Welcome to the 15th annual Oxford Film Festival. The staff, volunteers and I look forward to celebrating this landmark anniversary with you. When this festival began in 2003, Oxford was a different place, a smaller town with only a 4-screen cinema: no YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, Hulu, Prime, or VOD. It was the dream of a small committee of people to provide a way to celebrate independent films and filmmakers and to find ways to champion them. We are happy to celebrate with them this year at our Founders Reception at the University Museum on Friday, February 9. We have continued to follow in their footsteps and expanded the mission to year-round screenings and events, and to providing deeply discounted rentals of film equipment to help filmmakers. We have also taken steps to provide grants to fund filmmakers and to focus on diversity in filmmaking. Today in 2018, there are so many ways for you to watch great independent cinema, but the magic of seeing it on the big screen, often at its world or regional premiere in Oxford with the opportunity to interact with the filmmaker, is something that cannot be replaced. That is the magic of a film festival. Just like going to a book signing or an art reception, going to a film festival is about supporting the arts. From first time filmmakers and DIY go-getters to veterans in their field, film festivals showcase a wide variety of talents. Sure, we can all watch movies on our couch at home, but the smell of popcorn, and the mingling with filmmakers, neighbors and visitors from out of town or out of state (or even international) only happens in Oxford once a year. I encourage you to come celebrate with us! We are especially excited to host the filmmakers and special guests in Oxford. I love how our town rolls out the red carpet for visitors, and we know they will feel right at home because of you. But there are more than just movies this weekend! We have workshops and panels that focus on a variety of topics in the film industry. From working on sound design in post production to crowdfunding a film to conversations with industry experts, our panels will surely inspire you. We have also added a new Kid Film Fest on Saturday and Sunday for young ones to watch movies and learn the art of filmmaking with a series of panels. Plus there is also the BASEketball tournament if you want to get some exercise while celebrating our anniversary screening of the 1998 film! There is also the most important element of every festival: the Q&A with the filmmaker. This is your opportunity to learn more about how the movie was made, why the filmmaker made certain artistic choices and more. Interaction with the filmmaker at a festival is what makes these events so special. Don’t be nervous, ask a question! And don’t miss out on the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a filmmaker in our lobby. But of course, there are also the parties. Anyone with a VIP pass gets to hang out with us in the evenings and mingle with actors, filmmakers, producers and our supportive sponsors. The staff, the volunteers, and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you this weekend. As the executive director my job is made easier because of the support of our sponsors, our hard working volunteers and you, our guests. If I don’t get the opportunity to thank you in person, please know that your support means the world to me and to the Oxford Film Festival. But if you see me, come up and introduce yourself! We’ll see you at the movies. Melanie Addington
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Fifteenth Annual Oxford Film Festival (2018) Executive Director: Melanie Addington Assistant Director: Kayleigh Graham Oxford Film Festival Board: Wayne Andrews, Meaghin Burke, Mary Allyn Hedges, Hudson Hickman, Hollie Hilliard, Shannon Cohn, Lucas Singh, Jack Garner, Sparky Reardon, Donna Ruth Roberts, Steve Sahlein, and Dr. Ralph Vance. Narrative Feature and Mississippi Feature Programmer: Mark Bell Documentary Feature Programmer: Mark Rabinowitz Mississippi Shorts Programmers: Mary Margaret Andrews and Courtney Hall Fest Forward Programmer: Valerie Guinn Polgar Music Video and Documentary Programmer: Newt Rayburn Narrative Shorts Programmer: Jennifer Murchison LGBTQ Programmer: Brian Whisenant ScreenPlay Contest Coordinator: Blake Hemphill Screeners: Melanie Addington, Angella Baker, John Bernstein, Susan Boles, Michelle Bright, Dawn Bullion, Steven Case, Bill Dabney, Laura Darby, Jacquelyn Elder-Meredith, Marilyn Frey, Carolyn Gawlik, Emily Gawlik, Sue Gobert, Amye Gousset, Juli Jackson, Arta James, Kelly Johnson, Chris Koban, Jack Koban, Tracy Koslowski, Marianna Lee, Trichelle Lee, Ariella Mayo, Susan McPhail, Hannah Miller, Rebecca Pugh, Amanda Reed, John Reyer, Adam Schartoff, Barry Scott, Marcus Simmons, Ray Sizemore, Kerry Snyder, Natascha Techen Scott, and Kathleen Wilson. Production Services provided by SparkLab Projectionist: Greg Gray DCP Services provided by Selig Polyscope DCP Support: Dev Shapiro Volunteer Coordinators: Sarah Wadford, Tyler Nelson and Patrick Hudson Publicist: John Wildman Publications Manager: Michelle Emanuel Publications Assistant: Tom Speed Panels Coordinator: Alex Thiel Transportation Coordinator: Virginia Brick Assistant Transportation Coordinator: Hannah Glass Box Office Coordinator: Withrow Newell Assistant Box Office Coordinator: Angel Baker Print Traffic Coordinator: Maverick Kohlohf Jury Wrangler: Arik Sokol Venue Manager: Toby Douglas Assistant Venue Manager: Morgan Tucker Malco Managers: Montana Byrd, Dylan Kerr Conference Center Manager: Mindy Van Kuren Screen Manager Coordinator: Whitney Friday Q&A Coordinator: Rory Ledbetter Merchandise Coordinator: Jacquelyn Meredith Hotel Coordinator/Filmmaker Lounge Coordinator: Kristin Rogers Gift Bag Coordinator/Filmmaker Lounge Coordinator: Wendy McMain Green Room Coordinator: Kim Chrestman Documentary Coordinators: Derek Brown and Matt Wymer Kid Film Fest Coordinator: Yasmeen Abdo Interns: Charissma Crump, Tony King, Amanda Haley, Brandon Hancock, Jace McArthur, Kharisma Morris, Cayla Rosenberg, Ally Spicer Trailer Editor: Mary Knight Staff Photographer: Bill Dabney Poster Design: J-Man Printed Program Design: Susan Bauer Lee Ad and All Other Design: Stephen Rogers, Blue Clock Designs, Josh Williams Ambassadors: Johnny and Susan McPhail Advisory Board: Don Lewis, Ron Shapiro, Erik Jambor Special Thanks to: Aidan Addington, Harry and Lynda Addington, Josh Williams, James Willis and Karen Scott, Johnny and Susan McPhail, John Norris and Tate Taylor, Jon Maynard and Tim Burkhead and the people of Oxford. The Oxford Film Festival is an independent non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) status. Donations may be tax deductible. Contact us at info@oxfordfilmfest.com or 877-560-3456 or visit us online at oxfordfilmfest.com
February 7-11, 2018