Oak Cliff Film Festival
Oak Cliff Film Festival is a film festival held annually in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It showcases films made by or featuring individuals from Texas and the surrounding region. Its programming spans every genre, focused on independent, non-mainstream films both narrative and documentary.
About
Oak Cliff Film Festival emphasizes programming experimental, nontraditional, and low-budget independent films otherwise overlooked by more mainstream festivals. Events at the festival include drive-in movies, live orchestrations of silent films, screenings of newly remastered older films, and Texas/Dallas premieres.OCFF, partnered with the Austin Film Society, filmmaker David Lowery, and Tim Headington’s Ley Line Entertainment to offer grant funds for emerging North Texas filmmakers. This initiative included the North Texas Pioneer Film Grant of $30,000, specifically aimed at promoting filmmakers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area with underrepresented perspectives.
OCFF also hosts student workshops covering fundamentals of filmmaking including writing, producing, directing and post-production.
History
First occurring from June 14–17 in 2012, the Oak Cliff Film Festival was founded by four independent filmmakers, Barak Epstein, Eric Steele, Adam Donaghey, and Jason Reimer, interested in fostering the film community in Dallas and the surrounding region. The four initial founders had purchased the historic Texas Theatre cinema in 2010 and continue to use this venue as the primary venue for the festival.Some years of the festival have included screenings held in different locations across Dallas, including Kessler Theater and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Belmont Hotel, the Dallas Zoo, Oil and Cotton, Turner House, and El Sibil.
The 3–4-day festival continues to be organized by and receive financial support from the Oak Cliff Film Society.
Awards
The Oak Cliff Film Festival announces jury awards each year.2012
The narrative features jury included Bryan Poysner and Dennis Bishop. The documentary features jury included Bradley Beesley and David Hartstein. The shorts juries included Daniel Laabs, Steve Norwood, Eric Jewel, Cynthia Mulcahy, Mike Mazurek, Frank Mosley, and Ya’Ke Smith. The music video jury included Audra Schroeder and Pete Freedman.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | The Comedy | Rich Alverson |
| Best Documentary Feature | Jeff | Chris James Thompson |
| Best Narrative Short | What Happens When Robert Leaves the Room | Zack Godshall |
| Best Student Short | My Lymphoma Year | Tony Wynn |
| Best Community Short | Odds or Evens | Jay Gormley |
| Best Music Video | Mindspider's Wait for Us | |
| Best Cinema 16 Short | Brute Force | Ben Steinbauer |
2013
The OCFF 2013 narrative features jury were Kim Yutani, A.A. Dowd, and Steve Dollar. The documentary features jury David Hartstein, Sam Douglas, and Peter Simek. The shorts juries included Clay Liford, Dennis Bishop, Cynthia Mulcahy, Bart Weiss, and Carolyn Macartney.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | Congratulations! | Mike Brune |
| Special Jury Prize for Acting in a Narrative Feature | Anna Margaret Hollyman in White Reindeer | Zach Clark |
| Best Documentary Feature | Medora | Davy Rothbart; Andrew Cohn |
| Best Narrative Short | Social Butterfly | Lauren Wolkstein |
| Honorable Mention for Narrative Short | The Chair | Grainger David |
| Best Documentary Short | You Can't Always Get What You Want | Scott Calonico |
| Honorable Mention for Documentary Short | Slomo | Joshua Izenberg |
| Special Jury Prize for Animated Short | Feral | Daniel Sousa |
| Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short | Irish Folk Furniture | Tony Donaghue |
| Best Student Short | Undocumented Dreams | Sara Masetti |
| Honorable Mention for Student Short | GBFF | Atheena Frizzell |
2014
Jury members in 2014 were Chase Whale, Zach Clark, James M. Johnston, Matt Grady, Peter Simek, Melina McKinnon Cain, Tom Aberg, Mike Morris, Clay Liford, Tom Anderson, Barton Weiss, Eugene Martin.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Special Jury Award Narrative Feature | Limo Ride | Gideon Kennedy; Marcus Rosentrater |
| Grand Jury Award Narrative Feature | Wild Canaries | Lawrence Levine |
| Special Jury Award Documentary Feature | Fight Church | Daniel Junge; Bryan Storkel |
| Grand Jury Award Documentary Feature | Yakona | Anlo Sepulveda; Paul Collins |
| Special Jury Award Narrative Short | Rat Pack Rat | Todd Rohal |
| Grand Jury Award Narrative Short | SEND | Peter Vack |
| Special Jury Award Documentary Short | The Silly Bastard Next to the Bed | Scott Calonico |
| Grand Jury Award Documentary Short | The Man Without Words | Zach Godshall |
| Special Jury Award Student Short | camchat | Blake Pruitt |
| Grand Jury Award Student Short | Housekeeping | Catherine Licata |
2015
2015 jury members were Augustine Frizzell, Christine Gaines, Norry Nivens, Liz Franke, Laure Neitzel, Joe Dishner, Casey Gooden, Cameron Bruce Nelson, Blair Rowan, and Barton Weiss.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | Christmas, Again | Charles Poekel |
| Special Jury Prize Mention Narrative Feature | Funny Bunny | Alison Bagnall |
| Best Documentary Feature | 20 Years of Madness | Jerry White, Jr. |
| Special Jury Mention Documentary Feature | Danny Says | Brendan Toller |
| Best Narrative Short | Blissful Banquet | Harrison Atkins |
| Honorable Mention Narrative Short | Son | Judd Myers |
| Best Documentary Short | Unmappable | Diane Hodson; Jasmine Luoma |
| Honorable Mention Documentary Short | Pattern for Survival | Kelly Sears |
| Best Student Short | Leaves on Trees | Nathan Duncan |
2016
Jurors in 2016 were Aaron Hillis, David Lowery, Michael Tully, Holly Herrick, Richard Matson, Matt Grady, James Johnston, Joe Dishner, Geoff Marslet, Bart Weiss, Derek Kompare, Chase Whale, Jerry White, and Kerry Navarro.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Grand Jury Prize Narrative Feature | Little Sister | Zach Clark |
| Special Jury Prize for Best Performance | Tomas Pais for Hunky Dory | Michael Curtis Johnson |
| Grand Jury Prize Documentary Feature | Contemporary Color | Ross Brothers |
| Grand Jury Prize Narrative Short | Worldwide Woven Bodies | Truls Krane Meby |
| Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in a Narrative Short | Lindsey Pulcipher for 1985 | Yen Tan |
| Honorable Mention Midnight Narrative Short | Paranormal Idiot | Tom Bardnt |
| Honorable Mention for Most Totally Effed Up and Impossible to Forget Narrative Short | Gwilliam | Brian Lanano |
| Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short | The Dog | Drea Cooper; Zackary Canepari |
| Honorable Mention Documentary Short | The Boatman | Zack Godshall |
| Grand Jury Prize Student Short | Middle Witch | Amanda Gotera |
| Special Jury Prize for Cinematic Excellence in Student Shorts | Florence | Caleb Kuntz |
2017
Jurors for the 2017 Oak Cliff Film Festival awards were Eric Allen Hatch, Michael Tully, Kyle Greenberg, Sai Selvarajan, Don Lewis, David Sedman, Zach Clark, Aaron Hillis, Joe Dishner, Joe Butler, Jeff Walker, Bart Weiss, and Glenys Quick.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Grand Jury Prize Narrative Feature | Barracuda | Julia Halperin; Jason Cortlund |
| Grand Jury Prize Documentary Feature | True Conviction | Jamie Meltzer |
| Special Jury Prize for Visual Portraiture | World Without End | Jem Cohen |
| Grand Jury Prize Narrative Short | Pregnant | Joseph Sackett |
| Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short | Polaroid Job | Mike Plante |
| Special Jury Prize Documentary Short | Richard Twice | Matthew Salton |
| Grand Jury Prize Student Short | South Texas Cow Punk | Carlo Nasisse |
2018
Aaron Hillis, Dan Brawley, and Gabe Klinger juried the Narrative Feature nominees. Betsey Holt, Judd Myers, and Andrew Logan juried the Narrative Short nominees. Jennifer Samani, Joshua Butler, and Neil Creque Williams juried the Documentary Feature nominees. Linda Eddy, Andy Streitfeld, and Ardis Campbell juried the Documentary Shorts nominees. Bart Weiss, Lizette Barrera, and Eric Jewell juried the Student Short nominees.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | I Am Not a Witch | Rungano Nyoni |
| Best Documentary Feature | Milford Graves Full Mantis | Jake Meginsky; Neil Young |
| Best Narrative Short | Nevada | Emily Ann Hoffman |
| Best Documentary Short | Still Processing | Sophy Romvari |
| Best Student Short | Pentecost | Katherine Propper |
| Special Jury Prize for Narrative Feature | Birds Without Feathers | Wendy McColm |
2023
Festival jurors in 2023 were Neal Creque Williams, Bradford Thomason, Merced Eliondo, Kelly Williams, Leigh Steglitz, Linda Eaddy, Amber Ekleberry, Bart Weiss, Claire Dejarnett, Gina Cuomo, Ardis Campbell, Rebekah Louisa Smith, Craig Miller, Marielena Resendiz, and Randall Kramen.| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | Molli and Max in the Future | Michael Lukk Litwak |
| Best Documentary Feature | Long Live My Happy Head | Austen McCowan |
| Documentary Feature Special Jury Mention | Don't Fall in Love With Yourself | Jon Nix |
| Best Narrative Short | The Sidewalk Artist | Brandon Rivera; David Velez |
| Narrative Short Special Jury Mention | Dream Carriers | Esmeralda Hernandez |
| Best Documentary Short | Breaking Silence | Amy Bench; Annie Silverstein |
| Documentary Short Special Jury Mention | 4DWN | Danny Schmidt |
| Best Student Short | Comadre | Nicole Chi |
| Student Short Special Jury Mention | Cats Don't Sleep at Night | Beibei Xu Champagne |
2024
| Category | Film title | Director |
| Best Narrative Feature | Vulcanizadora | Joel Potrykus |
| Best Documentary Feature | Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted | Isaac Gale; Ryan Olson |
| Documentary Feature Special Jury Mention | Ultimate Citizens | Francine Strickwerda |
| Best Narrative Short | Jedo's Dead | Sara Nimeh |
| Best Documentary Short | We Clap for Airballs | Sai Selvarajan |
| Documentary Short Special Jury Mention | Queen vs. Texas | Emil Lozada; Raemonn James |
| Best Student Short | Hair Care | Fatima Warby |
| Student Short Special Jury Mention | Recyclos | Jordan Gros |