Friday, April 4th
5:00 pm - Filmmaker Check in
6:00 pm - Doors open to the public
7:00 pm - Films begin!
   - The Bittersweet Truth About Parking by Anja Oelofse + Blake Bodlak
   - This Aint Real by Jordan Taylor
   - Sew Lucky by Hannah Pedersen
​   - Relapse by Lucas Hafer
​   - Night With a Nice Guy by Kaden Wittig
       - Filmmaker Q&A
   - Grape Chapstick by Lily Bella Joyce Tucker
   - Back by Monday by Fedora Young + Rhonda Gulliver
   - From Me To You by Vy Nguyen
   - MindFull by Vincent Spriggs
       - Filmmaker Q&A
​
Saturday, April 5th
10:00 am - "Filmmaking on a Budget" workshop with Anna Terry
11:00 am - "Sound for Film" workshop with Patrick Poe and Lolo Loren
Noon - Lunch!
1:00 pm - "Who are they and what do they want?" Juror Panel
~~~~~~~
5:00 pm - Doors reopen
6:00 pm Films begin
 - In the Cut(s) by Bradley Walton + Ian Brinkman
 - Behind Closed Doors by Joseph Tyler Wright
 - SKOOPS: A Mini Documentary by Emerson Welsh
       - Filmmaker Q&A
 - Falko by Edjé Perezantolo
 - Father's Love is Like a Mountain by Pauline Angelina
 - Buried Treasure by Jacob McCauley
       - Filmmaker Q&A
Awards of Excellence ceremony
Karaoke party!

We're thrilled to announce the presenters of another 2025 Workshop, and another Festival Juror!

Patrick Poe and Lolo Loren, 2025 Festival Workshop Presenters bringing you a workshop on sound for film, are award-winning filmmakers and the co-founders of IX Film Productions. They host the movie trivia podcast “First Timers Movie Club”, and program and run the Bird Watching Film Festival. Together as IX Film Productions they’ve made 6 feature films and over 30 short films and won "Best Filmmaker in Kansas City" in the Pitch Magazine in both 2023 and 2024. Their newest feature film “Almost Sorta Maybe”, winner of Best Local Film at First City Film Festival and Best Heartland Feature at the KC Film Festival, is now available for streaming on demand. Their newest short film Vegan Apocalypse won Best Kansas Film at Tallgrass Film Festival 2022 and has since been an official selection at over a dozen more, including in London and New York City. They work full time professionally behind the camera on everything from narrative features, to commercials, to music videos, to reality TV. 
Learn tips and tricks for capturing the best on-set audio possible and get all your sound questions answered by professionals working in the field. Patrick Poe & Lolo Loren have run audio on feature films in a wide range of environments and situations, as well as working with that audio in post production to create the best soundscape possible. They have worked in the audio department on films that have received both streaming and international theatrical releases, as well as festival award winning films.

Ken Spurgeon, a 2025 Festival Juror, was born and raised in Wichita. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s from Wichita State University in History while additionally compiling hours in Secondary Education: Social Studies. 
He is an Associate Professor of History at Friends University and a consultant at the Kansas Oil Museum in El Dorado, KS. He has spent over 20 years teaching at the High School and College level.  
Mr. Spurgeon is the author of “A Kansas Soldier at War:  The Civil War Lives and Letters of Christian and Elise Dubach Isely,” published by The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2013.
From 2004 until 2018, he was the Executive Director of Lone Chimney Films, Inc., a not-for-profit documentary film company dedicated to films about the Midwest. He has written or co-written and directed four documentaries. The last two films (Home on the Range and The Road to Valhalla) have earned the Western Heritage Award (Wrangler) at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 2018 and 2015. The previous three films have also aired on various PBS stations throughout the Midwest.
He recently served as the writer and director for the film Sod and Stubble based on the classic tale by the same name written by John Ise with Von Rothenberger. 

We're excited to announce two of our 2025 Festival Jurors, and one of our 2025 Festival Workshop Presenters!

Anna Dewell, a 2025 Festival Juror, is a marketing and communication manager in student nutrition and has over twenty years of experience in art, graphic design, film, communications, and digital media. She is a native of Ark City and holds an M.F.A. in Radio, Television, & Film with a concentration in documentary film from the University of North Texas where she won several awards for documentary films. Before moving to Texas, Anna earned her B.A. at Southwestern College and an A.A. at Cowley County Community College. In her free time, Anna enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to concerts, and being on or near the water. She is the proud mother of two grown children - one an audio engineer and one a biochemist.

Gina Bryant, a 2025 Festival Juror, is a director, producer, production designer, and costume designer from Wichita, KS, currently with Illumination Cinema. She has always loved fashion and putting on a show. She started taking dancing and acting lessons when she was 5 and dreamt of being a child star, though her mother wouldn't let her move to Hollywood. She did take drama classes from then on and developed a life-long love of acting.
Even though Gina loves the stage, she also loves behind the scenes work. You could often find her in the costume shop in high school and she worked in the costume shop at Southwestern College where she designed costumes, props, hair and makeup for various shows. She went on to earn a BFA in Studio Art at Wichita State University with her senior project consisting of wearable art influenced by historical fashion. Eventually she made the transition to film.
Gina has been both a featured and background actor for several small independent films including several short films she produced under America's Front Porch Film Co. She has also been the production designer and costume designer for several more short films and two features produced locally. Though she still loves acting, she prefers directing these days. Her films have been featured in festivals across the country, winning numerous awards. Her first feature length film ARRIVE ALIVE recently had its world premiere at the 22nd annual Tallgrass Film Festival.

Stay tuned for more updates with the remaining Jurors and Workshop Presenters to be announced, along with other exciting festival updates!

Our 10th Annual BisonBison Film Festival will be on Friday April 4 & Saturday April 5, 2025 at the Historic Burford Theatre. 
Submissions are open now (check out the submissions tab for more information), and we're excited to see what you've been working on!
Keep an eye out for more updates like juror announcements, workshop presenter updates, and more.

Friday, April 5th
5:00PM - Check In at Burford Theatre
7:00PM - Film Viewings:
- The 7 Year Senior
- In-Visible
- Welcome to Godly
- This is He
- Piso
- Mollie's Goodbye
- Honey
- Bound in the Heartland

Saturday, April 6th 
10:00AM - Free Workshop - Gun Safety
11:00AM - Free Workshop - Acting & Effects of the Writers Strike
6:00PM - Film Viewings:
- Finding Neomi
- A Search for Light
- Wildflowers
- Jimmy Trigger and the Mystery Box
- Lost Soul
- Hochatown
- Turnabout Bounty ​

ROY NUGEN is an award-winning writer, producer, property master plus actor. He comes from a family of musicians, wildcatters, carpet salesmen, cops, lion tamers, and engineers. Roy learned about the magic of movies when, at the tender age of 3, he saw BATMAN (1989) in the theater and was mesmerized. After a brief detour into law enforcement and armed private security, Roy turned his sights back to filmmaking. 
 
He has written 15 short films including BAG FULL OF TROUBLE, POTBOILER, HANDLE WITH CARE, DEATH IN LAVENDER, and most recently, HOLE IN THE GROUND, many of which have played across the country. He’s presently finishing production on his feature film ARRIVE ALIVE. He has been the property master on 17 short films and 2 feature films. 
 
Roy is also a prolific book reviewer and collector of vintage pulp books. You can read his reviews on his blog bloodyspicybooks.blogspot.com, and multiple magazines including Paperback Fanatic, Hot Lead and Sleazy Reader. He has also written afterwards for novels and for various websites.

Roy will be presenting a workshop about prop weapon safety.

TODD TERRY, a native Dallasite, began his career in television, film and theater over 30 years ago. He studied theater at The National Youth Theater of Great Britain, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and Professional Actors Conservatory in Los Angeles. In 2022, he completed production on the third season of the series Vindication as Detective Gary Travis, currently available on Amazon Prime and Pureflix. In 2023, he can be seen opposite Patricia Heaton and Zachary Levy in the film Unbreakable Boy and in The Senior with Michael Chiklis. Additional film releases in 2022 included Running the Bases and Pulled from Darkness. Past film credits include Five Feet Apart, Old Man and the Gun, El Camino, Unplanned, Beyond the Farthest Star, Because of Gracia, Waiting for the Miracle to Come, Arlington Road, and Walking Tall II. He has co-starred, guest starred and recurred on such shows as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Fear the Walking Dead, Queen Sugar, The Winchesters, Mr.
Mercedes, American Crime, Drop Dead Diva, Dallas, My Generation, Chase, Walker- Texas Ranger, Friday Night Lights, and Wishbone. He has also appeared in commercials for Home Depot, Home Title Lock, Texas Oncology, Mutual of Omaha, Fast Signs, American Airlines, Visionworks, Cabella's, Cooper Tires, Showtime, Blockbuster, TXU,
Service King, Brookshire's, Pepsi and Braum's. He served as the President of the Dallas/Ft Worth branch of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001. Todd has been married for 26 years to his wife Anna, and they have two boys, Austin, 24 and Conner, 18.

Todd will be presenting a workshop about acting for film.

​Gina Bryant is a director, producer, production designer, and costume designer from Wichita, KS, currently with Illumination Cinema. She has always loved fashion and putting on a show. She started taking dancing and acting lessons when she was 5 and dreamt of being a child star, though her mother wouldn't let her move to Hollywood. She did take drama classes from then on and developed a life-long love of acting.

Even though Gina loves the stage, she also loves behind the scenes work. You could often find her in the costume shop in high school and she worked in the costume shop at Southwestern College where she designed costumes, props, hair and makeup for various shows. She went on to earn a BFA in Studio Art at Wichita State University with her senior project consisting of wearable art influenced by historical fashion. Eventually she made the transition to film. 
 
Gina has been both a featured and background actor for several small independent films including several short films she produced under America's Front Porch Film Co. She has also been the production designer and costume designer for several more short films and two features produced locally. Though she still loves acting, she prefers directing these days. Her films have been featured in festivals across the country, winning numerous awards. She is currently finishing up her first feature film as a director: ARRIVE ALIVE.

​DARRYL COX is a professional SAG/AFTRA actor whose career spans the spectrum of major film and television productions.  Among his credits are over 90 principal roles in film (including ARLINGTON ROAD, ROBOCOP, BOTTLE ROCKET, MINARI, and A PERFECT WORLD) and TV (including FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, PRISON BREAK, L.A. LAW, RESERVATION DOGS, and NYPD BLUE). He taught On-Camera Acting at Adam Roarke’s Film Actor’s Lab in Dallas and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, later at Oklahoma City University and the University of Central Oklahoma, and for 25 years at the University of Oklahoma.  A former officer in the U.S. Navy, he served onboard the destroyer U.S.S. Forrest Sherman, including a deployment to the Persian Gulf in 1980.  In 1977 he graduated with a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma, and currently resides in Norman, Oklahoma.

​The BisonBison Film Festival is excited to announce the official opening of submissions for its upcoming annual event. Dedicated to providing a platform for student filmmakers to showcase their talent on the big screen, the festival has become a prominent fixture in the vibrant world of independent cinema. Filmmakers from Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas are invited to participate and share their stories through the art of film.
Submissions for the BisonBison Film Festival open on September 1st, 2023. This is an unparalleled opportunity for student filmmakers to showcase their vision, creativity, and storytelling skills. Selected films will not only grace the silver screen but will also be considered for recognition through the coveted Awards of Excellence, each accompanied by a prize of $1,000. Additionally, the Audience Favorite Award, a celebration of the film that resonates most with viewers, will be presented.
Mark your calendars! The BisonBison Film Festival is scheduled to take place on April 5 & 6, 2024 at the Burford Theatre in Arkansas City, KS. This immersive two-day experience isn't just about showcasing films; it's a golden opportunity for student filmmakers to dive into a world of creativity, learn from industry experts, and connect with peers. 

"We feel like we received sincere "A-List" treatment the entirety of the weekend; thank you. I'm grateful for the workshops and resources that were shared at the festival, as well. I gained a lot of valuable information, insights, and resources there. ... You always made sure we had anything we'd need and I thought you did a fantastic job with the event."
- Michael A. Campbell, selected filmmaker at BBFF '23 Festival