Popular local film festival will take place March 1-5, 2023
OxFilm will head into its 20th Anniversary year with new leadership and a renewed vision for Mississippi filmmaking, and film watching. The prestigious film festival has also announced its Call for Entries for next year’s edition. The event will take place in Oxford, Mississippi, March 1-5, 2023.
OxFilm announced Oxford Film Festival’s new Executive Director is Matt Wymer.
Matt Wymer is a filmmaker and comedian who moved from Canada to Mississippi at the age of 5. While attending high school in Oxford, Matt would spend many late nights at The Hoka enjoying all the music, art, and movies it had to offer.
Matt Wymer, a long-time Oxford resident and OXFF alum, said, “I’m so amped to be able to serve the Oxford creative community in this way. We are going to have fun supporting the arts!”
Since Oxford Film Festival’s founding in 2003, Matt has attended, volunteered, and competed.
A classic story of someone who came up through the ranks, experiencing the film festival first as a film fan, then as a volunteer, Wymer eventually joined the staff and worked within multiple departments for the film festival. This year, Matt produced the popular parties.
With his combined love of Oxford, local communities, and the film festival, Wymer is suited to lead this festival into the 20th Anniversary presentation.
The Oxford Film Festival has established itself over the past two decades as a cultural and creative beacon in the state of Mississippi, with grants awarded from the National Endowment of the Arts as part of its Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) – Media Arts for this year, the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), and the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) Grant via the National Endowment of the Arts in recognition of its artistic standing and impact locally in in the state.
This year’s Oxford Film Festival began with a raucous Opening Night screening of Hugo Sobelman’s Soul Kids which brought Memphis to town (as the film festival frequently does) including a performance by the 926 Stax Music Academy Alumni Band, and music was one of many highlights this year, with performances prior to a number of screenings and the return of the festival’s long partnership with Thacker Mountain Radio. The festival wrapped with an appearance by indie-music icon Suzanne Vega with the screening of her film Lover, Beloved.
Once again, red carpets were a hit with the filmmakers who flocked to Oxford for the film festival, as was the infusion of creatively themed parties and special panel events throughout the film festival including a “Roaring 20’s Celebration”, “Casino Royale Party”, and “Songwriters in the Round”, produced by The Local Voice Publisher Newt Rayburn.
However, no event epitomized the spirit and soul of the Oxford Film Festival more than the Tribute to Bill Luckett. The nearly sold-out event celebrated the life of the beloved Mississippi film producer, actor, businessman, arts supporter, former mayor of Clarksdale, and ubiquitous presence in the community.
Call for Entries
Submissions can be made at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/OxfordFilmFestival and more information is available at www.oxfordfilmfest.com.
Submission Deadlines
· Early Bird: July 15, 2022
· Regular: September 15, 2022
· Late: November 15, 2022
About Oxford Film Festival
The Oxford Film Festival was founded in 2003 to bring exciting, new, and unusual films (and the people who create them) to North Mississippi. The annual five-day festival screens short and feature-length films in both showcase and competition settings. The festival is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com.
