deadCENTER Film Festival

This is the 19th year of the film festival. My friend won tickets and invited me. Wow! The people here are friendly and it was totally for a good cause. The band was good. People were dancing all night. The food could have been better (for sure). They had meatballs, pulled chicken sliders, cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, hummus, spicy pimento cheese and deviled eggs. Next year they really need to do better for $100 a ticket.They had wine, beer and a specialty drink. I did have a good time.

In my opinion, @deadCENTER is the top cultural event in our city. I've been to a several other film festivals around the country, and dCFF is my favorite, and not just because it is in my hometown. The programming committee does a great job developing a wonderful selection of films, which are then well-organized. You can build your schedule online, and add that directly to the calendar you already use (GCal, Outlook, etc). The films include a wide selection of films by Oklahomans (I think this year there were 27), as well as thought-provoking documentaries, funny narrative features, and a very rich and varied shorts program. This year there were ninety films across five theaters. There are many opportunities to network with filmmakers from all across the country, visiting panelists, and your fellow local film buffs. The parties are legendary - every night of the festival there are at least two fun parties to attend and enjoy. All-access badges are $125, but it's not hard to earn a badge by becoming a volunteer. There are volunteer opportunities throughout the year. There is also a 2-for-1 badge deal when you buy a CityCard, which pays for itself just with the dCFF discount, though there are many other great cultural opportunities within that. Check out Allied Arts for more info on that. There are also a few opportunities to engage in deadCENTER without buying a badge. Every night of the festival, after the sun goes down, there is a free, outdoor screening of a wonderful film. You can pack a picnic and a blanket, and come out and enjoy a movie under the stars,

Eh, it's okay I guess.lol j/k, it's awesome. So many great films and chances to step outside of your little bubble and experience new genres and ideas. And parties. Don't forget the parties.

I know Julie is going to disembowel me with what I'm sure is an artisanally crafted, locally manufactured, chemical-free scythe for not going to five stars for deadCENTER, but I'm going to take that risk. We had a wonderful time at the film festival, seeing a wide variety of movies and enjoying the events all over downtown that made the whole thing seem like one neverending party. It's a great opportunity to experience films that proles* like me would never even know about, much less seek out, and everyone was very welcoming even when they found out I was not involved in the business and would have no way to enhance their careers even after my siblings become famous.^ We got to meet all kinds of fun people, plus hang out with the regular Yelpers who finagled tickets one way or another. The CityCard is definitely the way to go if you want to justify the purchase; BOGO on tickets like this is a great deal!The festival did suffer from a lack of organization in certain aspects; we were pulled out of line to pick up our pre-printed passes, only to be told that they hadn't printed them yet, and then were sent to the back of the line we'd already made it midway through. They ran out of beer 30 minutes into one of the evening parties and opened 30 minutes late for another one ... lots of minor things like that, mostly stemming from confusion and disorganization among the extremely friendly volunteers.Hey, stuff happens. Here's the thing, though: When it comes to any artistic work, pieces specifically crafted for mass appeal will almost by definition lose some of the things that make art worthwhile in the first place. But when you find a movie, a book, even a painting that is profound and authentic -- when you realize you're connecting with a vision that reflects what you know is important about life (or even better, when it helps you learn something about life from it) -- well, that's a moment that makes it worth your time to slog through all the crappy art that's out there gumming up the works. To me, that's what's cool about deadCENTER: You'll be hard pressed to find a greater collection of focused artistic resources channeled into a single festival and brought to your very doorstep in Oklahoma City.So if you like some challenging, interesting, funny movies ... if you like the chance to talk with folks who made the darn films you just saw ... if you want to explore downtown and check out venue after amazing venue and pick up goodies galore ... if you want to use the All Access Pass as a way to get to a weekend of open bars while simultaneously convincing your girlfriend you're sensitive and artistic** ... deadCENTER is definitely for you. A feather in OKC's cap, no doubt.* Culturally, that is. I know I could never lay claim to such a title overall.^ Returned to my hometown over Christmas, where I have not lived in about 15 years. Ran into someone who recognized me right away as Stephen's brother.** There's no hope for me, I'm already married, but I definitely saw a ton of that going on.