The Oak Cliff Film Festival is returning for its 13th installment with more than 80 feature-length and short films from around the world.
The festival will run from June 20 through 23 at the Texas Theatre and other venues in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, the event’s organizers announced this week.
Several of the festival’s films contend with the politics, culture and history of Texas. The Queen Vs Texas follows a drag queen navigating threats of performance bans from state lawmakers, Rodeo Girls depicts young women trying to carve out space in a male-dominated sport and Aspire: A Skyscraper Story chronicles how the Renaissance tower redefined the Dallas skyline.
In partnership with the Austin Film Society, Ley Line Entertainment and director David Lowery, the festival will offer grants for emerging filmmakers in North Texas. And the North Texas Pioneer Film Grant, worth $30,000, will “promote DFW area filmmakers with underrepresented perspectives,” a news release said. Local high school students will also present short films.
Opening night will feature a screening of Omar and Cedric: If this Ever Gets Weird, a documentary about the relationship between Omar Rodriguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, two musicians from El Paso who performed in the band At the Drive-In and formed another band called The Mars Volta. Local bands Perdidos and Dezorah will perform after the screening.
The festival will close with a screening of comedy film Between the Temples, which follows floundering widower Ben (Jason Schwartzman) as he makes an unexpected connection that restores a semblance of spirit in his life.
Other screenings will include a 40th anniversary presentation of the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk and Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, about the life and career of the eponymous musician. Swamp Dogg will perform a live set with fellow musician Moogstar after the screening.
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center will have a wellness lounge on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival for attendees to partake in a sound bath or yoga and meditation classes.
For more information, and for the full lineup of films, visit 2024.oakclifffilmfestival.com.
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