As the movie year rolls on, I’m excited to announce another first in my film festival adventures. It’s taken me almost ten years, but I’m finally covering my local neighborhood movie celebration as a critic. Taking place primarily at the legendary Texas Theatre, the Oak Cliff Film Festival (OCFF) is celebrating its 13th annual installment from June 20 through June 23, including dozens of screenings loaded with intriguing new titles, repertory screenings of cinema classics, multiple shorts blocks (including shorts from local Texas students), live shows, filmmaker workshops, and more.
If you aren’t familiar with the Texas Theatre, it’s biggest and most historic claim to fame is being the theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested following the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Each year on November 22, Barak Epstein, the owner, operator, and caretaker of this unique Dallas icon, programs a schedule memorializing the events of that fateful day. I’ve had the opportunity to write about this unforgettable yearly event twice. You can find those pieces here and here.
As far as my personal history, before I got this website up and running, the Oak Cliff Film Festival served as one of the initial sparks to reignite my passion for all things movies after enduring what I call my cinematic dark period. In 2014, I enlisted as a volunteer for the OCFF, helping work the festival box office in exchange for a few vouchers for screenings.
In addition to the cherished memories I have of the very first film festival I ever participated in, OCFF 2014 stands out in my mind as the place where I saw Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo, which floored me at the time. (I haven’t revisited that film since at least 2015, so I can’t confirm if it holds up.)
But enough about history. In the here and now, there are multiple screenings scheduled for OCFF 2024 that are piquing my interest. The following titles are the ones I’m most looking forward to checking out at this funky, punk-rock film festival.
- Häxan: Anybody who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for repertory screenings. One of the last screenings on Friday night is of Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen’s masterpiece 1922 silent rumination on witchcraft in the Middle Ages. Widely regarded as a touchstone of silent cinema, Häxan (Swedish for The Witch) appears in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. I’ve never seen it, and I haven’t died yet, so this seems like the perfect opportunity to mark Häxan off the list. The good folks at OCFF 2024 have arranged for an added treat. Accompanying the film will be a new live score by musician David Didonato, which, according to the fest website, “ranges from Gregorian-influenced organ pieces to various styles of heavy metal.” There will also be live narration provided by Kelli Bland. This one is a must-see for me.
- Seeking Mavis Beacon: Do you recognize the name Mavis Beacon? I remember it appearing on the ubiquitous typing tutorial software of the early ‘90s, accompanied with the smiling face of a young Black woman. My family might have even received a copy of the program (back in the day, apps were called programs or software, and you couldn’t download them via the web, you had to buy a physical CD for installation) bundled with our very first PC purchase, though I can’t say for sure. The description from OCFF for this documentary has me intrigued: “Jazmin Renée Jones investigates the mysterious Mavis Beacon, whose courses taught millions of people to type in the ‘80s. But who was she? Was she even real? Seeking Mavis Beacon is an inventive look at technology and Black representation.”
- The Times of Harvey Milk: Unfortunately, since the screenings conflict, if I opt for Seeking Mavis Beacon, that means I’ll have to skip this 40th anniversary repertory screening of the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, a documentary about the “outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office.” I was a huge fan of queer-cinema icon Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic Milk, starring Sean Penn in the title role, but I’ve never seen this documentary. Decisions, decisions…
- Janet Planet: From the fest guide: “In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet and her spellbinding nature. In her solitary moments, Lacy inhabits an inner world so extraordinarily detailed that it begins to seep into the outside world.” The debut feature film from American playwright Annie Baker, that last sentence in the description has me curious. Also, the years of my own childhood are increasingly becoming the subject of period pieces – Baker was born less than a year after I was – which fascinates, and, I’m not gonna lie, troubles me.
- The Vourdalak: “Lost in a hostile forest, the Marquis d'Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, finds refuge in the home of a strange family. Director Adrien Beau’s tale of the original vampire, shot in Super 16 and featuring a haunting marionette used to portray the titular ghoul.” Vampires, Super 16, haunting marionette portraying the titular ghoul. Yes, please. This is another one I’ll probably miss, as it conflicts with the Häxan screening, but it’s simply too intriguing to not mention. The film’s Texas premiere at OCFF will be preceded by a live demonstration from Le Theatre de Marionette, which is sure to be an entrancing experience.
- Not an Artist: In the Spotlight Features category is Not an Artist, a movie wherein “Pappas (A young woman) is accepted into a residency program created by the wealthy enigmatic benefactor "The Abbott" (RZA) for high-potential artists suffering from creative constipation.” That description, coupled with it’s listing as a comedy, makes me think this might be a bonkers experience. OCFF lists Problemista and Theater Camp in the “recommended if you like” section for this title.
- Love and Work: This sounds like a movie that flips everything we know about our current society on its head: “Diane and Fox love to work. Unfortunately, they live in a polarized world where having a job is illegal.”
- Booger: “After the death of her best friend Izzy, Anna focuses all her attention on Booger, the stray cat that she and Izzy took in. When Booger bites her, she begins to undergo a strange transformation.” Anyone who’s read my coverage of my beloved Fantastic Fest knows I love a movie about strange transformations. Filmmaker Mary Dauterman is scheduled to be in attendance.
- Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted: This is one I missed at SXSW 2024, so hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with it at the OCFF. From the fest description: “Hidden away deep in the suburban San Fernando Valley, legendary cult musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together, they navigate the tumultuous waves of the music industry, and forge a wonderfully bizarre and inspiring path across time and space.” The first 150 people to purchase a ticket to the screening automatically gain entrance to a live performance from Swamp Dogg himself.
- Various Shorts: There are also more than a handful of shorts that sound wonderfully out there. One involves a woman who, “forms a troubling bond with a stationary bike, leading her on a journey into a parallel reality inhabited by seemingly flawless 1950s housewives;” one about a podcaster who, “implicates her step-father in a series of unsolved murders;” and one about a visit to “a mysterious clinic offering human-to-pet communication.” I’ll definitely need to set aside some time for a few shorts blocks.
In addition to all this, there are workshops for filmmakers on starting a journey in filmmaking with a short film, and one co-presented by the Austin Film Society, Ley Line Entertainment, and filmmaker David Lowery on how to apply for AFS’s short filmmakers grant program for help in getting a project funded. There is also a “Wellness Lounge” operating during the fest with sessions for morning yoga classes and mindful meditation. Hell, there’s even an ultimate frisbee workshop, in case you want to stretch your legs in between screenings.
As stated above, the Oak Cliff Film Festival will run June 20-23, and passes and individual tickets are available for purchase at the OCFF website. I’m planning on bouncing around from screening to screening for the entire four days of the fest, and, as always, you can find a complete log of everything I’m seeing at OCFF 2024 on my Letterboxd profile.
See you at the movies!