music to the ears of fans everywhere.
This film highlights the PBS series evolution through pivotal bookings, proving that after 40 years and 800 performers, ACL is more relevant now than ever before. Featuring interviews with dozens of artists and fans, and untold insights from long-time producer Terry Lickona, a musical institution himself, A SONG FOR YOU transcends the television show and gives audiences a front-row seat and backstage pass to the greatest performances of the longest running music show in television history.
96 min, TX
Director: Keith Maitland
Producers: Susan Thomson, Tom Gimbel, Hillary Pierce, Sarah Wilson
Cast: Willie Nelson, Beck, Buddy Guy, Jeff Tweedy, Bonnie Raitt, Matthew McConaughey, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris
Seats 117
Six films that focus on what brings us together.
Out of the Village
My Enemy, My Brother
Yes, We’re Open
Home
Glove
The Champion
Seats 196
UNLOCKING THE CAGE follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. After 30 years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), are making history by filing the first lawsuits that seek to transform an animal from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with legal protections.
Supported by affidavits from primatologists around the world, Steve maintains that, based on scientific evidence, cognitively complex animals such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants have the capacity for limited personhood rights (such as bodily liberty) that would protect them from physical abuse. Using writs of habeas corpus (historically used to free humans from unlawful imprisonment), Wise argues on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State.
UNLOCKING THE CAGE captures a monumental shift in our culture, as the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Steve’s impassioned arguments. It is an intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform our legal system, and one man’s lifelong quest to protect “nonhuman” animals
91 min, NY
Director: Chris Hegedus, DA Pennebaker
Producers: Chris Hegedus , Frazer Pennebaker, Rosadel Varela
Seats 196
When Maya Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969, she introduced an honest look at the lives of African American women and launched a career that would lead to Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominations, three Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE is the first documentary about the iconic writer, poet, performer and activist who overcame racism and devastating abuse to become one of our culture’s greatest voices. Rare footage and photos unveil an intimate and often unknown view of her public and personal life with the power of her own words. And, interviews with artists like Alfre Woodward and Common and luminaries like President Bill Clinton offer insight into the legacy she leaves behind.
114 min
Directors: Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack
Producers: Rita Coburn Whack, Bob Hercules, Jay Alix, Una Jackman
Cast: Maya Angelou, Hillary Clinton, Common, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodward. President Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., Guy Johnson, Cicely Tyson, John Singleton, Nikki Giovanni, Robert Loomis, Jules Feiffer
Seats 117
This is a free screening.
Films for you and your favorite shorties.
Eggventure
Hola Llamigo
Can I Stay?
A Fistful of Presents
Stellar Moves: The Story of Pluto
When I Grow Up
Miss Roboto
La Mano
Fish and Flower
Movie Magic
Seats 196
Screens with the documentary feature Life, Animated
EVEN IN DEATH is an animated short film about love, loss, and life. It chronicles a day in the life of Jonah, a young boy living in New Orleans who is about to experience a loss in his family. Faced with grief, Jonah is visited by the Grim Reaper (Death) and is taken on a charming adventure through New Orleans that ends with Jonah learning a lesson in life and the true depth of love.
9 min, OK
Directors: Zac Davis, Melinda Lauffenburger
Writer: Zac Davis
Producers: AutismOklahoma.org
Seats 196
Preceded by EVEN IN DEATH
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, LIFE, ANIMATED is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence.
The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old whom suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires. Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like THE LITTLE MERMAID and THE LION KING, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him.
LIFE, ANIMATED evocatively interweaves classic Disney sequences with vérité scenes from Owen’s life in order to explore how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks.
Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times, leading us all toward the light.
91 min
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producer: Roger Ross Williams, Julie Goldman
Seats 117
Video
She Stoops to Conquer
Theodora
The Land of Exodus
Blazing Sun
ENOS
Foley Artist
Seats 196
Oklahoma City is a Big League City with the coolest team in the NBA, the OKC Thunder. Sports stories are second nature to us. But, our judges fell especially hard for this intense look at the rollercoaster life of NBA star Lloyd "Swee' Pea" Daniels.
Lloyd Daniels was the biggest high school baller in NYC in 1986. He landed a spot at UNLV under Coach Jerry Tarkanian, despite not being able to read. But, he was arrested for buying crack cocaine from an undercover cop before his career even started.
THE LEGEND OF SWEE’ PEA follows the twists and turns of fortune in the life of a basketball prodigy who played in the NBA for 7 seasons: his dramatic downfall, miraculous comeback, and, finally, the bittersweet confrontation with a life imperfectly lived.
80 min,
Director: Benjamin May
Producer: Daniel B Levin
Seats 196
AN ACT OF LOVE is about the trial that rocked the United Methodist Church and the minister who risked it all for his son.
In 2013, Rev. Frank Schaefer was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for
officiating a same-sex wedding for his oldest son. The wedding had been performed years before. But, a disgruntled member of his parish filed a complaint just before the 6-year statue of limitations was up. Immediately, the Schaefer family was thrust into the front of a movement for LGBTQ equality in the nation’s second largest protestant denomination.
AN ACT OF LOVE allows the Schafer family to guide the journey, but includes interviews with people on all sides of the issue to provide a balanced, emotional look at this equality issue shaking up most organized religions.
86 min
Director: Scott Sheppard
Writer: Scott Sheppard
Producers: Kate S. Logan, Scott Sheppard, Mike C. Manning, Pauley Perrette
Cast: Rev. Frank Schaefer, Tim Schaefer, Brigitte Schaefer, Jimmy Creech, Beth Stroud, Bishop Melvin G. Talbert
Seats 117
Not so short, but sooo good.
The Light Thief
The Foreverlands
The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul WR
Phil’s Camino
Seats 196
HEARTLAND is a wonderfully tense family drama directed by Maura Anderson, who production managed the Oscar nominated independent film, WINTER’S BONE. The film is co-written and produced by Oklahoma native Velinda Godfrey, who also plays the lead role.
HEARTLAND tells the story of a young Oklahoma artist who lands back in her mother’s stifling household after her girlfriend dies, but finds temporary escape in a reckless weekend affair with her brother’s girlfriend.
The mother is played perfectly by veteran actress Beth Grant, who has starred in three Oscar winning films and is also starring in GREAT PLAINS here at deadCenter. Laura Spencer, who plays the girlfriend, is an Oklahoma actress who now stars on THE BIG BANG THEORY and SLEEPY HOLLOW.
96 min, OK
Director: Maura Anderson
Writers: Velinda Godfrey, Todd Waring
Producers: Jennifer Wood, Velinda Godfrey, Maura Anderson
Cast: Velinda Godfrey, Laura Spencer, Beth Grant, Aaron Leddick, Eve Gordon, Steve Agee
Seats 117
Packed wall to wall with the greatest music from Texas and beyond, including performances from Willie Nelson, Radiohead, Ray Charles, Beck, Johnny Cash, Alabama Shakes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and Bonnie Raitt, A SONG FOR YOU: THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS STORY is music to the ears of fans everywhere.
This film highlights the PBS series evolution through pivotal bookings, proving that after 40 years and 800 performers, ACL is more relevant now than ever before. Featuring interviews with dozens of artists and fans, and untold insights from long-time producer Terry Lickona, a musical institution himself, A SONG FOR YOU transcends the television show and gives audiences a front-row seat and backstage pass to the greatest performances of the longest running music show in television history.
96 min, TX
Director: Keith Maitland
Producers: Susan Thomson, Tom Gimbel, Hillary Pierce, Sarah Wilson
Cast: Willie Nelson, Beck, Buddy Guy, Jeff Tweedy, Bonnie Raitt, Matthew McConaughey, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris
Seats 117
Homegrown goodness.
21 Guns
Home
CTRL
WRUNG
SWIRL
Last Broadcast
Heroes of the Realm
The Superlative Light
Seats 196
Actress Lily Rabe won a Special Jury Award at SXSW for her performance as Miss Stevens in this film from writer/director Julia Hart, who was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
Stuck at a crossroads in her personal life, it falls on Miss Stevens to chaperone three of her students — Billy, Margot, and Sam — on a weekend trip to a drama competition.
Exploring the fine line between being a grown up and being a kid, MISS STEVENS is about students becoming teachers and teachers coming to realize the messiness of youth that never really goes away.
86 min, CA
Director: Julia Hart
Writers: Julia Hart, Jordan Horowitz
Producers: Alex Turtletaub, Michael B. Clark, Jordan Horowitz, Gary Gilbert
Cast: Lily Rabe, Timotheé Chalamet, Lili Reinhart, Anthony Quintal, Rob Huebel, Oscar Nuñez
Seats 196
On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand. Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, TOWER reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others. TOWER won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival.
93 min, TX
Director: Keith Maitland
Producers: Megan Gilbride, Susan Thomson
Seats 117
Yep, we’ve got all of this in these nine films.
Stutterer
Nothing Personal
Black Swell
Scattered
Beat Around the Bush
La Veilleuse
Thunder Road
Seats 196
GREAT PLAINS is a dramatic thriller about a mother and her boy running from a violent, abusive step dad. The film is directed by Blair Hayes (BUBBLE BOY) and filmed on location in Oklahoma.
Tara Buck Pierce (TRUE BLOOD) stars as a tough Oklahoma cowgirl trying to raise and protect her son Kipp, played by newcomer Spencer Mabrey. After her new husband Tommy violently attacks her one too many times, she grabs Kipp and escapes, driving west down the old country roads - with dreams of California and starting over.
The journey proves more challenging than she expected, and Murel turns to her Aunt Tess, played by Beth Grant (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, HEARTLAND). Meanwhile, Tommy relentlessly calls her, trying to convince her to come home and give him another chance. It looks as though she may give in, until secrets about Tommy’s relationship with Kipp are revealed. Horrified at what Tommy has done to her son, Murel realizes there’s more at stake than just her own safety, and runs harder and faster to keep Kipp away from danger. Saving herself was easy, but saving her son will be harder than she ever imagined.
88 min, OK
Director: Blair Hayes
Writers: Blair Hayes, Mike Bencivenga, Kristofer McNeeley
Producers: Mike Leahy, Lori Leahy, Kristofer McNeeley, Fernando Szew, Sharon Bordas
Cast: Tara Buck Pierce, Beth Grant, Spencer Mabrey, Damon Carney, Billy Blair, Larry Jack Dotson, Leah Philpott, Sean Stone, Brett Bower
Seats 117
COMMAND AND CONROL is a harrowing documentary about a nuclear disaster that was barely averted just one state over in Damascus, Arkansas. Based on Eric Schlosser’s critically acclaimed book, COMMAND AND CONTROL exposes how the combination of technological complexity and human fallibility has repeatedly brought the nation and world to the brink of nuclear disaster.
COMMAND AND CONTROL draws upon recently declassified documents and eyewitness interviews to tell a minute-by-minute account of the events that unfolded on September 18, 1980, at a Titan II missile complex near Damascus, AR. The film offers a window into the system vulnerabilities and human fallibilities that could lead to catastrophe. The result is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that imparts crucial context to an issue Americans know little about.
90 min,
Director: Robert Kenner
Writer: Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser
Producers: Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser, Mark Samels, Melissa Robledo
Seats 117
Eight Stories that are off the beaten path.
The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere
Chasing the Sun
Miss Me: The Artful Vandal
Nora
The Hollerin’ Contest at Spivey‘s Corner
Sing for Your Supper
Hum
1985
Seats 196
O' BROTHER! is a wild comedy starring comedian Spencer Hicks as Michael, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff who is caught on an adultery website and loses his wife and job in the public scandal. His estranged gay brother Luke (Lance McDaniel) comes to the rescue and hides Michael with the drag performers Kitty Bob Aimes and Norma Jean Goldenstein at his gay bar and dinner theater, The Boom. While Luke is dealing with his boy toy employee Angel (Del Murphy), Michael is quickly whisked away by his ex-con best friend Terry (Mathew Alvin Brown). Terry leads Michael on an adventure through strip clubs, bachelor parties, cock fights and gang warehouses, where he will either die in a gun fight with a Mexican gangster (Wilson Navas) or reconcile with his brother and join his true love (Stephanie Pena).
83 min, OK
Director: Lance McDaniel
Writers: Lance McDaniel, Melissa Scaramucci, Spencer Hicks
Producers: Lance McDaniel, Kenny Pitts, Rogelio Almeida
Cast: Spencer Hicks, Lance McDaniel, Stephanie Pena, Matthew Alvin Brown, Brett Young, Jeffrey Meek, Del Murphy, Wilson Navas, Edna Garcia, Dustin Wilson, Philip Paz, Jessica Bohne, Joel Decker, Sarah Henry, Kenny Pitts, Heath Robinson, Terrance Charles Bread, Mariah Webb, Victor Caballero, Colin Raley
Seats 196
Down, out, and heartbroken, Paul attends a spiritual retreat to cleanse himself and fix his broken life but soon discovers that the cleanse releases more than everyday toxins… a lot more.
Oscar winner Anjelica Houston (PRIZZI’S HONOR) and Emmy nominees Oliver Platt (WEST WING) and Johnny Galecki (THE BIG BANG THEORY) star in this wildly unique, masterfully made, thoughtful comedy.
The feature debut from writer/director Bobby Miller, THE MASTER CLEANSE is a humorous, weird, and soulful fantasy that examines how we deal with the things that weigh us down in life, ultimately asking the all-important question: given the opportunity to literally face your demons, what would you do?
81 min, CA
Director: Bobby Miller
Writer: Bobby Miller
Producers: Jordan Horowitz, Aaron L. Gilbert, Johnny Galecki
Cast: Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Oliver Platt, Anjelica Huston, Kyle Gallner, Diana Bang
Seats 117
Short films so good that lives will be changed.
Alive & Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa
The Duke: Based on the Memoir “I’m The Duke” by J.P Duke
Step Into the Page
Pronouns
Bunee: The Boy from Constanta
The Waltz
Bacon and God’s Wrath
Seats 196
Teenage buddies Cisco, Boobie, Junior, and Patty Cake skateboard the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, dreaming of getting discovered by a sponsor and skating their way out of poverty. That is, until the boys discover a bag full of pills in the back of a stolen car. Cisco’s entrepreneurial instincts take over, and in a flash their lives get better. But no one counted on having to come face to face with the cold, calculating, and notorious drug queenpin, “Momma,” who runs the toughest gang in town.
Director Steven Caple Jr. makes an auspicious Sundance debut with this atmospheric film filled with pitch-perfect performances by an ensemble cast, including newcomer Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Erykah Badu, Machine Gun Kelly, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Linda Emond, who is bone chilling as Momma. More than a crime drama, THE LAND is a beautifully rendered story about friendship, values, and what it means for disaffected youth to come of age on the streets of Cleveland.
102 min, OH
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Writer: Steven Caple Jr.
Producers: Lizzie Friedman, Karen Lauder, Greg Little, Tyler Davidson, Stephen Love, Blake Pickens
Cast: Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Ezri Walker, Erykah Badu, Michael K Williams