Tulsa United Film Festival 2010: A Rundown. Plus, Win Passes.

Congrats to Kristen J, winner of the pair of TUFF mini-passes up for grabs here at TDT. Thanks to all for playing - see you at the festival!
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The Tulsa United Film Festival, a weekend chock full of movies with indie and local flare, kicks off in Tulsa tomorrow night.

Summertime brings all sorts of special, once-a-year treats - daily trips to the pool, new additions to your ever-growing flip-flop collection, sno cones with your sweetie.

But, there's nothing quite like a summer movie. There's just something about sitting in a frosty movie theater knowing that the temperatures and humidity levels rage outside, and that the sun shines on, unrelenting.

And that's the feeling you get when you see just one movie during the dog days of summer. Imagine how you'll feel after seeing not one, but 13 - that's a baker's dozen, y'all - films this weekend with the Tulsa United Film Festival while the mercury creeps above 100 just on the other side of that emergency exit door.

In four words? 12 shades of awesome.

United Film Festivals hold a tradition of showcasing humorous, touching and provoking films, each of which provide an experience for filmmakers and filmgoers alike that can't be found anywhere else. Beginning in Tulsa in 2002 as a dream of Tulsa native filmmaker Jason Connell, the festivals, whose awesomeness found home here but could not be contained, burst forth onto the scene in Los Angeles and New York in 2007, and again in 2009 in San Francisco, Chicago and London, bringing its flare for cinema to an even wider audience.

I mean, MovieMaker Magazine named this festival one of the top 25 coolest film festivals, and considering just how many film festivals there are on this rock we call Earth, I'd say that's kind of a big deal.

The films in the Tulsa festival are grouped into three themes - Opening Night on Friday, Environmental Day on Saturday and ending on Sunday with The Quest. All films except the kick-off showing of The Rock-afire Explosion on Thursday night and the closing film Monday night will show at Circle Cinema, 12 S. Lewis Ave.

Here's the line-up (even if you're already picked up a print version, be sure to check this one - the print version I picked up at Circle Cinema and the online version differ on a few points):


Thursday
A night of zanyness and crazyness, all in the name of something bigger than ourselves.

The Rock-afire Explosion
When: 7pm
Cost: FREE
Where: Joe Momma's, 112 S. Elgin Ave.
A documentary about a small-town disc jockey, a struggling inventor and an animatronic rock band.

Biker Fox
When: 8:45pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
The story of Frank P. DeLarzelere III, a.k.a. Biker Fox, Tulsa's misunderstood motivational bicyclist, nature conservationist and muscle car guru.


Friday
A surprise guest on a road trip and Weird Al, all in the same night - what could possibly go wrong?

Jeffie Was Here
When: 7pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
One couple's life takes an unpredictable turn when an apparent stranger accompanies them on a road trip.

UHF
When: Midnight
Cost: $5 (get tickets)
TV as it was meant to be seen - in a movie theater.


Saturday
A day of environmental conscientiousness, followed by a midnight horror film about an alien. Rock much?

Tapped
When: 2pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
A documentary examining the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on health, climate change, pollution and our reliance on oil.

Dive!
When: 4:30pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
An environmentally charged documentary about the world of dumpster diving and the ugly truth about waste in America.

The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher
When: 7pm and 9:30pm
Cost: Both screenings SOLD OUT
The awkward son of a rocks star works through his famous father's suicide by navigating the brutal underground world of karaoke in this Tulsa-centric film. Read my story in Oklahoma Magazine about the filmmakers and their green approach to filmmaking

The Thing
When: Midnight
Cost: $5 (get tickets)
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.


Sunday
A day of films about seeking, finding and the lure of the quest.

Race Ream
When: 12pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
An inside look into a low-budget race car team trying to chase their dreams of making it into the big leagues in the world of auto racing.

The Wayman Tisdale Story
When: 3pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
A detailed account of the life of the late basketball star and jazz musician, Wayman Tisdale.

Divorcing God
When: 5pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
A documentary about Christian beliefs and divorce.

Beyond The Pole
When: 7pm
Cost: $8 (get tickets)
A mockumentary film crew follows the first carbon neutral, organic, vegetarian expedition ever to attempt the North Pole.


Monday
An evening complete with a TUFF awards show and a free movie screening at downtown's favorite pizza joint.

Special When Lit
When: 7:30pm
Where: Joe Momma's, 112 S. Elgin
Cost: FREE
The definitive story of the rise and fall of pinball as told by the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe.


Before each feature film will be a block of short films. A filmmaker Q&A will follow most feature films, too, so be sure to stick around for some elbow-rubbing with celebrities of the film industry.

If the synopses of five of these 13 films grabbed your soul and won't let go, you should get a mini all-access pass to the festival. The cost is $25, which is a savings of more than 40 percent over what you'd pay to see each film individually.

Or, if you want to go all-out and see as many of these films as you possibly can (and why wouldn't you?), get the all-access pass for $50. That's more than a 50 percent savings over what you'd pay to see each of these films if you were to just walk up to the box office and buy tickets.

So, here's what you do. Get a pass for yourself and a friend and/or sweetie. Then, head to the comments section on this post and mention your favorite Tulsa movie, Tulsa-born actor or actress, or film that was fully or partially shot in T-Town for your chance to win a pair of mini all-access passes to the Tulsa United Film Festival.

Note: While those passes can't guarantee you access to sold-out showings (damn you for being so awesome, The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher!), they do lock you in for a weekend chock full of filmy goodness.

I'll accept entries until 10pm tonight, and I'll let Random.org choose the winner. I'll check with the lucky person and post his or her name on this post soon after the end of the contest.

Good luck, and don't forget the popcorn!

Lead photo from the Circle Cinema archive on Flickr
Other photos captured from TheUnitedFest.com