From Oscar-winners to blockbusters, Oklahoma’s booming film industry has turned the state into a Hollywood star in its own right, and the best way to experience it in-person is at Oklahoma City’s deadCenter Film Festival. Founded in 2000, with the 26th annual festival slated for June 10-14 in and around downtown OKC, deadCenter is the largest — and only Oscar-qualifying — festival in Oklahoma. From screenings to parties, it’s a multi-day showcase of homegrown talent, with events that run the gamut from rooftop receptions to panels. Here’s everything you need to know about OKC’s deadCenter Film Festival, as well as what to do and where to eat nearby.
deadCenter Film Festival
Founded by filmmakers, deadCenter Film works to “inspire, promote and celebrate creativity and community through film.” The non-profit organization runs on three pillars, including its Statewide Education Tour, which brings filmmaking into Oklahoma schools, and its year-round Continuum Programming Series, which screens films — especially those focused on underrepresented communities — throughout OKC.
The splashiest pillar is the film festival itself, a marquee event held annually in June, at venues throughout downtown OKC. The largest film festival in the state, with more than 200 films and upwards of 30,000 attendees, deadCenter also holds the distinction as Oklahoma’s only Oscar-qualifying festival, meaning the winners of all three short film categories — Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Documentary Short — are eligible for Academy Award nominations. deadCenter is one of only 27 film festivals in the country with qualifying status in all three shorts categories.
Featuring both locally produced films, and work from across the globe, attendees can look forward to an array of screenings throughout the festival. While this year’s schedule has yet to be released, both shorts and features are screened at venues like the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the First Americans Museum and Harkins Theater in Bricktown. Along with screenings, which take place all afternoon and evening, deadCenter features events, panels and parties aplenty.
These include an opening-day (June 10) red carpet event by Cloud Embrace, the new public art installation in front of Harkins Theater, and an opening-night party at Sailor & the Dock, followed by Cocktails on the Skyline on the rooftop of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art on June 11, and a late-night karaoke party at Ponyboy. On June 12, Friday Night Frolic is an opportunity to mix and mingle with filmmakers and attendees at Dunlap Codding, and Saturday evening events include the deadCenter Awards Ceremony and a party at Lively Beerworks. There’s also a deadCenter Film Festival app, complete with full schedule and screenings.
Passes are available in a few different options, with the 2026 Festival Pass ($200) inclusive of access to all panels, networking events and parties, complimentary food and drinks, designated lines and priority entry to all screenings, entry to the deadCenter Awards Ceremony and festival swag bags. The 2026 Film Pass ($135) includes designated lines and priority entry to all screenings, and entry to the deadCenter Awards Ceremony, while the 2026 Party Pass ($135) includes access to panels, parties, networking events, complimentary food and drinks and the awards ceremony. All passes can be purchased here.
Where to Eat Nearby
Spread throughout downtown OKC, festival-goers have lots of dining options in the area. In addition to special passholder perks and exclusive deals at select businesses, including Bee Healthy Cafe and Charleston’s, Bricktown is home to a plethora of restaurants and bars, from Truck Yard's food trucks and live music, to higher-end destinations like Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse and some of the best sushi in OKC at Culprits.
The city center is also teeming with options. Start your day with breakfast tacos and tarts at Stitch Cafe, or linger a little longer over brunch at FLINT. Located in one of OKC’s most historic buildings, the Colcord Hotel, the latter is known for its weekend brunch, including cinnamon rolls with candied bacon, pimento and ham omelettes and crème brûlée French toast.
For upscale dining on an upper floor, snag a reservation at Vast, a contemporary American spot on the 49th floor of the Devon Tower. Heading down Main Street, and into Film Row, you’ll find some of OKC’s best burgers at both Bar Arbolada and Sun Cattle Co., while The Jones Assembly is one of the best restaurants in town, offering seasonally inspired comfort foods (think: elote pizzas, cacio e pepe wings) and craft cocktails in a lofty space that also touts a sprawling patio, second-floor bar and a concert stage.
To drink, cozy up at The Study wine pub, sip some of OKC’s most inventive cocktails in an actual bank vault at The Vault at The National, and cool off at Pool Bar & Bodega, which is featuring a Route 66-inspired cocktail menu for the Route 66 centennial. Downtown is also home to many of OKC’s best breweries, including Stonecloud Brewing Co., Lively Beerworks, and Skydance Brewing Co. — the first Native-owned brewery in Oklahoma. And for local beer with a local brew, grab a drink and head to the second floor patio at Social Capital, overlooking the skyline and Scissortail Park.
What to Do Nearby
At deadCenter, you’re not only at the epicenter of independent film, but you’re in the center of the downtown action in OKC. Between screenings and events, attendees have lots of ways to fill their days, including arts destinations that dovetail nicely with the film festival.
In addition to hosting deadCenter events, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, First Americans Museum, and the Oklahoma Contemporary are world-class art facilities that are well worth a deeper dive. For an art experience with a little more immersion, explore Factory Obscura, a vibrant art collective inviting guests to navigate various rooms designed by local artists and themed to mix tapes. Part gallery and part all-ages playground, it’s a veritable wonderland of homegrown talent.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is close to all the deadCenter activities as well, and a requisite destination for reflection on how OKC responded to tragedy by banding together, and growing stronger. Festival-goers also get pass perks and exclusive deals at the American Banjo Museum, home to the world’s largest public collection of banjos.
For those looking for outdoor adventure, Riversport OKC is a state-of-the-art facility with whitewater rafting, tubing, surf simulators and a zip line that soars over the Oklahoma River. Nearby, OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark offers its own aquatic thrills, including a 100,000-sq.-ft. indoor water park and — at 4.5 acres — a beachy lagoon that ranks as one of the largest pools in the U.S., complete with cabanas, an inflatable obstacle course and an adults-only swim-up bar.
And last but not least, Myriad Botanical Gardens is one of downtown OKC’s marquee gems, boasting 15 acres of beautiful blooms, a carousel, a children’s garden and the Crystal Bridge Conservatory.
