DeadCENTER Film Festival
 | |
| Founded | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Website | deadcenterfilm |
The deadCenter Film Festival was founded in 2001 in Oklahoma City. The festival was named "deadCenter" because it is located in the exact center of the United States. Although presenting over a hundred films, and an international assemblage of filmmakers, deadCenter has remained focused on being open to independent local filmmakers.[1]
The festival runs for five days every year in June and has attracted notable actors including Spike Jonze and Rinko Kikuchi.[2] The deadCenter Film Festival was named one of the 20 Coolest Film Festivals of 2010 by MovieMaker Magazine.[3]
Founding and Early Years
[edit]In the spring of 2000, filmmakers and brothers Jayson Floyd and Justan Floyd traveled to Muskogee, Oklahoma, for the inaugural Bare Bones Film Festival. Sharon Ray, a film producer, educator, and entrepreneur who had grown up splitting time between Muskogee and Los Angeles, launched the festival so that she and her husband could meet other filmmakers, share best practices, and increase their knowledge of the film industry. The Floyd brothers loved the festival. But they believed it could better serve the Oklahoma film community if it were based in Oklahoma City.
So, the following June, they launched their own festival at the Oklahoma Contemporary space at the State Fair grounds. They called it deadCenter for its location in the deadCenter of the country and the deadCenter of the calendar year. That first year, most of the films were short films made in Oklahoma. The Floyd’s mother cooked hotdogs and set up concessions.[4] But, the community of filmmakers that was created that first year established a solid foundation for the thriving, statewide film industry that exists today.
After moving deadCenter to the University of Central Oklahoma for its second year, the Floyds took a step back and gave the administrative rights and organization of the festival to Cacky Poarch and Melissa Scaramucci.[4] In the third year of the festival, Cacky Poarch, Melissa Scaramucci, Brian Hearn, Geoffrey L. Smith and deadCenter co-founder Justan Floyd moved the festival to downtown Oklahoma City, where it has remained ever since.[5]
Executive Directors
[edit]After being incorporated as a non-profit in 2004[6], the festival had many executive directors.
- Cacky Poarch: 2004 - 2010[6] [7]
- Lance McDaniel: 2010 - 2020[8]
- Alyx Picard Davis: 2020 - 2021[9]
- Cacky Poarch: 2022 - 2025[10]
- Amy Janes: 2025 - Present[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ FilmThreat: deadCENTER Film Festival: Ten years, man! Archived 2010-07-16 at the Wayback Machine 13 July 2010
- ^ The Journal Record: Director Spike Jonze to attend deadCENTER Film Festival June 8, 2010
- ^ MovieMaker magazine: 20 Coolest Film Festivals: 2010 Archived 2011-01-08 at Archive-It 01 December 2010
- ^ a b Luschen, Ben (May 2020). "Center Forward". Oklahoma Today Magazine. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Bokemper, Daniel (June 11, 2025). "Celebrating cinema". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ a b "Who We Are". deadCenter Film | Who We Are. July 19, 2025. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ McDaniel, Lance (June 13, 2025). "Thank You, Cacky!". okcfriday.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Sheldon, Darla (December 19, 2019). "Lance McDaniel to step down as deadCenter Film executive director in June". City News OKC. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Dickerson, Brett (2020-03-02). "Alyx Picard Davis chosen to take helm of deadCenter Film in July". Oklahoma City Free Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Dickerson, Brett (2022-04-17). "Familiar leader back in as interim executive director for deadCenter Film". OKC Free Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Staff (2025-06-14). "PRESS RELEASE: deadCenter Film names producer and industry leader Amy Janes as executive director". Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Fieldcamp, Brett (2025-06-15). "deadCenter 2025 names festival winners, new executive director". Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
External links
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