Named one of "the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" by MovieMaker Magazine in 2021

The Oak Cliff Film Festival was established in 2012 as a regional film festival in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas. The festival has received national acclaim from prominent sources including The New York Times, Filmmaker Magazine, and Moviemaker Magazine, as a festival that aims to showcase brave and independent filmmaking of all stripes in an atmosphere that encourages and fosters filmmaking in Dallas and beyond.

Over the last 13 years, the festival has become a significant cultural event, celebrating the eclectic flair and tastes of its birthplace with an equally diverse lineup of films and events, curated annually by film lovers for film lovers. It features the best of Oak Cliff’s theater and art venues, restaurants, bars, and small businesses in the heart of Jefferson Boulevard and the Bishop Arts District.
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"Simply put, among America's very best small film festivals." - Filmmaker Magazine

"The Texas Theatre lives in my heart, as does the crowd of film lovers, filmmakers, and festival staff that congregate each year for this one. It’s a good energy, one that has stayed with me.” - Tyler Taormina, Filmmaker Alumni

"Whether culling from the national festival circuit or bringing in unheralded gems to make their debut, the Oak Cliff Film Festival team consistently curates a lineup featuring some of the most genuinely interesting films one is likely to see in town in a given year." - Central Track

Awards & Prizes

Jury Award Narrative Feature
Jury Award Documentary Feature
Jury Award Narrative Short
Jury Award Documentary Short
Jury Award Texas Student Short

Rules & Terms

The 15th annual Oak Cliff Film Festival is a general-interest festival whose aim is to screen high-caliber work of all types of genres and styles from all over the world. For examples of our past programs, please visit our website (oakclifffilmfestival.com). Any other questions can be sent to our submissions inbox (submissions@filmoakcliff.com).

Stronger consideration is given to films that have NOT had significant prior exposure in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, particularly in the case of feature-length projects. DFW premiere status is strongly preferred and that a change in that status after the posted submission may incur disqualification.

When accessing online screeners, our programmers prefer Vimeo links with a password that remains active and unchanged through June 2025. Failure to submit a screener that we can access throughout our screening process may be grounds for rejection.

The Oak Cliff Film Festival will not return entries or refund entry fees.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

By submitting a film the entrant guarantees that they have obtained all appropriate rights and clearances, and that they have legal right to both enter their film and, if selected, screen it publicly within the Oak Cliff Film Festival.

Oak Cliff Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film accepted for exhibition in the festival for promotional purposes.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Oak Cliff Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.
28 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Lindsay Nyman

    I had the best time attending Oak Cliff Film Festival with my film, They Call Me The Tattoo Witch! It was incredibly well curated, extremely well run, and genuinely fun from start to finish. The screenings I went to were packed! It was such a well-attended festival, it felt like the whole city showed up. I also went to a wonderful and supportive talk about Women In Film. The festival vibe was unpretentious and full of energy. The team behind this fest is fantastic. I loved it. Definitely submit your film and try to attend if you can!

    August 2025
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  • Tonya Holloway

    I was honored to be apart of the OCFF. This was my first time attending as a finalist. I've attended in the past as a viewer so this year was extra special:)

    August 2025
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  • Billy Ray Brewton

    We had an amazing time at OCFF and were honored to have our doc, "Coroner to the Stars", receive its Texas Premiere there. The communication was outstanding throughout, and it truly is one of the most filmmaker-forward festivals on the circuit. The hospitality was unparalleled, the line-up was diverse and exciting, and there were numerous opportunities for networking. Can't say enough great things about this fest!

    July 2025
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  • Joel Mendez

    AMAZING FESTIVAL! So much fun. Our film The Fatal Egg had an incredible screening in the Late Night Shorts block. The entire block was great. The energy was on fire, the screening was sold out, and the vibes were just great.

    There were many filmmaker lunches and opportunities to mingle and meet other filmmakers. It felt like a fun summer camp or workshop. I met some cool artists and got to connect with the local Dallas film scene as well. Really felt like oak cliff was our playground for the weekend, and film over took the neighborhood. SO AWESOME AND GREAT JOB!!

    5 stars and oak cliff will be something I come to every year!

    July 2025
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  • Safiye Senturk

    Our whole *Fantasy A Gets a Mattress* team wants to give the organizers and volunteers an incredibly big THANK YOU for all you did at this year's Oak Cliff Film Festival.

    Over the past year and a half we have been going to festivals, OCFF was easily the best run, best programmed, most welcoming, and with the biggest emphasis on promoting the films and filmmakers. The organizers at OCFF and the film-loving audience in Dallas really made us feel like superstars. We never were left wanting for anything and we all came away from the experience with renewed stamina and wind in our sails. We can’t wait to return, whether we have a film at the festival or not.

    Incredibly well organized; I don't know when the organizers slept, because they kept going like Energizer Bunnies. Hurricanes of energy!

    July 2024
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