The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is proud to be a returning sponsor of the 19th annual deadCenter Film Festival taking place Thursday, June 6, through Sunday, June 9, 2019, at multiple locations in downtown Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma Film ICON Panel Series at ACM@UCO

OF+MO, in conjunction with deadCenter, hosts the Oklahoma Film ICON Panel Series all day Saturday, June 8 at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO), located on the Bricktown Canal at 25 S. Oklahoma Ave.

The series features intimate conversations with special guests, including this year’s featured festival filmmakers and ICON award recipients.

These panels are free and open to both the public and festival goers.

The panels provide attendees networking and educational opportunities. Topics include actors-turned-directors, documentary storytelling, content creation, locations scouting, special effects makeup, cinematic lighting and the future of Oklahoma’s film industry.

Confirmed panelists include Graham Phillips (“Riverdale”, “The Bygone”), Alison Naifeh (“August: Osage County”, “I Can Only Imagine”), Steve Mathis (“Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Moulin Rouge”), Steve LaPorte (“Beetlejuice”, “X-Men”, “The Color Purple”), Jeffrey Palmer (“Words From a Bear”), Luke Dick (“Red Dog”), Paul Stuart (Amaze VR), Tava Maloy Sofsky (Oklahoma Film + Music Office) and Hayden Szeto and Grant Rosenmeyer (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”).

These panels run 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at ACM@UCO, 25. S. Oklahoma Ave. in Bricktown. Admission is free and open to the public and deadCenter festivalgoers.

Special EFX Make-up with Oklahoma Film ICON Steve LaPorte is 2 p.m. Saturday at ACM@UCO during deadCenter Film Festival. LaPorte has been lead make-up artist for “Lost,” with a Special Effects Make-Up Oscar for “Beetlejuice” and Emmy for “The X-Files.”

Panel schedule:

• 10 a.m.: Actor as Storyteller
• 11 a.m.: Documentary Storytelling
• 12 p.m.: Future of Content Creation and Distribution
• 1 p.m.: Location Scouting with Alison Naifeh
• 2 p.m.: Special EFX Make-Up with Steve LaPorte
• 3 p.m.: Creating Beautiful Images with Gaffer Steve Mathis
• 4 p.m.: Future of Oklahoma Film

2019 deadCenter Film Festival

deadCenter promotes, encourages and celebrates independent films with both the organization’s annual film festival, as well as their year-round educational outreach via the deadCenter Institute. Named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 20 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” deadCenter received a record-breaking 1,500 film submissions this year.

One-hundred-forty films were selected, including 38 projects either made in Oklahoma or by Oklahoma filmmakers. “The Bygone,” “Hosea” and “Trolls: Stop Motion” animated series, which each utilized the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program administered by OF+MO, will screen at the festival.

Earlier this year at the festival’s May kick-off event, OF+MO was named one of deadCenter’s Oklahoma Film ICON Award recipients in recognition of OF+MO’s 40th anniversary as a state office. This distinction honors individuals or organizations with ties to Oklahoma whose success in the film and entertainment sector has elevated the global perception of the state within the film industry. This year’s other Icon Award honorees are Academy Award winning make-up artist and Oklahoma City native Steve La Porte, OU graduate and gaffer and lighting technician Steve Mathis and renowned location scout and Enid native Alison Naifeh.

“OF+MO is honored to continue its sponsorship of the deadCenter Film Festival in its 19th year,” said OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “The growth of the deadCenter Film Festival alongside our local film industry has been tremendous, and we’re so proud of the Oklahoma representation across the board at this year’s festival. We look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of our industry at deadCenter as well as connecting with festival audiences at the educational ICON panel series. On behalf of OF+MO, I would like to thank deadCenter as well as the hosting venue, ACM@UCO, for their contributions to the festival’s panel series.”

For a complete schedule of screenings and events as well as information on purchasing all-access passes and tickets, please visit deadcenterfilm.org.

About Oklahoma Film + Music Office

Created in 1979, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) strives to share all that Oklahoma has to offer by welcoming filmmakers and music professionals to the state and by creating a network of support to develop Oklahoma’s film and music industries. For more information about the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program or the Oklahoma Film + Music Office please visit okfilmmusic.org.