With screenings taking place across the downtown Oklahoma City area June 11-14, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is excited to return as a partner of the deadCenter Film Festival, the state’s largest Oscar-qualifying film festival. This year’s festival will feature nearly 200 shorts films, features, music videos and television programs as well as a variety of panels, events, live music and more.
As part of its sponsorship of the festival, OF+MO will host a panel on Friday, June 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Oklahoma Contemporary titled “Financing & Packaging: How Films Get Made in Today’s Market.” This panel will work to break down the real-world process of turning an idea into a financed project, from attaching talent and building a marketable package to structuring financing through equity, debt, incentives and pre-sales. Panelists will share what investors and buyers are actually looking for, how deals come together and where projects tend to stall. Moderated by Jeanette Stanton (Director of OF+MO), the panelists include Max Geschwind (CAA Media Finance), Milena Jankovic (SVP, Strategic Planning & Finance at FilmNation Entertainment), Peter Kuplowsky (Producer, Every Heavy Thing) and Vivian Zarragoitia (Executive Vice President, Three Point Capital). This panel is free and open to the public.
Among numerous film programming highlights, three of this year’s selected films will see their Oklahoma premieres at the festival including, “Keep Quiet,” “Every Heavy Thing” and “Pale Night,” all of which utilized the state’s film incentive program. Renowned actor Lou Diamond Phillips, who appears in “Keep Quiet,” will be attending the film’s Wednesday night premiere where he is set to receive the festival’s new Legacy Icon Award.
Under the leadership of newly commissioned Executive Director Amy Janes, deadCenter has expanded its offerings this year to include more live, local music among their events, which OF+MO is proud to support. Wednesday’s opening night red carpet will feature Sam Vaughn, Chazlen Rook and David Bruster while the Friday Night Frolic will feature Coral Waves and DJ Nyamisis. To round out the festival, Original Flow, Gold Lincoln, CAJ, Bella Burns, Jabee and Kid Lennon will perform at the Saturday Night Lively Party.
To view the full schedule of events or purchase festival passes, visit deadCenterFilm.org.
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About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office
Under the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) works to promote the state as a viable hub for film, television and music production as well as further develop opportunities for workforce, business and community growth within these sectors. For more information on the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, including the state’s film incentives and additional resources, visit okfilmmusic.org.
