When moviegoers take their seats at the 6th annual Greenwood Film Festival, being held at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa’s auditorium from Sept. 6-10, the goal is for them to reflect on their lives and challenge their perceptions.
“This year’s films ask questions about what fathers leave behind, what justice looks like, how we protect and mentor young people, what sustains us through difficult circumstances, and what kind of legacy we choose to build,” said festival executive director Dennis Delemar.
“Ultimately, I hope someone sees a film and calls their father. I hope someone decides to mentor a young person. I hope someone learns a piece of history they weren’t taught. And I hope an aspiring filmmaker watches something and thinks, ‘Let me take it up a level.’”
Founded in 2021 by Delemar, the festival aims to create opportunities for emerging filmmakers by creating additional access to screen their works in front of an audience.
“Oklahoma’s film industry is growing, and I want Black and independent filmmakers to grow alongside it — not simply as participants, but as directors, producers and creators capable of building feature films, documentaries and series that can travel beyond Oklahoma,” said Delemar, who lived in Tulsa from 2014 to 2017 and now calls southern California home.
This year’s installment focuses on stories around everything from wrongful incarceration and fatherhood to domestic violence, mentorship, faith and Black economic empowerment, Delemar said.
“Then you can turn around and experience a love story or something that simply allows you to laugh and enjoy cinema,” he added.
Delemar’s “A House Between Worlds” plays opening night, while his documentary feature “Kidnapping Cartel” debuts Sept. 7.
Among this year’s featured selections is “PowerNomics” based on the life and work of Dr. Claud Anderson and directed by award-winning writer, director and cinematographer Justin Ervin and executive produced by radio host Charlamagne tha God. The documentary, playing Sept. 10, follows the renowned scholar, political adviser and bestselling author as he reflects on decades of research and his vision for Black America.
Festival audiences have many film screenings to attend, including a Sept. 9 screening of “One Last Breath,” a documentary told through the eyes of the daughter of Rev. Daniel Simmons, who was killed by a white supremacist at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015.
Also playing Sept. 9 is “The Sight Unseen,” directed by Shawn Antoine II. The hybrid documentary revisits the story of a young girl’s mysterious encounter that became a powerful moment of faith and wonder for an entire community.
On Sept. 8 is “Alex & Mor,” is a visually imaginative love story in which two souls struggle to find one another across fractured memories, time and space as they fight to reclaim a relationship that seems destined to slip away. See the full schedule and get ticket information here. A day pass is $15, with higher tiers available, and tickets to individual screenings are available.
“We want people who have never made a film to walk into Greenwood and realize that there is a place for them in this industry,” Delemar said. “That’s the bigger vision. We’re not only building an annual festival. We’re pouring into a film community that can continue creating long after the festival ends.”
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
