Time to sally down to Oxford town! The 2016 Oxford Film Festival is underway with a packed schedule of new films, a celebration of Mid-South cinema history, and some special guest appearances.
The 17th annual festival’s first screening is Strange Weather, director Katherine Deckman’s Mississippi-set film that has been gathering acclaim on the festival circuit since it’s Toronto premiere. Holly Hunter stars in the road trip story about a college administrator who loses her job and decides to confront some old enemies.
Holly Hunter in Strange Weather
On Friday morning, you can catch Memphis filmmaker Waheed AlQawasami’s moving documentary tracing the experience of Mid South Holocaust survivors “Lives Restarted”. Here’s an interview with AlQawasami I did for the 2016 Indie Memphis film festival screening to give you more insight into this important documentary.
Later in Friday’s packed schedule, the seminal documentary Small Town Gay Bar will have a tenth anniversary screening, followed up by a panel discussion with director Malcom Ingram on the legacy and impact of his portrait of two rural Mississippi LBGTQ gathering places.
Oxford Film Festival Celebrates History, Diversity
Friday night, film legend Danny Glover will be on hand to present director Raoul Peck’s Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro, based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin. “This will be a major event for the film festival and the community as Danny Glover is not only a beloved actor, known for a number of film classics, but also has long been dedicated to speaking out about the human rights and social injustice,” says festival director Melanie Addington. “The Oxford Film Festival has always been a much more than an occasion to see films in Mississippi, but also an active participant in the community and outspoken regarding their well being. Just as Danny doesn’t shy away from saying what needs to be said, neither does the Oxford Film Festival, and we are thrilled to provide this forum for him.”
Oxford Film Festival Celebrates History, Diversity (2)
Saturday evening welcomes Joey Lauren Adams to talk about the twentieth anniversary of Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith’s hit comedy that was a major triumph of the 1990s indie film movement and helped launch the careers of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Casey Affleck.
Oxford Film Festival Celebrates History, Diversity (3)
Sunday night’s closing film will be Folk Hero & Funny Guy, the acclaimed Tribecca comedy starring Alex Karpovsky, Wyatt Russell, and David Cross.
Oxford Film Festival Celebrates History, Diversity (4)
The entire weekend will see 151 films, including narrative features, documentaries, and shorts, as well as a special virtual reality presentation and numerous panels, programs, and parties. You can get full details of the schedule and buy tickets on the Oxford Film Festival website.
