Oklahoma-made movie 'Cricket' to have world premiere at OKC's deadCenter Film Festival

For two decades, Amy Janes has been trying to usher the emotional musical drama "Cricket" from a story concept to a feature film.

After making the movie in Oklahoma — something she couldn't have imagined 20 years ago — the producer and editor said she is thrilled that it also will have its world premiere at the state's largest film festival, Oklahoma City's deadCenter Film Festival.

"It took us 20 years to get here, and we weren't just going to settle for any festival. So, we're ecstatic. I know how tough the competition is this year — specifically at deadCenter and at all the festivals around the world— but to be selected here is just monumental. We're forever grateful," Janes told The Oklahoman.

Directed by her husband, filmmaker Richard Janes, the world-premiere screening of "Cricket" (formerly titled "Cricket's Requiem") will be the Oklahoma Narrative Feature Centerpiece at this year's deadCenter Film Festival.

The 24th Annual deadCenter Film Festival is set for June 6-9 in downtown OKC, with screenings at Harkins Bricktown 16, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Rodeo Cinema Film Row, Scissortail Park and the new dC Hub at the Fordson Hotel (formerly 21c Museum Hotel).

“Founded by Oklahoma filmmakers, deadCenter has always valued Oklahoma productions, and we are thrilled that the festival will host the world premiere of Cricket,” said deadCenter Film Executive Director Cacky Poarch in an email.

What other opening-night films are on the OKC film festival's 2024 lineup?

"Cricket" is the fourth and final feature film by an Oklahoma filmmaker to be announced as part of the 2024 deadCenter Film Festival lineup.

The musical drama will screen on deadCenter's opening night at 8:30 p.m. June 6, at Harkins Bricktown 16 in downtown OKC.

Other opening-night selections for this year's deadCenter include the world premiere of "Saucedo," a documentary exploring the emotional journey of Oklahoma boxing champion Alex Saucedo, who suffered a career-ending brain injury in 2020; the world premiere of "Hailey’s Game," a supernatural LGBTQIA romance filmed entirely with OKC locations, cast and crew; and the Sooner State premiere of the documentary "La Singla," a portrait of Antonia Singla, a flamenco dancer who was born deaf and revolutionized the art at the age of 17.

More than 1,800 films were submitted for this year's deadCenter Film Fest. Passes for the Oscar-qualifying festival are on sale for $200 at deadcenterfilm.org.

What is the Oklahoma-made musical drama 'Cricket' about?

Written by Tameson Duffy ("Grey's Anatomy"), "Cricket" stars Skye Dakota Turner, who played the young Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic "Respect," as Cricket Sullivan, an introverted teenager drawn to churches, where she steals candles for her sick mother.

Caught in the act by a grieving choir director and assigned to polish one church's pews as penance, she finds an unlikely friendship that helps her unlock her true gift to the world.

"The finding of the choir has been produced into an hourlong documentary, as well, with the idea that we can not only use that documentary to excite the choir community ... but also to really showcase the local talent," Janes said, noting that the American Choral Directors Association is based in OKC.

"So, we are poised to be able to launch this documentary alongside the feature ... in helping people understand how immensely talented local Oklahomans are."

Where in Oklahoma was the musical drama 'Cricket' filmed?

The Janes, who moved to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles in 2018, filmed their lyrical movie about love, loss and the resilience of the human spirit in OKC and Guthrie. Filmed over 25 days in early 2022 with strict COVID-19 precautions, "Cricket" was mostly made at Filmmakers Ranch (formerly Green Pastures Studio), in far eastern Oklahoma City.

In 2020, Richard and Amy Janes teamed with Melodie Garneau to convert the shuttered Green Pastures Elementary School — a 35,435-square-foot building situated on 12 acres adjacent to the city of Spencer — into Green Pastures Studio. Rebranded last year as Filmmakers Ranch, it's now billed as Oklahoma’s first film and television studio campus.

Amy Janes said they set out to use as much local talent as possible in front of and behind the camera on "Cricket."

"I found this film in 2004, when Tameson Duffy was in my graduate program at UCLA, and I just fell in love with it. We used to sit in the car and cry and listen to the (story's) requiem," she said.

"It took years to get it to get it going ... and I don't think there was a better place in the world we could have made it (than Oklahoma). And I'm very grateful for that."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma-made movie 'Cricket' to play opening night of OKC film festival