Lights, Camera, Liftoff: Tulsa Film Collective reignites to foster local cinema
From the days when Francis Ford Coppola was shooting The Outsiders and Rumble Fish on the Tulsa streets to the recent game-changing phenomenon of “Reservation Dogs,” film has been a uniquely powerful force here. But never has there been so much excitement about film in this city as there is right now. If the Tulsa Film Collective (tulsafilmcollective.org) has anything to say about it — and it does — that kind of energy is about to become the norm rather than the exception.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRITTANY BENDABOUT
Founded in 2018 with the aim of creating a platform that would showcase local films and build a network of support for creators, TFC is relaunching this year with a slate of community screening events, plus plans for mentorship programs and microgrants to support local filmmakers. The new collective sees original members Sterlin Harjo, Charles Elmore and Jessica McEver joined by Shagah Zakerion, who brings decades of experience in nonprofit development and public relations to the team.
“Given the evolving film landscape and the success of ‘Reservation Dogs,’ which is a prime example of what is possible with the right formula of local, homegrown efforts, the time felt absolutely right to reignite this initiative,” Zakerion says. It’s clear that film lovers in Tulsa agree. They showed up in droves to TFC’s late-April launch event, dubbed The Big Night — a night that turned out to be a perfect instance of the magic that can happen at the intersection of cinema and community.
As you might expect from a collective of storytellers, how The Big Night happened is a story in itself. For several weeks this past spring, the Tulsa-based production team for Harjo’s new FX series “The Sensitive Kind,” which stars Ethan Hawke, had been everywhere here, often shooting into the small hours of the night. The team bought out space at a Pearl District bar, spent a day filming at Magic City Books and purchased props from Buck’s Vintage on 66. And, since Hawke happened to be in town, TFC grabbed the opportunity to bring him to Circle Cinema for a pre-release screening of his new Flannery O’Connor film Wildcat.
“Do you guys know how lucky you are to live here? This is a badass place.”
The Big Night screening — a fundraiser for TFC, featuring a custom brew from Heirloom Rustic Ales, cheekily named “A Good Beer Is Hard to Find” — promptly sold out two theaters at Tulsa’s iconic independent movie house. After the film, wearing a Crazy Eagle Media cap and a custom beaded bolo, Hawke invited the overflow crowd into the main screening room for a 30-minute conversation that ranged from how he and Harjo met (“our love affair,” they called it), to their work together on “Reservation Dogs,” to the importance of telling honest, place-based stories that respect and reflect the communities they come from.
Needless to say, Tulsa was thrilled to spend some quality time with Hawke, and he returned the love. “Do you guys know how lucky you are to live here?” he said. “This is a badass place.”
For TFC, championing cinema literacy through screenings and discussions like this goes hand in hand with bringing emerging local artists what they need to grow, especially as film becomes big business here. “Over the years, we’ve witnessed growth in the infrastructure supporting filmmaking in Oklahoma, from more sophisticated production facilities to an increase in funding from a statewide incentives program,” says Harjo, who’s been making films here for over a decade. “More widely, there is recognition that this industry is a powerhouse of economic mobility. These developments have created new opportunities for filmmakers to tell diverse stories from our backyard and learn how special a place Tulsa is.”
From left to right: Shagah Zakerion, Jessica McEver, Ethan Hawke, Charles Elmore and Sterlin Harjo at Circle Cinema for the pre-release screening of Hawke's new film Wildcat by Flannery O'Connor.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRITTANY BENDABOUT
Ethan Hawke gives Tulsa a thumbs-up at the pre-release screening of Wildcat at Tulsa's Circle Cinema.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MIRANDA DUE
But there are gaps in the web, particularly when it comes to resources for young filmmakers. “It’s one thing to study film theory or production techniques in a classroom, but the nuances of managing a live set, solving real-time problems and creating within a budget are learned best through direct experience,” says Elmore. Providing those hands-on opportunities is a TFC priority — as is nourishing the collaborative, community-oriented ethos that already sets Tulsa apart from larger markets. Far from being in competition, “filmmakers here are eager to support each other and are unified in their desire to elevate the city’s narrative,” he explains.
Harnessing the energy of the moment in Tulsa’s larger arts renaissance, and inspired in part by what Richard Linklater achieved with the Austin Film Society, TFC aims to provide what Harjo calls “a road map” for navigating the film industry and a deeper appreciation for the art form throughout the community. “Our ultimate goal,” says McEver, “is to establish a self-sustaining ecosystem in Tulsa that not only supports local filmmakers but also attracts talent from across the country, positioning Tulsa as a key hub in the American film industry.”
“Tulsa’s got a good ring to it,” Harjo says. “I think that’s why there are a lot of songs with the word ‘Tulsa’ in the title. There’s a bit of mystery, there’s a bit of darkness, there’s a bit of love, there’s a bit of light, there’s a bit of magic. And I think that it makes for a really great place for film to be incubated and supported.” •