NEWS: Oxford Film Festival 2019 Sees Diverse New Voices in Faulkner Country1 min read
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Saturday night at the 16th annual Oxford Film Festival (OFF) was prom—not an actual prom, but a sweet sixteen-themed awards ceremony complete with fried chicken and sangria, hosts in ballgowns and an electricity in the air where you felt the nostalgia of your own teenage dance. The OFF had mostly seen LGBTQ, minority-focused and movies with a female gaze at the festival, which ran this February 6 to 10.
Given that Oxford is in Mississippi, a short distance away from William Faulkner’s beloved writing oasis, that felt like a beautiful accomplishment. Regional festivals are becoming more and more important in the film landscape, uplifting new, diverse voices in a time where people are viewing films in a group setting less and less. At Oxford, the success lay in the crop of powerful stories from fresh voices, many of which aligned with, and then furthered, our cultural conversation.
“Oxford has a long history of being an arts town and a place of liberal thinkers. Our festival just goes along with what Oxford already has,” executive director Melanie Addington said. Since coming onboard in 2006, she has “tripled the budget and sponsors, expanded the mission to include more education, support for female and LGBTQ filmmakers and worked to grow attendance and national awareness of the event.” The hard work shines through, the festival standing out along with other southern festivals like Indie Memphis in Tennessee and Sidewalk in Alabama.
Image credit: Mongrel Media
