The first OK2BX Film Festival is set to open April 24 at the Texas Theater. The event will feature short films that honor diversity and inclusivity that have been submitted by high school students nationwide. Awards will be given in the categories of LGBTQIA+, Smartphone, Diversity, and Animation.
“In a world full of divisiveness, the OK2BX Foundation strives to bring people together by encouraging inclusivity at an early age,” Brent Bolding, festival producer and organization founder said in a press release. “Our goal is to give young people a platform to advocate for inclusivity. These young people are our hope for a brighter future. I know Eleanor would be proud to see the films.”
The film festival is an initiative of the OK2BX Foundation, an organization founded by the Bolding family to commemorate their daughter and sister, Eleanor, who took her life in May 2021. To honor Eleanor’s inclusive personality, the festival will present awards to students who uniquely and artfully demonstrate diversity and inclusivity in the films they have submitted. OK2BX stands for “It’s Okay to Be Extraordinary” and the belief behind OK2BX is that all of the little things a person does each day to promote inclusivity will ultimately make for one extraordinary life – and one beautiful world.
The organization detailed the categories for films. From its website:
INCLUSIVITY: It’s better for everyone when everyone is included. The winning film will best highlight the positive depiction of inclusion.
LGBTQIA+: We know there are struggles every day for LGBTQIA+ youth – but also know there is joy and happiness. We want your film to show this joy.
ANIMATION: Animation can be a thing of beauty or art – in ways that live action cannot or may not. Your animated film (drawn, rendered, or stop-action) shows us this art.
SMARTPHONE: Everyone has a smart phone these days. Let’s put it to use making art. Films in this group have to be shot entirely on a smartphone.
Festival judges include Derek Kompare, associate professor and Chair of the Division of Film and Media Arts at Southern Methodist University; Byron Sanders, president and CEO of Big Thought; Sara Cardona, executive director of Teatro Dallas and board member of Deep Vellum Books and Publishing; Al Johnson, Family and Community Services Director at Resource Center and Emmy-award winning reporter Michael Castellucci.
The event begins at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
The OK2BX Foundation’s mission is to support and advocate for inclusivity. In addition to the film festival, the foundation supports other organizations that promote inclusivity such as Resource Center, The Trevor Project, Equality Texas, Human Rights Campaign and the Grant Halliburton Foundation. The foundation also awards scholarships for candidates pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree or a vocational certificate through an accredited program and who have demonstrated inclusivity in some significant way.
