The Oxford International Film Festival or OIFF (not to be confused with the Oxford International Film Festival, OXIFF, based in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England) was established in
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...
in 2007 by founder and event director J.C. Schroder.
Festival History
The Oxford International Film Festival was created by independent film and event
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
/
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
J.C. Schroder in the spring of 2006. Schroder is the owner and producer of
Star Com Productions, a film and live-events production company. He decided to create an outlet for filmmakers and audiences in the Southern Ohio, an area with no major film festival.
The first festival partnered with the Miami Association of Filmmakers and Independent Actors (
M.A.F.I.A.), a filmmaking collaborative of the students at
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
. The festival also included regional, national, and international support. It has become the largest major film festival in the region.
It was located near the campus of the university 40 miles north of
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. The first Oxford International Film Festival took place April 5–8, 2007 at the Marcum Conference Center. It garnered public interest and media attention across the globe. The festival received 530 entries from 41 countries globally in its first year.
The festival helped inspire the creation of the
Miami Film Association (the name stemming from the Miami-Ohio River, which runs through the region) as a non-profit organization to manage the festival. The Miami Film Association is also dedicated to supporting a variety of year-round community and student film programs in the region.
Film events
The opening night film in its first year was the US Premiere of
Wrath of Gods
''Wrath of Gods'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Jon Gustafsson. It tells the story of the dramatic circumstances Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson and his crew had to go through during the making of the film ''Beowulf & Grendel''. The m ...
by
Jon Gustafsson
''Jon Gustafsson'' is an Iceland born film director and photographer. The Icelandic spelling of his name is Jón Gústafsson. Best known for directing the Canadian documentary film Wrath of Gods, starring Gerard Butler, Wendy Ord, Sarah Polley, ...
, which featured
Gerard Butler,
Stellan Skarsgård, and
Sarah Polley, which also won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Festival news
The Oxford International Film Festival was the largest international film event in the Ohio Valley region as of 2008.
The festival started out in Oxford but was scheduled to be held at the Savannah Center in
West Chester, Ohio starting in 2009. The festival was considered one of the fastest growing festivals in the Midwest in 2008.
In 2009,
MovieMaker Magazine
''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis.
See also
* List of film periodicals
Film period ...
listed the OIFF as one of its top 25 Film Festivals worth the fee.
Annual Dates
* April 5–8, 2007
* April 10–13, 2008
* July 23–26, 2009
* October 8–16, 2010
References
{{reflist
External links
Oxford International Film Festival Official WebsiteStar Com Productions Official WebsiteM.A.F.I.A. Official WebsiteMiami Valley Film Association Official Website
Film festivals in Ohio
Tourist attractions in Butler County, Ohio