Oak Cliff Film Festival (OCFF) Lucky 13th edition will be June 20-23. Screenings and other events take place at the historic Texas Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Kessler Theater, and other venues around Dallas’ vibrant Oak Cliff neighborhood. This year’s film spotting safari consists of 27 fantastic feature-length films, with more than a dozen movies having their Texas premiere at the fest. The lineup also includes a microcosm of 58 short films, opening and closing night parties, live music events, and other incredible surprises!
Opening Night Film: OMAR AND CEDRIC: IF THIS EVER GETS WEIRD (DFW Premiere). A film comprised of rare archive footage charting the intimate, artistic and personal relationship between Omar Rodriguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala from their bands At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta. (Germany, United Kingdom, 127 mins) 7:30 p.m. June 20 – Texas Theatre (Downstairs) Director Nicolas Jack Davies. Live performances by Texas bands Perdidos and Dezorah will follow, behind the screen at the Texas Theatre.
Special Live Performance
Swamp Dogg and MOOGSTAR will follow the premiere of SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED. This doc chronicles the life, career, and collaborators of the prolific and eccentric 60s/70s R&B cult icon.
Texas Premiere: JANET PLANET, (USA, 113 minutes) 5:15 p.m. June 23 – Texas Theatre (downstairs) with Director Annie Baker attending. A moody, imaginative, and touchingly relatable 1990s period tale. Follow an 11-year-old misfit who spends her lonely time in rural Massachusetts escaping into imagination and attachment fascination with her melancholy mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet.
OCFF Closing Night Film
BETWEEN THE TEMPLES, USA, 113 minutes) 5:15 p.m. June 23 at Texas Theatre (downstairs) with Director Nathan Silver attending. a crisis-of-faith comedy from prolific writer/director and OCFF alum Nathan Silver, starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. The story follows Ben (Schwartzman), a floundering, 40-something cantor losing his voice and will to live, who finds unexpected hope in an unlikely romance.
Additional Festival Highlights: The World Premiere of short films from the third annual OCFF High School Filmmaking Workshop, presented by TRG and For Oak Cliff. Local high school students will showcase their short films created with guidance from esteemed OCFF filmmaker associates.
OCFF Special Presentation: A 40th anniversary presentation of the Oscar-winning doc THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK. Presented by The Office of City Council District 1, with an introduction by Policy Advisor & Community Liaison for Council Member Chad West, Jake Ettinger.
Interactive Event: An outdoor tutorial on ultimate frisbee led by Mr. Jamshid, the film subject of the new doc ULTIMATE CITIZENS. The first 50 participants will receive custom frisbees.
Grants for Filmmakers
The 2024 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.
NOCTURNES (India/USA, 83 mins) 6:45 p.m. June 23 – Texas Theatre (Upstairs)
Directors Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan. In the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas, moths are whispering something to us. In the dark of night, two curious observers shine a light on this secret universe.
Oak Cliff Film Festival
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 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.
