You can almost smell the popcorn and taste the cool drink. Beginning Thursday, the Oak Cliff Film Festival will draw independent film lovers to theater seats in the historic Dallas neighborhood.
But films aren’t the only attraction — there will be cool parties, events, and art exhibits, as well as workshops and panel discussions — all of set around the talked-about films.
The 2017 Oak Cliff Film Festival starts Thursday and runs through June 11 in various venues throughout Oak Cliff.
This year’s theme is tied into the mathematical theory known as The Golden Ratio.
Now in its sixth year, the festival offers films in various genres shown at sites throughout the area.
Each year’s festival has a theme. In 2016, the theme focused on the New American era of 1970s-styles filmmaking. This year’s theme is tied into the mathematical theory known as The Golden Ratio which, when solved, is 1.61 (much like pi is 3.14)
If mathematics isn’t your thing, then the theme’s explanation might help.
The main focus is what the OCFF calls an “artistic composition of all types adhering to an unspoken natural order.” The festival’s films this year will center on observation and “looking” without focusing on a specific definition of genre.
THE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WITH THE FILM LEMON
The festival kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with the movie Lemon, a quirky absurdist comedy that follows the journey of a struggling actor with few redeeming qualities. The film stars Brett Gelman, Gillian Jacobs, and Michael Cera, and was directed by Janicza Bravo. It is considered a “buzz film breakout” from the Sundance Festival.
Bookending the festival on closing night — 8 p.m., June 11 — will be the Texas premiere of A Ghost Story, directed by David Lowery.
In the film, Oscar winner Casey Affleck is a recently deceased man who returns as a white-sheeted ghost to observe his widowed wife (Oscar nominee Rooney Mara).
Affleck’s ghost undergoes his own journey through memory and history, while confronting the meaning of existence.
FESTIVAL EVENTS TAKE PLACE AT MULTIPLE SITES
Between these films will be showings of other independent films (full-length and shorts), along with entertainment and parties.
Events will take place at the Texas Theatre, The Bishop Arts Theatre, Kessler Theater, Basement Gallery, and more. A four-pack of vouchers to attend the various screenings and parties will cost $35; if you’re interested in attending everything, a VIP Badge will run $175.
For additional information, visits the festival’s website.
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R E A D N E X T
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The festival's new director, Hayley Nenadal, brings nearly two decades of experience at world-renowned festivals including Sundance and Telluride. She takes the reins just as EarthX is moving its film festival to the downtown Dallas Arts District. The theme for its May 12-15, 2022, festival is "Celebration of the Outdoors," featuring 60 to 70 long and short films.
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“Dallas is a city that booms north of I-30. Unfortunately, if you live south of I-30 all too often you only hear rumors of that boom,” Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College, said during Thursday's opening. “JPMorgan Chase is actively being a bridge builder. It is a repairer of the breach.”The community branch plans to help Black and Latinx consumers open bank accounts and start businesses as part of Chase's $30 billion commitment to advance racial equity and provide economic opportunities to underserved communities.
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Red Bull Racing is revving things up for the Formula 1 Aramco U.S. Grand Prix in Austin on Oct. 24—by holding a "Show Run" tomorrow in downtown Dallas. The four-hour, multi-format event features four rounds of Red Bull Racing car runs on a 640-meter track, plus an exotic car parade, a UT Arlington SAE self-built car run, Moto stunt riding, and more.
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The test runs will use the autonomous Waymo Via Class 8 trucking unit, completing the 262-mile haul in Level 4 robotic mode—with a driver and technician in the cab to monitor things.
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Chickasaw Nation is creating film and television productions to entertain and educate on the role Native Americans have played—and set the historical record straight. Its most recent release, “Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher,” premiered on Netflix last month.
