An experimental film festival will highlight the importance of the freeform artform, free of charge.
The Wide Open Experimental Film Festival (WOEFF), presented by the Oklahoma City University Film Department, returns for its fifth annual edition April 24-26 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s Noble Theater, 415 Couch Drive. Admission is free to the public with no tickets required.
WOEFF is organized by OCU Film Department faculty and students who have selected 64 films from around the world to play in six different programs. Film students will participate as presenters and panel moderators. They also will share analytical essays about many of the selected films.
WOEFF’s programs start at 6 p.m. April 24, 4 p.m. April 25 and 1:30 p.m. April 26. On each day, there will be two programs of short films and a panel discussion.
“We’re hoping to provide a place to watch alternative cinema as well as a place to have dialog about its meanings, impact and future,” said Billy Palumbo, the festival director and visiting professor of film at OCU. “What I love about avant-garde film is its diverse and supportive community of filmmakers and audiences. WOEFF’s goal is to contribute meaningfully to the discourse and expression that has been underway in the global experimental film community for decades.”
The festival will include panel discussions with filmmakers, educators and scholars. Topics include: “Is Avant-Garde Our Last Hope?,” a discussion of the political efficacy of experimental film; “Real Film Education,” a roundtable about meaningful approaches to film education that center students and their own work; and “Drilling Underground,” an introduction to underground/grassroots art organizations in Oklahoma.
“It’s exciting to share the stage with artists and programmers who will offer their perspectives,” said OCU film and English double-major Kathryn Odum, who will co-moderate the third panel of the festival. “The fact that students are involved in leading these discussions is so cool.”
The festival’s print programs and website will publish interviews of filmmakers conducted by students.
“I’ve written about films in a bunch of my classes before, but getting a chance to speak directly to a filmmaker about their work is a rare kind of access,” said Hannah Campbell, an on-camera acting and film major whose interview with filmmaker Cali M. Banks will be published on the festival website. “It’s inspiring to hear about what makes the filmmakers tick, how they overcome obstacles, and what advice they give to us students.”
As a festival focused on the celebration of a variety of experimental film practices, the festival features films with alternative forms, structures and styles, including abstract animation, digital and chemical manipulation, visual lyricism, surreal narratives and essay films.
On the night before the festival begins, WOEFF will continue its on-going partnership with Oklahoma Film Exchange in presenting “El Signo Vacio” (the empty sign) by Kathryn Ramey at 7 p.m. April 23 at OFX, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. A virtual Q&A with Ramey will follow the screening.
For more information about the Wide Open Experimental Film Festival, visit .
