deadCenter Film releases schedule for 25th annual festival

deadCenter Film has announced the full schedule of screenings, workshops and events for the 25th Annual deadCenter Film Festival on June 11-15, 2025.

This year’s event will feature more than 200 independent films, including 25 world premieres—the most in the festival’s history. The lineup also includes a special “Okie Style” program highlighting nearly two dozen filmmakers from Oklahoma.

“This year’s festival is special in that it celebrates our 25 years of showcasing unique, groundbreaking independent films from around the world and right here in Oklahoma,” said Cacky Poarch, executive director of deadCenter Film. “The festival also emphasizes our organization’s growth and expansion by including more than one dozen workshops and educational panels for both seasoned and budding filmmakers and craftspeople.”

Founded in 2001, deadCenter Film is a nonprofit based in OKC that hosts Oklahoma’s largest film festival. The festival is one of only 27 festivals to be recognized as an Oscar-qualifying festival in three categories: Live Action Short, Animated Short and Documentary Short. The organization’s mission is to support creativity and community through film.

deadCenter Film operates on three pillars: education, festival programming and Continuum, which offers year-round events with community partners. Educational outreach includes the Statewide Education Tour and deadCenter University (dCU), which provide free access to film instruction and screenings throughout the year.

dCU is part of the festival’s education programming, and it offers two free program tracks for students and one for teachers. dCU at Rose State College is aimed at rural high school students, while the Youth Camp at Oklahoma City Community College features four days of hands-on filmmaking. The teacher track, held at Oklahoma City University, supports educators working toward a media arts credential.

“We’ve seen graduates from deadCenter University move on to win awards in festivals nationwide and build strong careers in the film industry,” Poarch said. “When you attend the festival, you never know when you might see work from a future Oscar winner or meet a rising film star.”

The festival includes workshops such as Camera Workshop, Trends in Non-Fiction and Intimacy in Cinema, as well as panels focused on education and emerging filmmakers. The Instruction Trends Panel offers classroom techniques for teaching film. In the Production Techniques panel, Comanche filmmaker Jhane Myers, Navajo filmmaker and artist Rhiana Yazzie and others share advice on how young filmmakers can break into production. The Young Filmmakers Panel features college and tribal program students discussing their work and creative perspectives, moderated by Taylor Fitzsimmons, one of the first students to screen a film at deadCenter.

Networking events and social gatherings will be held throughout the week, offering attendees a chance to connect with filmmakers and film enthusiasts.

Featured Oklahoma filmmakers will include: Malu Andrade, Ryan Bellgardt, Lauren Bumgarner, Jacon Burns, Zachary Burns, Laura Campbell, Kara and Jeremy Choate, Amberlee Colson, Clarissa Cozzoni, Kevin Ford, Wendy Garrett, Klein Hale, Kyle Kauwika Harris, Christopher Hunt, Ella Janes, Russ Kirkpatrick, Ty McMahan, Benjamin Tefera, Sayla Thompson, Colleen Thurston, Loren Waters.

Festival passes are $225 and include priority entrance to all films, panels and special events. Individual film tickets cost $10 and will be sold at the door, 20 minutes before each screening.

The full festival lineup is available on the deadCenter Film app for iOS and Android or at deadcenterfilm.org.