Staff Edits: Steffie Corcoran
There’s a great quote by Walt Disney: “We don’t make movies to make money; we make money to make more movies.”
There’s no denying the art of cinema. Just conjure up the most beautiful, heartbreaking scene you’ve ever seen. Mine is when every member of the challenged-and-challenging family in Little Miss Sunshine thumbs their nose to the kiddie beauty pageant peeps and joins Olive onstage to boogie to “Super Freak.” And there’s also no doubt that creating a series of sounds and images to be projected on a screen and enjoyed by an audience is an expensive undertaking of time, talent, and treasure on the part of many in front of, and even more so, behind, the camera. At deadCenter Film, our dedication to inspiring, promoting, and celebrating creativity and community through film is more than a mission – it’s the north star for every one of our programs. Fundraising is what transforms our mission into real-world impact.
Every dollar we raise gives us the opportunity to:
Put on one of the only Oscar®-qualifying film festivals in the country every June right here in the “dead center” of America.
Bring people together to foster meaningful connection and conversation at free community events centered on film.
Visit schools in every corner of the state to introduce students to the magic of movie-making and to real-world career opportunities in the biz – at no cost to schools or kids.
Work with professional filmmaker mentors who coach Oklahoma high school kids on how to write a screenplay, set up a lighting rig, use a camera, direct a crew, and more. It’s all totally free to the young filmmakers who may one day make their own mark on Oklahoma’s storied cultural legacy.
Watch movies in actual theaters, often with the filmmakers present for post-screening discussions. Is there anything better than making meaning together?
It’s easy to feel like if we can’t throw down four figures, we can’t support the organizations we care about. Yes, it is absolutely critical for us to secure grants from foundations and donations from corporations. A nonprofit like deadCenter Film could not exist without them, and they are deeply appreciated. We are always interested in engaging with new businesses and foundations whose funding priorities include arts and culture, education, and community.
But we also value every type of support at any level, which is part of the reason why we’re offering more affordable options to engage with the Festival this year. And during the Fest, individual tickets to features and short film blocks are only $10! Smaller donations are welcome, any time of year, through our Zeffy link. Every T-shirt or trucker hat purchased, every volunteer shift covered, every Fest pass and donation helps ensure the uniquely fabulous movie magic deadCenter Film has been bringing for more than 25 years keeps on keeping on.
Many of you will be joining us at our annual GlitterBall fundraiser this Saturday, Jan. 10, at Oklahoma Contemporary. An extremely limited number of individual tickets are still available for what is always one of the most uh-maz-ing soirees of the winter season. This year’s theme is “The Road to Oz,” and party planner extraordinaire Kindt Myers and his fabulous team of scarecrows, lions, tin people, and witches are hard at work making sure it’s a Technicolor fantasy full o’ fun. We can’t wait to see you there!
With GlitterBall 2026 nearly sold out, if you’re already thinking “We should do this next year,” now’s the perfect time to secure your 2027 sponsorship!
At deadCenter Film, we’re in the business of changing lives. We see it on the face of a young filmmaker whose struggle to learn a new camera technique pays off in a great shot. We hear it in the tear-filled voice of an indie filmmaker whose short film was recognized with a Festival award. We feel it collectively when audience members and organizers learn the subject of a short film they saw together days earlier was granted clemency.
To those of you whose support has brought us here, thank you for the bottom of our movie-loving hearts. To those we haven’t engaged with yet, please join us in whatever way makes most sense for you. There’s a place for you here, with us, as we roll the curtain back on the next 25 years of deadCenter Film.