TONKAWA- The 2021 edition of the Tonkawa Film Festival was held on May 21st and 22nd at Wilkin Hall on the Northern Oklahoma College campus. The festival was honored to be one of the first film festivals to start hosting in-person screenings as the country begins to open back up from the COVID-19 pandemic, with filmmakers from across the country in attendance. Filmmakers were treated to a welcome BBQ with live music, free lodging, participation in our one-of-a-kind film festival parade followed by a Wild West gunfight reenactment performed by the Guthrie Gunfighters. After two nights of screenings, awards were given in 8 categories as well as our Best of Fest award, which included a $500 cash prize. The winners were:

Best Student Film: “Dung Love” directed by Christine Veverka

Best Native American Film: “Future Ancestor” directed by Josue Rivas

Best Comedy Film: “Out of Stock” directed by Bryan Taira

Best International Film: “Pathfinder - Life Beyond Fear” directed by Adam Rubin & Dan Lior

Best Horror Film: “Teething” directed by Glen Matthews

Best Drama Film: “Moon water” directed by William Tyler Wiseman

Best Documentary Film: “Nurture” directed by Daniel Humphrey

Best Animated Film: “Little Wolf – The Night Trail” directed by Jesse Cowan

Best of Fest: “Out of Stock” directed by Bryan Taira

Each winner was presented with a custom-made plaque from J&J Woodshop in Kingfisher, OK.

The organizers are already in the process of preparing for the 2022 edition of the Tonkawa Film Festival and have set the screening dates for April 8th and 9th of 2022. Submissions are currently open for short films less than 20 minutes from anywhere in the world via FilmFreeway.

“After such a successful first year in 2020, immediately followed by a worldwide shutdown. We are beyond thankful to everyone who helped make this year’s festival another great success. We are incredibly excited to begin planning for our 3rd year of the Tonkawa Film Festival, which we expect will be another great experience for both filmmakers and attendees.” said Festival Director James Oxford

For more information on how to submit or be a part of the Tonkawa Film Festival, please visit www.TonkawaFilmFestival.com.