2020 Festival Schedule

Film Viewing - Friday April 3, 7:00pm  - Carolyn Renfro Event Center, 445 Fairview, Ponca City
She and Others
   Poolside - by Halle Frieden, Tulsa Community College. Rated PG, 8 minutes
   Missing - by Jasmine Jones, Southeast Missouri State University. Rated PG, 11 minutes
   My Sappho - by Mahryn Rose, University of Missouri: Kansas City. Rated PG, 6.5 minutes
   The Sum of 3 - by Sara Dulin, Johnson County Community College. Rated G, 6 minutes
   Wildflower - by Emily Harris, University of Missouri: Kansas City. Rated PG, 8 minutes
   The Offer - by Shelby Hagerdon, Wayne State University. Rated PG-13, 16.5 minutes

15 min intermission

It’s A Crime Not to Laugh
   The Big Kid - by Josh Eliot, Oklahoma City University. Rated PG-13, 8 minutes
   The Alibi - by Jared Thomas, Southeast Missouri State University. Rated PG-13, 10.5 minutes

Like A Phoenix
   Black Wall-Street: From Tragedy to Triumph - by Modupe Airehrour, Rogers State University. Rated G, 17 minutes

The Dark Side of Love
   Here Be Lions - by Shane White, University of Arkansas. Rated R, 9 minutes
   Lovesick - by Katherine Lundahl, Wayne State University. Rated R, 11 minutes

Free Workshops - Saturday April 4, 10:00am  - Carolyn Renfro Event Center, 445 Fairview, Ponca City
   10:00am  “I Wanna Be a Producer . . . Wait, What Does A Producer Do?”
   11:00am  “Kids, Critters and Contracts”
   Lunch Break
   1:00 pm  “What do Jurors Want” An Open Panel Discussion with Ricki Maslar, Christopher Sneed and Al Mertens

Film Viewing - Saturday April 4, 7:00pm  - Carolyn Renfro Event Center, 445 Fairview, Ponca City
At Intersections
   Bridges - by Josh Combs, Butler County Community College. Rated PG-13, 13 minutes
   Drowning - by Zachary Klink, Tulsa Technology Center. Rated PG, 3 minutes
   Omarr - by Russell Gummelt, Missouri Western State University. Rated PG-13, 17 minutes
   The Prisoner - by Blaise Webster, Friends University. Rated R, 20 minutes

15 min intermission

Reflections
   Motivation Monday - by Kevin Nail, University of Texas:  Arlington. Rated PG-13, 6 minutes
   SimianScope: The Making of King Kung Fu - by Nathan Light, Wichita State University. Rated PG, 28 minutes

10 Min intermission

Presentation of Awards of Excellence

In the words of the great WC Fields, “Never work with animals or children,” BisonBison Film Festival: A Student Competition is having a workshop about that subject. Attorney Jennifer Tunder will discus the legalities of working with animals and children in films.  

Jennifer Tunder is an attorney licensed in Oklahoma and California. Her film practice includes entity formation, contract review, document/contract drafting, researching, educating and consulting. Her clients include local filmmakers and out-of-state filmmakers, many of whom film in Oklahoma to  utilize the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program for film and Television. Prior to practicing law, Jennifer gained 11 years experience in entertainment while living in Los Angeles. For six of those years, Jennifer was a DVD producer for a variety of films and TV shows. She had the privilege of working with studios, such as Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., in creating compelling, award winning content for “The Big Bang Theory,” “Fringe,” and the epic documentary re-release of the “40th Anniversary of Woodstock.” Jennifer received her B.A. in Mass Communications from Oklahoma City University, and a Certificate in the Business and Management of film, TV and new media from UCLA Extension. She received her J.D. from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, reading crime fiction, watching Britcoms, going to the DeadCenter Film Festival, traveling and enjoying her home state of Oklahoma.

BBFF workshops will be Sat. April 4 starting at 10am and are free/open to the public through the generosity of the Ponca City Arts and Humanities Council. All workshops will be held at the Festival Venue, Carolyn Renfro Event Center/Hospice of NCO, 445 Fairview Ave, Ponca City OK.

DARRYL COX, a professional film/TV actor/stunt coordinator for over 35 years, will present a workshop on basic film set safety procedures. Mr. Cox’s film credits include Robocop, Bottle Rocket, Wildlife, Necessary Roughness, A Perfect World and Arlington Road. His TV credits include Prison Break, Friday Night Lights, Dallas, LA Law, General Hospital, North and South and In Plain Sight. He has worked with such directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Wes Anderson, Clint Eastwood, Terrence Malick, Oliver Stone, Bille August, and Paul Dano. Currently, Cox teaches “Acting for the Camera” in Los Angeles, Dallas, and at the University of Oklahoma. He is a former officer in the U.S. Navy, serving on the destroyer U.S.S. Forrest Sherman and now resides in Norman, Oklahoma.

CRAIG PASQUINZO will present a workshop on how a documentary project is started. Mr. Pasquinzo is a highly accomplished leader with experience in documentaries and academia. He has over ten years of experience in television, film, live events, development of international production, editing and screenwriting. Currently on the faculty of the University of Arkansas, Pasquinzo instruct students in the creation of documentary short films, including script writing, videography, and editing. He recently finished a University of Arkansas documentary project: Tibetans in Exile Today, which was chronicled the Tibetan struggle starting from the Chinese invasion in 1959 to the present day. He also organized 16 university students on a three-week videography trip to India, in 2015 and 2017, to record interviews of Tibetan subjects.

The Early Bird deadline is Wed. December 19, 2018. A $5 discount is applied to the submission fee, making the fee $25 instead of $30.  As of today, we have 11 films submitted from Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. Hey students in Nebraska and Oklahoma, let's see your submissions! Remember the final deadline is February 2, 2019.

WE would like to introduce the 2019 Festival Selection Committee:
L to R, seated: Mindy Littlecook, Sam Stuart, Gayle Williams
L to R, standing: Dolley Rolland, Chris Littlecook, Stephe Long, Jeri Casey Nash, Todd Stuart, Shane Bereman, Carla Rafferty
Not Pictured: Winston Henry, Jose Cervantes, Lance Garret
Remember: WE'RE WATCHING!

“A Very Unmerry Early November” by Danielle Trausch, University of Nebraska Lincoln
“Tell My Family I Love Them” by Erik Harken, University of Kansas
“DEFACEMENT” by Maura Conry, Johnson Co. Community College (Kansas)
“Not Alone in This” by Micah P Watney, Sterling College (Kansas)
“The Passenger” by Nathan Light, Wichita State University 
“Two Houses” by Jasmine Jones, Southeast Missouri University
“Kostym” by Jeffrey Mundinger, University of Missouri Kansas City 
“The Book” by Kyle Womelduff, University of Missouri Kansas City
“The Scotsman” by Russell Gummelt, Missouri Western State University
“A Shelter First” by Bryan Pollard, University of Arkansas
“Out of the Woods” by Andrew Epperson, University of Arkansas
“Homeless in Boomtown” by Denzel Jenkins, University of Arkansas
“Mono Color” by Ross DeFehr,  University of Oklahoma    
“The Case of the Stuffing Slasher” by Anna Frieden, University of Oklahoma
“Self Portrait” by Faun Harjo, University of Oklahoma
“Mr. Sandman” by Ian Rogers, Northern Oklahoma College
“Chicago Lady” by Joshua Gallas, University of Texas Arlington
“Take Care” by Joseph Tesfaye, University of Texas Arlington
“Mom” by Hien Dinh, University of Texas Arlington
“Hugo’s Plane” by Jo-X Cruz, University of Texas Arlington

BisonBison Film Festival wished to express our gratitude to Geoffrey Smith for his service as our Festival Outreach Coordinator for the past three years. He approached this duty with energy, creativity and enthusiasm. Much of the growth the Festival has experienced is due to his efforts. Best of Luck in your new adventures, Geoffrey!