OFF’19 Screenplay Finalists

To celebrate the craft of screenwriting, the Omaha Film Festival is thrilled to present the 2019 Writer’s Theatre.

The Writer’s Theatre will take place at the College of Saint Mary
on Saturday, March 9 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

College of Saint Mary, Gross Auditorium – 7000 Mercy Road

See schedule for more details!

DON’T GO THERE by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A housebound senior struggles to stay alive when a mass murderer takes refuge in her home on the coldest night in eighty years.

EATS YOU ALIVE by Zack Eagles (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

A man in the post-apocalypse comes face to face with the beings who destroyed the world.

MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Matthew Gomez (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailors

The mother and brother of a man who has committed suicide spend the next seven days searching for a location to host his Celebration of Life ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska.

HOOSIER DADDY by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After accidentally destroying his future father-in-law’s prized autographed basketball, a hapless college student and his slacker buddy have one week to re-gather the signatures of the 1976 Indiana University basketball team.

MYOSOTIS LOVE by Charlie LaTourette (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A woman plants flowers in the garden and challenges her husband to remember how they met.

HOME by Katie Micay (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

Megan, who suffers from agoraphobia, is alone for her first holidays since her wife moved out. Sydney, a young widower, has been living in her car outside Megan’s house since she lost her apartment. When Sydney knocks on Megan’s door to sell her makeup, the two only see each other’s differences. But after a scary incident forces Megan out of her house to come to Sydney’s aid, they realize that they are two lonely souls with more in common than they first thought.

PANCAKE SKANK by Savannah Rodgers (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

Pancake Skank is a surrealist, satirical comedy about our titular anti-heroine and her unlikely partner-in-crime, Lover Boi, as they wreak havoc on a small town and its breakfast joints.

HEAD ON by Christine Burright McGuigan (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailor

Two people meet under unusual circumstances.

THE SYNDICATE by Peter Jang (Teleplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After a child sees his parents brutally murdered, his dad’s police partner, connected to a covert organization known as The Syndicate, turns him into a one-man killing machine, primed to take out those who took his parents’ lives.

MIDWEST MOM GROUP
by Darcy Lueking Bahensky (Teleplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

A fed-up LA mom relocates her family to Nebraska, but she quickly learns that parenting in a flyover state has its own rules.

See BLOG for past Screenplay Finalists.

 

OFF’19 Festival Parties

OFF’19 dates are March 5-10 and will feature amazing independent feature films, documentaries, short films, animated films, and screenplays from around the world. Each night after the film screenings will be VIP parties for All Access badge holders.

March 5th – Tuesday – Opening Night
Aksarben Cinema Lounge
2110 South 67th Street
Drink specials and food from Le Voltaire
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
Immediately following our opening night film!

March 6th – Wednesday
LIV Lounge
2285 South 67th Street
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 7th – Thursday
Dante
16901 Wright Plaza #173
Food provided by Dante
Drink specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 8th – Friday
Ring the Bell Party
Julio’s
2820 South 123rd Ct
Free taco bar provided by Julio’s
Drink Specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 9th – Saturday
Beacon Hills
6750 Mercy Road
Free food and drinks provided by Beacon Hills
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 10th – Sunday
Closing Night Party
Herbe Sainte
1934 South 67th Street
Heavy hors d’oeuvres
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
7:30pm – 11:00pm

 

Results from the 2019 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – “Miss Me When I’m Gone” written by Matthew Gomez
Best Short Screenplay – “Home” written by Katie Micay
Best Teleplay – “Midwest Mom Group” written by Darcy Lueking Bahensky
Best Feature Screenplay – “Hoosier Daddy” written by Jeffrey R. Field

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “Stream(s)” by Lance Heybrock
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Sister” by Siqi Song
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Sugar” by Shawn Gourley, Lauren Abell
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Simply Play Cricket” by Sai Chillara
Best Short Film – “Porch Light” by Julia Bergeron
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Three Pages” by Roger Gariépy
Best Documentary – “Always in Season” by Jacqueline Olive
Documentary Honorable Mention – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Best Feature Film – “Silver Lake” by Sean McGinly
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “Collisions” by Richard Levien

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “The Little Princess” by Jason Maza
Audience Choice Documentary – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Audience Choice Feature Film – “Ask for Jane” by Rachel Carey

South African Paper Herald Live | SA hit selected for 12 overseas film festivals

Always fun to see the Omaha Film Festival mentioned in oversees papers. We loved “Meerkat Moonship” and are proud to see its growing success domestically and abroad!

The film has been officially selected by 12 prestigious international film festivals, among them the Austin Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival in Arizona, The Kids First Film Festival (world’s biggest) in the US, the Omaha Film Festival in Nebraska, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival and GUKIFF International Kids Film Festival in Seoul, Korea.

Meerkat Maantuig opens at Baywest today.

The Reader | Prodigal filmmaker comes home again to screen new picture at Omaha Film Fest

Great write-up about OFF’18 and filmmaker Dan Mirvish’s “Bernard and Huey” in The Reader. Thanks Leo!

The 13th Omaha Film Festival projects March 6-11 at Village Pointe Cinema with its eclectic mix of indie fare from around the world. But a film by Omaha native Dan Mirvish brings things home for area cineastes.

The fest’s opening and closing night films are prestige feature-length studio releases with big name stars: Borg McEnroe at 6 p.m. on March 6 and Beirut at 5:30 p.m. on March 11. The March 10 OFF Conference includes guest panels on Documentary Filmmaking, Writing for Pixar and Filmmaking in Nebraska. The March 11 Writers Theatre showcases live readings of scripts.

Omaha World Herald | Warren Buffett drops by Omaha Film Festival for screening of ‘One Vote’ documentary

Great story in the Omaha World Herald about Warren Buffett attending OFF’18!

Saturday night at the Omaha Film Festival, one of the films’ stars, a Mr. Warren Buffett, took the mic and talked about voting, democracy and the hope he has for the country.

“The luckiest person the world has ever seen born,” Buffett said, “was born in America today.”

Buffett attended the screening of the documentary “One Vote,” one of the many films playing at this year’s Omaha Film Festival at Village Pointe Cinema.

Omaha Magazine | That’s a Wrap

Nice wrap-up article from Omaha Magazine about OFF’18!

After five days packed with 89 short films, 18 features, and seven documentaries, the 2018 Omaha Film Festival concluded on Sunday, March 11.

Audiences at the festival had a chance to watch local films along with work from international directors and Hollywood celebrities. Among the attractions was a special screening of Beirut (starring Rosamund Pike and Jon Hamm), which offered Omahans the opportunity to see the film before its April 11 nationwide release.

Results from the 2018 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – Mad Rush written by Christine Burright
Best Short Screenplay – Mad Rush written by Christine Burright
Best Teleplay – Stranger Things: f7/f2 written by Ana Ziegler Loes
Best Feature Screenplay – The Road to Matanzas written by Christopher Helton

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “Weeds” by Kevin Hudson
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Catherine” by Britt Raes
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Dakota” by Mike Montgomery
Best Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Now or Forever” by Darcy Lueking Bahensky
Best Short Film – “Rabbit Punch” by Keith Farrell
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Zion” by Floyd Russ
Best Documentary – “Dark Money” by Kimberly Reed
Documentary Honorable Mention – “One Vote” by Christine Woodhouse
Best Feature Film – “The Independents” by Greg Naughton
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “My Name is Myeisha” by Gus Krieger

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times” by Marcus Markou
Audience Choice Documentary – “Pick of the Litter” by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy
Audience Choice Feature Film – “Adventures in Public School” by Kyle Rideout

OFF’18 Conference

All Conference Sessions will be at the Village Pointe Theatre
304 North 174th Street
All sessions will be in Theatre #15
All Conference Panelists are “scheduled to appear”

Saturday, March 10, 2018

9:30am – 10:15am – Documentary Panel
A conversation with visiting documentary filmmakers about their process.

10:30am – 11:15am – Filmmaker Panel
Attending (non-Nebraska) filmmaker’s Q&A panel.

11:30am – 12:30pm – The Moments That Mattered
A frank discussion about the moments, choices, and decisions that turned out to make a big difference in our filmmaking careers at every level along the way. With Pamela Ribon and Jason Headley.

1:00pm – 1:45pm – Filmmaking in Nebraska
An open panel discussion about filmmaking in Nebraska.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

12:00pm – 3:00pm – Writer’s Theatre
A live reading of selections from this year’s OFF screenplay finalists

Panelists:
Pamela Ribon is a screenwriter (Moana, Smurfs: The Lost Village), TV writer (Samantha Who?), comic book writer (SLAM!, Rick & Morty), author, and best-selling novelist. She’s currently co-writing Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2. She was recently named one of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch and was a 2017 Film Independent Directing Lab Fellow. She has been a member of the Disney Animation StoryTrust since 2013. She was a writer and narration consultant on the DisneyNature documentary Bears. Her comedic memoir Notes to Boys (and Other Things I Shouldn’t Share in Public) was praised by NPR as “brain-breakingly funny.” Her first graphic novel, My Boyfriend is a Bear, (co-created with Cat Farris) will be released April 2018 from Oni Press. She’s been in comedy rooms for both network and cable television, and developed original series and features for ABC, ABC Family, Sony, Warner Bros., Disney Channel and 20th Century Fox Productions.

Jason Headley’s feature film, “A Bad Idea Gone Wrong,” won a Special Jury Prize at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award at the deadCenter Film Festival. Called “a talent to watch” by the Hollywood Reporter, Jason is currently writing an upcoming feature film for Pixar Animation Studios. His short films—including the viral videos “It’s Not About the Nail” and “F*ck That: An Honest Meditation”—have been featured at Banksy’s Dismaland, NBC’s TODAY Show, SundanceTV, the TED Conference, Vimeo Staff Picks, and film festivals far and wide. Jason has been a part of the IFP Narrative Labs, IFP Emerging Storytellers, and SFFILM FilmHouse. He’s also been commissioned by Heineken, Sony, and Chrysler to write, direct, and produce original short films. Fun fact: Jason is more handsome in real life than he is on camera, but he’s still not actually handsome.

2018 OFF Academy Schedule

All OFF Academy Sessions will be at the Funny Bone
17305 Davenport Street, Suite 201
All OFF Academy Panelists are “scheduled to appear”

For more information or to find out how you can get involved with the OFF Academy, send an email to omahafilmfestival@gmail.com.

Thursday, March 8, 2018 – Day 1

8:00am – 9:00am – participant check-in / breakfast

Students will check in for the day
Beverages and a light breakfast will be provided

8:30am – 9:00am Welcome from OFF Staff

9:15am – 10:30am Breakout Sessions

“Special FX Makeup: Creating A Character”
Tim Welch, Sarah O’Connell from Scream in the Dark

“How to Talk the Talk”
Pamela Ribon, Jason Headley from Pixar

Lighting/Cinematography For Your Scene
Ben Drickey from Torchwerks

“Directing: The Ups, Downs, and Enjoying the Ride”
Visiting Filmmakers

10:45am – 12:00pm Breakout Sessions

“Special FX Makeup: Creating A Character”
Tim Welch, Sarah O’Connell from Scream in the Dark

“How To Talk The Talk”
Pamela Ribon, Jason Headley from Pixar

Lighting/Cinematography For Your Scene
Ben Drickey from Torchwerks

“Directing: The Ups, Downs, and Enjoying the Ride”
Visiting Filmmakers

12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch
Beverages and lunch will be provided
~ Funny Bone Main Room ~

1:00pm – 1:20pm Group Photograph

1:20pm – 2:15pm Say What? Sound Mixing
Kevin Keplar

2:15pm – 2:30pm End of the Day Wrap Session

Friday, March 9, 2018 – Day 2

8:00am – 9:00am – participant check-in / breakfast
Students will check in for the day
Beverages and a light breakfast will be provided

8:30am – 9:00am Welcome from OFF Staff

9:15am – 10:30am Breakout Sessions

“How To Walk the Walk”
Pamela Ribon, Jason Headley from Pixar

“Documentary Filmmaking: How Do I Tell My Story?”
Dana Nachman and Robin Berghaus

“Live Auditioning For Film”
Visiting Actors

“Live Storyboarding for Your Movie”
Dave Weiss, Jason Levering

10:45am – 12:00pm Breakout Sessions

“How To Walk the Walk”
Pamela Ribon, Jason Headley from Pixar

“Documentary Filmmaking: How Do I Tell My Story?”
Dana Nachman and Robin Berghaus

“Live Auditioning for Film”
Visiting Actors

“Live Storyboarding for Your Movie”
Dave Weiss, Jason Levering

12:00pm – 1:15pm Lunch and Learn with Filmmakers
Beverages and lunch will be provided
Vegetarian option available
~ Funny Bone Main Room ~

1:30pm – 2:30pm Visiting Filmmaker Panel

2:30pm – 2:40pm End of the Day Wrap Session and Goodbye