Oak Cliff Film Festival, the neighborhood fest known throughout the nation, returns July 30-Aug. 2 for the fifth installment. Immerse yourself in images, sounds and experiences so wonderfully singular they could only live in Dallas’ most historic and eclectic community: Oak Cliff. This year’s four-day-long sensory submersion has the bold stories, vibrant colors, kinetic live energy, and form bending audiovisual encounters that make OCFF a love poem to the unique sensations of its namesake neighborhood.
Screenings and events take place at the historic Texas Theatre, and the Oak Cliff Assembly, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Kessler Theater, and other venues around Dallas’ legendary Oak Cliff neighborhood. This year’s seminal summer playlist consists of 28 fantastic feature-length films, with 50 movies having their Texas premiere at the fest. The run also includes a color saturated kaleidoscope of 77 short films, opening and closing night parties, live music, and your next exciting stories.
OC Film Festival Key Highlights
Opening Night Film: Director and mumble-core trailblazer, Joe Swanberg, returns to OCFF for the first time in over a decade. Joined by cast member Cory Michael Smith, Swanberg presents his sharp, new, relationship dissection dramedy THE SUN NEVER SETS (USA, 102 mins). The film screens at 8 p.m. downstairs in the Texas Theatre. Wendy’s life is thrown into chaos when her boyfriend, Jack, who is older and divorced with children, insists they take space to evaluate the relationship. During their break, Wendy runs into her ex, Chuck, forcing them into a volatile triangle. Director Joe Swanberg and actor Cory Michael Smith will be in attendance.
Special Live Performance: THE ANVIL ORCHESTRA, featuring Mission Of Burma’s Roger Clark Miller and collaborator Terry Donahue (Concussion Ensemble), weaves a key and percussion composed live score to the groundbreaking, first-ever animated feature THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (1926). This incredible and innovative interpretation of 101 Arabian Nights, illustrated in a spectral and expertly experimental silhouette animation, is heightened by the clang and thunder of Miller and Donahue. The visceral end result is a larger than life, one-of-a-kind journey for your whole head.
PULP FICTION WITH ROGER AVARY
Director Quentin Tarantino, 1994 PULP FICTION (USA, 154 mins) screens Sunday Aug 2, 4:15 p.m.-Texas Theatre (Downstairs). A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster’s moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time. Join screenwriter and filmmaker Roger Avary for a special, retrospective screening of his co-authored, genre defining, 1994 crime classic.
90s Summer Bundle: For many of us, the love of film began with music videos during the endless MTV summers of youth. Complete your summer cinema loop by celebrating two survivors of the 90’s and visionary icons of those dog day VJ lineups: Mark Pellington and Tamra Davis. Friday, The 90’s summer bundle kicks off with a rare presentation from Pellington and Davis showcasing hand-picked selections from their vastly prolific music video careers. Saturday, Pellington presents THIS IS BUZZ, his new documentary chronicling the ephemeral, experimental and influential 90’s MTV social series, The Buzz. Sunday, Davis unveils her ultimate 90’s, archival music doc, THE BEST SUMMER, featuring The Beastie Boys, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill and more.
Additional Highlights
World Premiere: Filmmaker Matthew Perniciaro returns to OCFF with a first look at his new documentary TRACERS, joined by actor and supporting film subject Richard Chaves (Predator). TRACERS follows the real lives of veterans who found fraternal solace on the stage, forming their own theatre troupe in a therapeutic effort to cope with PTSD and their shared traumas of combat. Together, they prove that art and expression can help nurture true peace.
Special Performance: Check out co-director Piero F. Giunti’s presentation of his new music bio-doc LOS LOBOS: NATIVE SONS, which charts the meteoric and influential career of pioneer Chicano Rock group, Los Lobos. Afterwards, join us behind the screen for Latin beats and infectious body motion. Three One G Records’ presents an electric, live performance by Cumbia/ dance/ hip-hop hybrid, SONIDO DE LA FRONTERA.
Grants for Filmmakers: The 2026 Oak Cliff Film Festival, in partnership with the Austin Film Society, Ley Line Entertainment, and David Lowery, offers grant funds specifically for emerging North Texas filmmakers. Additionally, the North Texas Pioneer Film Grant of $30,000 will promote DFW area filmmakers with underrepresented perspectives.
BUDDY (USA, 95 mins) Aug. 1
The DFW premiere screening of Buddy, Director Casper Kelly, will be at 9 p.m. in the Texas Theatre downstairs Aug. 1. Dressed as a unicorn, a beloved children’s TV host reveals his true self as a dark and violent force of nature.
Tamra Davis & Mark Pellington July 31, 9:15 p.m.-Texas Theatre (Downstairs). Legendary music video directors Davis and Pellington rose to prominence in the ’90s—and lived to tell about it. Joining us in person, they’ll present a curated selection of their work and share insights from their storied careers, including their journey from iconic music videos to feature filmmaking. And maybe some inside knowledge on how they survived the 90s.
OCFF Live Music, Parties, DJs, and Events
On July 29, Pre-Festival VIP Badge Holder Welcome from 7-9 p.m. at Oak Cliff Assembly. Pick up your OCFF 2026 VIP badge and join this year’s sponsors, filmmakers, and guests for a cocktail party kick-off event! Filmmaker, Press, Jury or VIP Badge required.
July 30: Opening Night Party with DJ Sober-10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. at Texas Theatre. Join us in the Texas Theatre Lobby after The Sun Never Sets for our opening night party. Free to attend.
July 31: VIP Cocktail Party-4-6:30 p.m.-Arts Mission Oak Cliff. The annual VIP Cocktail Party at one of Oak Cliff’s historic neighborhood properties. Filmmaker, Press, Jury or VIP Badge required.
August 2: Closing Night Party with Ltracks & A-side-9:45 p.m.-Texas Theatre. After The Best Summer, join us in the lobby of the Texas Theatre as we dance and celebrate another successful festival for the books. DJ set by Ltracks & A-side. Free to attend.
The Oak Cliff Film Festival was established in 2012 as a regional film festival in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas. The festival has been received national acclaim from prominent sources including The New York Times, Filmmaker Magazine, and Moviemaker Magazine. The Oak Cliff Film Festival is the main program of the 501 3(c) Oak Cliff Film Society. The Oak Cliff Film Festival, headquartered at the legendary Texas Theatre, features the very best of Oak Cliff’s historic theater venues, highlights the popular restaurants and bars of the area, and seeks to showcase and cultivate the best of independent and brave filmmaking of all stripes from Texas and beyond. If you would like to get more information about the Oak Cliff Film Festival or its line-up, visit filmoakcliff.com.
