The Oak Cliff Film Festival, taking place at the Texas Theatre, The Kessler, Bishop Arts Theater, El Sibil, Belmont Hotel, Oil and Cotton, Four Corners Brewery, and the Turner House June 6th – 9th, announces its full list of films, events, and sponsors with highlights including:
– Opening Night films: Joe Swanberg’s “Drinking Buddies” and HBO’s acclaimed and controversial “Pussy Riot: a Punk Prayer” followed by opening party with DJ sets by Pitchfork darlings Vulgar Fashion and DJ Wild in the Streets at the Texas Theatre.
– Bobcat Goldthwait’s new film “Willow Creek” – a found footage tour de force that will forever change the way you view Bigfoot. Bobcat in attendance!!!
– "Shadow of the Bat-Man" a silent film with a live score performance featuring the Two Star Symphony orchestra and clips from silent films that were inspirations to Bob Kane, as compiled by filmmaker Andre Perkowski.
– "End Of the Road" – a "lost" 1970 film written and produced by (Oak Cliff’s own)Terry Southern that has recently been revived and unearthed by Stephen Soderbergh. The 35mm screening will be introduced by Terry's son, Nile Southern.
– Back by popular demand… the “Cinema 16” experimental film block at Oil and Cotton including films by local stand-outs, Chris Howell and Fabian Aguirre.
– Alfred P. Sloan award winner at Sundance “Computer Chess”- Andrew Bujalski's man vs. machine masterpiece. Shot with video equipment from the 1980s, the film documents an annual chess tournament where programmers code machines with the hopes of defeating a human chess master.
– Student Film Competition with a number of local University films (SMU, UNT, UTA) and one High School (Garland HS)
– 35mm repertory screening of Robert Altman’s “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” at the Texas Theatre presented by David Lowery and special guest, Keith Carradine, with a secret screening to follow that is not to be missed!
– Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and New Belgium Brewery present a treasure hunt! A two-wheeled adventure across North Oak Cliff, ending in a sunset cocktail party at the Belmont Hotel.
– Music video block at El Sibil followed by an after party with sets by DJ Tony Schwa and Buffalo Black, Def Rain and Cutter, Night Comfort and Zoo Visual
– Filmmaking and Technology panel: “Digital Disruption and The Afterlife of Arthouse”
Join us for what promises to be a spirited discussion about the future of cinema, fundraising, and distribution. Panelists include festival guests from AV Club, Sundance Film Institute, Forrester Research, the Texas Theatre, and filmmakers directly affected by the current trends.
– Closing night Awards ceremony at Four Corners Brewery includes entertainment from DJ Gabriel and George Quartz. Following tradition, one lucky winner will receive the famed “New Belgium Bike” as their prize
The OCFF programming team saw submissions via withoutabox double from last year and estimate that the select group of films in the program this year were curated from thousands of viewings. The team feels that they have solidified the vision of the festival this year, taking the metaphor of planting the flag in a battlefield, shown dramatically in this year’s bumper. “In year one you make it through as best you can. In year two you have to say something” said Jason Reimer, OCFF Co-Founder and Texas Theatre Creative Director. “You have to try and make your mark.”
In addition to a steady increase in film submissions, OCFF also saw its sponsorship support double from 2012. “It is impossible to put on a festival without serious backing (financially and time commitments) from the community and businesses” said Eric Steele, OCFF Co-Founder. “This year we saw our support double – thanks to some incredible organizations like New Belgium Brewing Co, the Advocate, Yelp!, Oak Cliff Cellars, Bank of Texas, and many others”. Steele also praised the local support that increased this year, saying “The Oak Cliff Neighborhood really delivered. Kudos to Jim Lake, Outpost American Tavern, Bolsa, Eno’s, Nova, Mesa, Charco Broiler, Small Brew Pub, Norma’s Café, and El Padrino. It’s a wonderful thing to have the belief and support of your neighbors”.
