OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma’s deadCenter Film will partner, again in part, with the Cherokee Nation Film Office to present the 23rd Annual deadCenter Film Festival.

The state’s largest film festival runs June 8-11 and is expected to bring more than 20,000 film enthusiasts and industry professionals to downtown Oklahoma City. The annual festival, which received nearly 2,000 entries, will host screenings and events at the First Americans Museum, Harkins Theatre in Bricktown and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Designated as an OSCAR®-Qualifying Festival for animated and live action shorts, the deadCenter Film Festival boasts an impressive slate of over 150 films, including 16 Indigenous projects, during this month’s four-day event. The annual Oklahoma City event highlights diversity among filmmakers through specific categories, including Afro Cinema, Female Directors, 2SLGBTQ+ Filmmaker, First Time Director, Spanish Language and Oklahoma films, as well as a specific block dedicated to Indigenous films.

On Friday, June 9, deadCenter Film will host the world premiere of “The Origin of Strawberries,” designed, animated and produced at Cherokee Film Studios. The ancient story, told in the Cherokee language, about strawberries as a symbol of reconciliation is drawn into the future using the latest motion capture animation.

The tribe’s groundbreaking production will be featured during deadCenter’s Future of Film, a free event featuring a collection of immersive films and experiences created using innovative technology, such as motion capture, drones, digital animation, augmented reality and fully immersive 360 virtual reality. Michael Lister, CNFO’s virtual production manager, will be in attendance to create an interactive demonstration of the real time virtual production techniques used to create the short film.

On Sunday, June 11, the Cherokee Nation Film Office will host deadCenter Film Festival’s Celebrating Indigenous Cinema reception, highlighting Indigenous films and filmmakers at the First Americans Museum.

For more information about deadCenter Film Festival, visit deadcenterfilm.org. Press passes are available upon request.

ABOUT deadCenter Film

Created in 2001, the deadCenter Film Festival taps into the thriving global film community by providing a competitive platform for independent filmmakers, as well as a dynamic educational forum. deadCenter Film is a year-round nonprofit, entering the 23rd season of production on Oklahoma’s largest film festival. deadCenter has been recognized as one of the “Top 20 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker magazine and is now nationally recognized after landing on the pages of several major publications.

 To learn more about deadCenter Film and to support year-round programming, please visit deadcenterfilm.org.

ABOUT CHEROKEE FILM

The mission of Cherokee Film is to reclaim Cherokee and Native narratives by increasing representation across film and media while creating an ecosystem that supports production and drives economic activity in the Cherokee Nation.

Cherokee Film is owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses — the board-governed holding company of the largest Native American tribe in the U.S. One-hundred percent of the company’s profits support future business investments and the well-being of the tribe’s citizens through health care, education and job creation, ensuring better lives for Cherokees today and tomorrow.

For more information, please visit Cherokee.film  or follow Cherokee Film on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.