Still from Seeds of Greenwood

Future growth

The experience of Black Oklahomans will be expressed with a presentation of the newest OKC Thunder film at deadCenter as well as the Greenwood Film Festival occurring the same weekend in Tulsa.

deadCenter Film Festival for the fifth year in a row will debut a film from OKC Thunder Films.


This year, Seeds of Greenwood will screen at Scissortail Park on June 10 during the festival’s Friday Night Frolic. The event, which begins at 5 p.m. at Social Capital before starting in the park at 5:30 p.m. is free and open to the public. Seeds of Greenwood screens at 7:30 p.m. It is followed an hour later by a family-friendly slate of 11 shorts, both live action and animated.


Seeds of Greenwood is centered around the team’s afterschool program, Thunder Fellows and follows the students’ paths from the inaugural class. The film was produced between the murder or George Floyd and the centennial anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.


“This first year of the program has been an incredible journey. By combining our students’ curiosity with the latest technology and immersive experiences, we’re seeing them grow and flourish. It’s exciting to share on film what we get to see every day — how Thunder Fellows is making a difference for these kids and the community,” Cedric Ikpo, Thunder Fellows executive director, said in a news release.


"Since 2015, we’ve been creatively bringing the stories and experiences of the people who make up the Oklahoma City Thunder to life. We’re honored to continue our partnership with deadCenter and share this powerful chapter within the Thunder organization,” Dan Mahoney, Thunder vice president of broadcasting and an executive producer of Seeds of Greenwood, said.


Black-owned Oklahoma City film company Notis Studios wrote and produced several songs for the film.


A Seeds of Greenwood screening is scheduled at Circle Cinema in Tulsa on June 18 and will be available online at okcthunder.com the following day to coincide with Juneteenth.


During the same timeframe as the deadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma City, Tulsa will host its second annual Greenwood Film Festival June 8 through June 12. This year’s theme is “Films of Freedom.”


The festival begins with an interactive and hands-on series of writing, directing, producing, and editing classes followed by panel discussions designed to help filmmakers find their voice, audiences, locations and film funding.


The festival will screen a total of 18 films, both feature-length and shorts, at multiple venues, including Circle Cinema, Oklahoma State University — Tulsa and Living Arts.


For more information, including a full schedule, visit greenwoodfilmfestival.com.

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