VERY pleased to announce that MARY MARGARET ROAD-GRADER, the second of the Howard Waldrop shorts we’ve produced, kicked ass and took names at its world premiere, taking home the honors as Best Indigenous Short at the deadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma City.

Steven Paul Judd and Elias Gallegos represented the Fevre River Packet Company and Lumenscape Productions at the festival, while Taylor Church attended on behalf of Trioscope.   Elias also played the part of Simon Red Bulldozer.  Steven directed the film from his own screenplay, a lovely (and faithful) adaptation of Howard’s classic short story.   Crystle Lightning starred as Mary Margaret herself, and Martin Sensemeier as Billy-Bob Chevrolet.

Sadly, we lost Howard in January, but he was there in spirit… and also on celluloid, sitting into for a brief cameo appearance in a council scene.  I like to think he would have been proud of us.  I do know he liked the movie; were able to screen it for him in the week before his death.

 

Here’s the full list of all the deadCenter winners for 2024:

Here are the 2024 deadCenter Film Festival award winners!

For all you Waldrop fans who couldn’t make it to Oklahoma City last weekend, hang in there… we’re sending MARY MARGARET out on the  circuit, and have her on submission at another dozen festivals around the country and the world.  I will be sure to let you know when and where the movie will be appearing next.

And we’re not done yet.   We’re almost done with post on THE UGLY CHICKENS, and Howard Hamster and his own gang will be along after that.   Watch this space.

Current Mood: happy

There’s an exciting weekend ahead for all the film fans in Oklahoma City.  It is the time of the Sun Dance and the Big Tractor Pull… and the 24th Annual deadCenter Film Festival.

Join us for the 24th Annual deadCenter Film Festival: June 6-9, 2024!

As Oklahoma’s largest and only OSCAR©-qualifying film festival, deadCenter is the best place to see exciting new shorts, insightful documentaries, hilarious comedies, hair-raising thrillers, and the very best independent films from around the world and all over Oklahoma. Did we mention the legendary parties, networking events, and cutting-edge virtual reality experiences? There’s something for everyone at the 24th Annual deadCenter Film Festival. However you deadCenter, your pass will allow you to experience the best of the fest!

 The festival will feature a great lineup of features and short films from exciting new talents… including the WORLD PREMIERE of MARY MARGARET ROAD-GRADER, based on the classic short story by Howard Waldrop, and produced by George R.R. Martin and Trioscope Films,  scripted and directed by Steven Paul Judd and starring Crystle Lightning, Martin Sensemeier, Cody Lightning, Elias Gallegos, and Ryan Begay.   Ramin Djawadi did the score.

Originally published in 1977 in ORBIT 18, “Mary Margaret” was a finalist for the Nebula Award, Howard’s first major awards nomination…. though far from his last.   Alas, he lost

The festival will run from June 6 through June 9.   MARY MARGARET will run twice:

Friday June 7th, 3:00 PM   Harkins Auditorium 11

Saturday June 8th, 9:00 pm  Harkins Auditorium 13

Screenings will be shown at the Harkins Theatres Bricktown, 150 E. Reno Avenue, in Oklahoma City.

Have a look at our trailer.

Howard Waldrop passed away on January 14…but we were able to show him the final cut of MARY-MARGARET the week before he died, thankfully, and I am so happy to be able to say that he liked it.

deadCenter will be the first showing of MARY MARGARET ROAD-GRADER… but not the last, we hope.  We are taking the film out on the festival circuit, as we did with NIGHT OF THE COOTERS before it, and have submitted it to a dozen other filmfests all over the country and the world.   I will let you know when and where we are accepted.   With luck, you will be able to catch it at someplace near you.

Meanwhile, post production continues on our third Waldrop short, Michael Cassutt’s adaptation of THE UGLY CHICKENS, directed by Mark Raso.   Watch this space for details, when we have ’em.

 

Current Mood: happy