Oklahoma Film Festivals

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
October 10-11, 2008

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Brady Theater - TULSA October 27, 2008

The Official Rock Song Advisory Panel, created to select the ten finalists for the Official Rock n Roll Song of Oklahoma, has announced their decision. The final songs represent a wide range of artists from various decades. The Official Oklahoma Rock Song Advisory Panel, established by resolution during the past legislative session, was appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House, the Senate Pro Tempore, the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Film & Music Office. The panel includes Phil Bacharach, Oklahoma City; Ronnie Kaye, Oklahoma City; Lacey Lett, Oklahoma City; Steve Ripley, Tulsa/Pawnee; Ryan LaCroix, Norman; Dr. Hugh Foley, Stillwater; and Angie Devore-Green, Tulsa.

The ten finalists for the Official Oklahoma Rock Song are:

“After Midnight” – J. J. Cale In 1965, J. J. Cale recorded “After Midnight,” which Eric Clapton re-released in 1970. In 1971, J. J. Cale released another version on his album, Naturally. Clapton recorded many of Cale’s songs, including “Cocaine.” Other artists have also tapped into Cale’s writing ability. These include Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Band, Deep Purple, and Tom Petty.
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Mae Boren Axton Oklahoma schoolteacher Mae Boren Axton co-wrote Elvis Presley’s hit song “Heartbreak Hotel.” An iconic song in Rock and Roll’s history, “Heartbreak Hotel” sat atop the pop charts for eight weeks. Axton, sister of U. S. Congressman Lyle Boren, continued to write songs until her death on April 9, 1997.
“Oklahoma” - The Call In 1986, The Call, which included two Oklahomans, Michael Been and Scott Musick, released the critically acclaimed album, Reconciled. The album’s graphics featured historical photographs from Oklahoma and the song “Oklahoma” conjured images of their home state’s tent revivals and turbulent weather. Later, presidential hopeful Al Gore used The Call’s “Let the Day Begin” as his campaign anthem.
“Never Been to Spain” - Hoyt Axton In 1971, Three Dog Night released “Never Been to Spain,” written by Oklahoman Hoyt Axton. Upon release, the song skyrocketed to number five on the charts. Axton, son of songwriter Mae Boren Axton, collaborated several times with this band. Hoyt Axton died on October 26, 1999.
“Move Along” – All-American Rejects Formed in 2001, the All-American Rejects released “Move Along” in 2006, from their 2005 album of the same name. The song hit number one on the Digital Download Chart. The band is composed of Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler from Stillwater and Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor from Edmond.
“Home Sweet Oklahoma” - Leon Russell In 1971, Leon Russell reigned as one of Rock and Roll’s biggest stars. That year he released “Home Sweet Oklahoma,” paying homage to his native state. The song shows Russell’s devotion to Oklahoma, as he made the Tulsa area his base of operations. Leon brought in stars such as George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Tom Petty to record at his Church Studios.
“Endless Oklahoma Sky” - John Moreland and the Black Gold Band John Moreland and the Black Gold Band represent a popular, Oklahoma indie band that has produced a song that reflects the melodic scenes of the Sooner State. “Endless Oklahoma Sky” captures a positive feeling of Oklahoma’s present beauty, culture, and music.
“Walk Don’t Run” - The Ventures In 1960, the Ventures’ version of “Walk Don’t Run” climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Oklahoman Bob Bogle suggested the band cover the song. The Ventures also included Oklahoman Nokie Edwards and promoted Oklahoma guitar-maker Semie Mosely’s Mosrite guitars.
“Do you Realize?” - Flaming Lips In 2002, the Flaming Lips released “Do You Realize?” on their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, to overwhelming critical success. The avant-garde band has had more than three decades of musical achievement, providing one of Oklahoma’s most successful bands having won three Grammys. The Lips continue to add to their diverse and die-hard fan base.
“Let’s Have a Party” - Wanda Jackson In 1958, Wanda Jackson recorded “Let’s Have a Party,” which Capitol Records rereleased in 1960 to chart success. Backed by one of Rock and Roll’s first integrated bands, the Poe Cats with fellow Oklahoman Big Al Downing on piano, Jackson became the “Queen of Rockabilly.”

The ten finalist songs are now listed on the web site: www.oklahomarocksong.org. Votes for the song to be named the Official Oklahoma Rock Song will be taken through November 15, 2008. The winning song will be announced during the next legislative session. Initial voting for the songs began in April with nominations being made on a special internet site. A total of 458 songs received 2,498 nominations on the web site.

The Oklahoma History Center will celebrate the state’s rock and roll heritage with an exhibit entitled “Another Hot Oklahoma Night,” slated to open May 2, 2009. The History Center is actively collecting stories and artifacts related to rock and roll in Oklahoma. For more information, please contact the museum staff at (405) 522-0798.

For more information contact: Michael Dean (405) 522-5241 or To visit the website CLICK HERE

World Neighbors featured at Sundance Film Festival’s FLOW screenings

World Neighbors, a non-profit international development organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, is proud to partner with the Sundance Film Festival’s FLOW, a new documentary discussing the impact of water in Asia, Africa and Latin America – regions of the planet where World Neighbors has been transforming lives for more than 57 years.

The film opened in September and FLOW screenings are currently taking place across the United States. Theater locations can be found at www.flowthefilm.org. Question and answer sessions with filmmakers and water experts, including World Neighbors staff, will follow select screenings. World Neighbors will be discussing how the group is addressing the issue of water in some of the poorest communities in 18 countries.

For more information about the documentary premiere or about World Neighbors’ work around water issues, please contact Erin Engelke, vice president of marketing and communications, at eengelke@wn.org.

For more information, please CLICK HERE

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The Philharmonic Celebrates Multiple Anniversaries

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic opens a new season with a celebration of three different anniversaries. The Philharmonic begins its 20th season on stage, the Associate Board begins its 40th year of activities, and the Oklahoma Orchestra League begins its 60th year of community service.

Since its first season (1989-1990), the OKC Philharmonic has played under the direction of Joel Levine and has become one of the most highly regarded orchestras in the nation. The 20th season promises to be another memorable year with more extraordinary guest soloists and a variety of programming in the Inasmuch Classics, Oklahoman Pops, and Discovery Family Series. The Oklahoma City Orchestra League continues its tradition of service by fulfilling its mission to promote orchestral music through financial support and educational activities. With signature events, including the annual Symphony Designers Show House, the organization and its more than 300 dedicated members have contributed over five million dollars to the support of the orchestra and benefited more than 36,000 children and adults with 18 different education initiatives in their 60 years of operation.

To commemorate the occasion, a combined committee of members from each organization presented a 20/40/60 Opening Night Gala on Saturday, September 13, 2008, to honor the leadership of the three groups over the years. The evening featured the opening concert of the Philharmonic season with special guest Itzhak Perlman.

For more information on the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, including a full concert schedule, please CLICK HERE

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Chickasaw Nation Produces Oklahoma Film

The Chickasaw Nation is producing the movie Pearl in conjunction with Media 13 productions. Filmed on location in Oklahoma, the film tells the story of Pearl Carter Scott, a Chickasaw and Native Oklahoman who is well known as the youngest licensed pilot in America. Befriended by famous aviator Wiley Post in the late 1920s, she was performing as a barnstormer and commercial pilot by age 14.

Media 13 has applied for the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program through the Oklahoma Film & Music Office. The rebate offers up to 15% cash back on Oklahoma expenditures to qualifying companies filming in the state. This fund is capped at $5 million per year and Pearl is the first film to meet qualifications since the state’s rebate program was funded in 2005.

Harn Homestead in Oklahoma City served as a primary location during the four-week shoot. Located in the shadow of the Oklahoma State Capitol, Harn Homestead is an expansive outdoor museum which includes a farm, one-room school house, and a Victorian home.

The Harn Homestead served as a perfect backdrop for the film, which is set in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Pearl is a slice of Oklahoma history and so is the Harn Homestead," said Amy Briede, line producer for the film. While Briede has worked on historic documentaries, she said this was her first opportunity to work on a period feature film.

"Oklahoma is really gracious when it comes to shooting historical films," she said. "We get to utilize historic cars, horses, wagons. Oklahoma is just a cool place to film."

The film employed a crew of 60, and featured more than 40 cast members. Many of the crew members hail from Oklahoma City Community College's film production program. The program at OCCC includes a state-of-the-art sound stage to train the state’s film professionals for the industry.

When films such as Pearl are shot in Oklahoma, jobs are created for trained individuals from director to key grip.

The Oklahoma Film & Music Office is providing assistance with various aspects of the film production. They also administer the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program.

"I can't think of a more worthy project for the state to get behind than Pearl , a project honoring an Oklahoma pioneer like Pearl Carter," said Jill Simpson, Director of the Oklahoma Film & Music Office.

"We hope this is the beginning of a long and successful working relationship with the Chickasaw Nation," said Simpson.

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The Challenge of Champions

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will host the world premiere of David Wittkower’s documentary about World Champion Bull Rider Lane Frost and the legendary bull Red Rock. The event will be the first in a weekend full of activities, culminating with the inductions of nine men and women into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

The Challenge of Champions: The Story of Lane Frost and Red Rock , a Lighthouse Productions film, recalls the great duel between the iconic rider and the unridden bull. In 1988, their legendary seven-match series captivated the country before Frost’s tragic death the following year at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The 80-minute film incorporates interviews by some of Frost’s closest companions, personal memories, home movie footage and photographs into an in-depth look at Frost’s career and legacy. The premiere will be held on Friday, October 24, with a reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by the screening at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Sam Noble Special Events Center. DVD copies of the film will also be available for purchase.

Three-day weekend packages are offered at $110. Tickets to the movie premiere may also be purchased separately at $30 for adults, $15 for children and students, or $25 for Rodeo Historical Society and National Cowboy Museum members.

For more information, and to make online reservations before October 17, visit the website by CLICKING HERE or call (405) 478-2250, Ext. 219.

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Oklahomans Make the Festival Circuit

 The Stanton Family Grave Robbery
Out of 2,500 applicants, The Stanton Family Grave Robbery has been selected to screen at this year’s Austin Film Festival. This entertaining comedy, written by Mark Potts, Cole Selix and Kevin Costello of Singletree Productions, has already made a strong impression at premiere Oklahoma film festivals such as deadCENTER and Southern Winds.

For more information please CLICK HERE

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 deadCENTER Honchos Hit the Reel Road
This month, deadCENTER Film Festival continued its mission of promoting the independent film arts through meetings and appearances in New York City. Program Director Melissa Scaramucci and Executive Director Cacky Poarch attended the 30th annual Independent Film Week to meet with emerging artists, festival producers and potential distributors. Melissa Scaramucci joined other independent producers and directors as a panelist for the discussion topic “No Budget, No Problem.”

For more information please CLICK HERE

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  Okie Noodling II
Making its way across America, Okie Noodling II has screened at numerous festivals including: Marfa Film Festival, deadCENTER Film Festival, Southern Winds Film Festival, First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Arts in Philadelphia, and Bend Film Festival in Oregon. In addition to the numerous festival screenings, this film is being featured in a series of theaters including the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, IFC Center in New York City, The Hollywood Theatre in Portland, and the Ragtag Cinema in Missouri. Currently, it is scheduled to air on PBS in early 2009.

For more information please CLICK HERE

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 Rainbow Around the Sun
With the overwhelming success of the opening night screening at deadCENTER Film Festival, Team Awesome has featured Rainbow Around the Sun at several venues in Oklahoma. This month marks the international premiere of the film at the Athens International Film Festival in Greece. In addition, it was featured at The Temecula Valley International Film Festival and as part of an IFP showcase in New York City. Directors Beau Leland and Kevin Ely recently returned from attending the Independent Film Week in New York, where they met with distributors and attended networking events and panels.

For more information please CLICK HERE

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Art 365

Celebrating their film festival debut, the documentary Art 365 has been accepted to screen during the 2009 Austin Film Festival. The film follows six Oklahoma artists as they embark on a mission to create innovative artwork in collaboration with a national curator. With a budget of $10,000 dollars provided by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, each artist had one year to hone their unique approaches to art and to develop a body of work that expresses their identities as artists.

For more information please CLICK HERE

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 "Where Nightmares Feed" Animation by Pete Sleeper
The H.P. Lovecraft Festival has added the short film Where Nightmares Feed, by Oklahoma animator Pete Sleeper, to its screening list. This two-minute horror short will be featured as an opener to some of the longer features being shown at the festival. The festival, founded in honor of H.P. Lovecraft, a master of gothic horror, takes place October 3-5, 2008 at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland Oregon.

For more information please CLICK HERE

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2009 Call for Entries Now Open!

The 9th annual deadCENTER Film Festival is now accepting entries for the 2009 festival, which will be held June 10-14, 2009 in downtown Oklahoma City. Films will be selected from the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation, Student, and Oklahoma film. A $2,500 cash prize will be given to the winner of the Best Narrative Feature. Named one of the top regional festivals in “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide,” the 9th annual festival will take place at eight locations over five days with more than 5,000 film enthusiasts from around the country expected to attend. Entry deadlines for screenplays and films are as follows:

Screenplays
November 3, 2008- Early Bird deadline
December 3, 2008- Regular deadline
January 3, 2009- Late deadline
February 3, 2009- Extended deadline

Films
December 3, 2008- Early Bird deadline
January 3, 2009- Regular deadline
February 3, 2009- Late deadline
March 3, 2009- Extended deadline

All film and screenplay submissions must be submitted through withoutabox.com. Registration fees for projects submitted by the Early Bird deadline are $40 for Narrative Features, Documentary Features and Screenplays; $30 for Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts and Animations; and $25 for Student films. Fees for projects submitted after this Early Bird deadline will increase $20 in each category. High school films will be accepted free of charge.

For more information and to submit your work, visit deadCENTER's website by CLICKING HERE

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Oklahoma IS Creative…Tell us about it!

Creative Oklahoma Inc. has a new initiative that recognizes creativity in our state. Entitled the Great Inspirations recognition program, the new initiative welcomes submissions for project ideas and information about the creative happenings going on in every corner of the state. Your submission will be taken to Creative Oklahoma Inc. leadership for approval and recognition; once approved, it will be publicized throughout the state and posted on their website.

Film and music are both considered a driving force of creativity in the state. Equally they are a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for educating and indoctrinating citizens of all ages. With a bevy of talented musicians and filmmakers, Oklahoma will soon be recognized around the world as a center of creativity and innovation.

COI is the only organization in the nation that encourages and supports creativity in the multiple arenas of business, research, community development, environment, globalization, health, education and the arts. It is the desire of Creative Oklahoma Inc. that these Great Inspirations be shared and adapted by others. Creative Oklahoma Inc. recognizes, sustains and supports creative ideas, initiatives and innovations that contribute to the greater good of Oklahoma. Creative Oklahoma Inc.’s website is designed to help share this information with people around the state.

Bring your innovative ideas to COI by downloading the Great Inspiration application and Guidelines.

For the Guidelines please CLICK HERE

For the Application please CLICK HERE

More information on Creativity in Oklahoma can be found by: CLICKING HERE

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