When a group of committed OKC movie fanatics took over Film Row’s historic Paramount Building screening room last summer and re-launched the space as a hyper-independent, community-supported micro-cinema, excitement was high for a place that could serve as an underground clubhouse for movie freaks and cinephiles.
But in less than one year, the Oklahoma Film Exchange has blossomed into a lot more, not just hosting near-nightly screenings of classics and cult films, but also becoming a community hub for comedy shows, activist events, pop-ups, and open mics, growing one of the most historic spaces of OKC’s past into one of the hottest spaces of its present.
Now, through May 29th, the Film Exchange is hosting an extended fundraiser event, inviting their community to stop by, see some films, play some games, and make some new friends.
Literally, you can make your own new friend with a full puppet-making event and a whole multi-week slate built around puppets, crafts, and some fan-favorite films that they’re calling “Puppetmalooza.”
As comedian, host, podcaster, and Oklahoma Film Exchange co-op leader Dalton Stuart explains, it’s all inspired, of course, by The Muppets.
Dalton Stuart: There's a real, built-in love for the Muppets with our audience members, and so that kind of made it an easy fit, like, doing Muppets-themed events. So that, that made it just kind of a no-brainer.
Once we were figuring out, okay, like, what's the next solid platform for a fundraiser we have, we already had the “Muppets” screening, kind of like, okay, summertime, perfect, natural fit. Let’s do another fundraiser around that.
So we'll have our puppet-making craft event here on the fourth Friday. We'll be doing a puppet station that we've been sort of cobbling together. That'll lead into Muppet trivia that Wednesday, and then the next Friday will be our screening of the 2011 “Muppets.”
Brett Fieldcamp: It’s a fitting tribute to the beloved franchise, not only because 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the classic “Muppet Show,” but because Jim Henson’s legendary puppets were also a ragtag bunch of ne’er-do-wells taking over an old theater to make some entertainment.
Dalton Stuart: I don't know, we said we said this a bunch, getting ready to take over the theater: We're a city with a championship basketball team. We can't not have a micro cinema. It doesn't make sense.
So it's fun to be kind of part of all of that, and you know, we did it. We kind of overnight turned our house into a home.
So yeah, it's been cool to get to show the place off, you know, now that we've really kind of put our stamp on it.
Brett Fieldcamp: And next month will bring their biggest opportunity yet to show off what the Oklahoma Film Exchange has grown into, as the micro-cinema has been chosen as a partner venue for the 26th annual deadCenter Film Festival, with screenings all festival long from June 11th through the 14th.
It’ll be something of a full-circle moment for the space, as last year’s deadCenter was the final event held in the historic theater by its previous occupants, the non-profit Rodeo Cinema.
Dalton Stuart: Just kind of thinking of that wave of folks that are going to be coming through for the first time, or maybe the first time since last year, as part of the fest, it was really important to us to make sure we'd really kind of moved in officially by summertime.
It's just really exciting, you know. I love the fest. It brings a lot of attention to the city, and everybody I talked to from out of town, you know, people who hadn't been to Oklahoma before, they're like “yeah, I wasn’t sure to expect, and this fest is so cool, this community seems so cool.
It's fun to get to show off our city,
Brett Fieldcamp: But showing off the community means more than just shining a light on the growth of Oklahoma City.
It also means highlighting the possibilities of a truly community-focused creative space, one that still functions as a worker-owned co-op, still offers every screening on a pay-what-you-can basis, and still appreciates the rare and welcome opportunity to share the love of cinema.
Dalton Stuart: We knew from the start, because we were all folks who had been part of the local film community, that we wanted this space to feel like it was, you know, a place that was something that everybody was kind of working on together to make cool.
That’s what makes something like this work, is having the people who care about it be part of making it something to care about.
And so we're all very well aware of its kind of unique magic.
Brett Fieldcamp: The Oklahoma Film Exchange, inside the Paramount Building on OKC’s Film Row, is celebrating their “Puppetmalooza” event through May 29th, and will be hosting screenings during the 26th annual deadCenter Film Festival beginning June 11th.
For more, visit oklahomafilmexchange.com.
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