Cramps! A Period Piece, a horror-comedy set in the 1960s, is one of the films
included in the Oak Cliff Film Festival
STEVEN LINDSEY | Contributing Writer
stevencraiglindsey@gmail.com
Since 2011, the Oak Cliff Film Festival has celebrated the best in independent filmmaking, focusing on local and Texas-based creators. For four nights, July 30-Aug. 2, the Texas Theatre, Kessler Theater, Oak Cliff Assembly, Halperin Park, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Arts Mission Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts Theatre Center host a slate of feature-length films, live-action and animated shorts, panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As and cocktail parties.
“It’s our 15th year, and you know we’ve always operated out of the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff. So, the Oak Cliff neighborhood has always been a major part of our identity, simultaneously being a local neighborhood film festival while also bringing in people from all over the world to specifically experience Oak Cliff,” said Lauren Alberque, programming coordinator for the festival.
“There are so many creatives and makers in Dallas, so this year we’re especially hearkening back to the neighborhood that’s kept us going and that we’ve been a part of for 15 years,” she added.
Alberque explained that she and her team specifically look for films that haven’t already had significant exposure in DFW.
“We really like stories that — I’m trying to think of the best way to describe it, because ‘weird’ is such a broad term that can really mean anything — but I think it’s telling unique stories from specific demographics that reflect their own voices.
“We’re very passionate about bringing stories that maybe you wouldn’t get anywhere else,” she said.
Among those unique stories, there are several LGBTQ+ films in this year’s line-up, including three feature-length films: Barbara Forever, a documentary about pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer; Cramps! A Period Piece, a horror-comedy set in the 1960s, and Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, a documentary that examines in part the true-crime inspiration for the controversial 1980 film starring Al Pacino, Cruising.
Also included is Tierra Frontera, a visual art project and video manifesto created by queer artists Fabian Guerrero and Christopher Sonny.
On the website, you can specifically filter by the “queer” tag, but you won’t find a block of all-queer short films on the schedule.
“It’s just, there are shorts in our blocks that are queer, and there’s definitely people who I think come to see queer shorts. But I don’t want people to not come because they see it’s all queer, right?
“So I’d rather sprinkle them in as a normal part of our programming,” she says.
Tickets to feature presentations and blocks of short films can be purchased individually for $14. However, for anyone looking to get the true film festival experience, Alberque suggests getting the $250 VIP Badge, which grants access to every screening, as well as invitation-only parties and events not open to the general public.
You can also be part of the film-fest vibe without spending a dime by attending the opening night party at the Texas Theatre. It’s free for anyone to attend and takes place immediately following the DFW premiere of The Sun Never Sets.
“I want to end by saying, the Oak Cliff Film Festival is getting queerer lately,” Alberque said. “I started three years ago, and it’s definitely been one of the things that I’ve been working on: broadening horizons and just being a little bit more out there in other ways.
“So, I think it’s only going to get better.”
The Oak Cliff Film Festival runs July 30-Aug. 2 at venues across Oak Cliff. For tickets and complete details for each event, visit FilmOakCliff.com.