There is a distinct kind of exhaustion that belongs entirely to the independent curator. It is the heavy weight that settles in once the projectors are powered down, the lobby chatter has faded into the Oklahoma night and the rows of theater seats sit empty. For Cliff Crull, the driving force behind the Nitty Gritty Film Festival, that exhaustion is earned across 12 months of relentless momentum: pop-up screenings, late-night movie trivia bingo nights and hundreds of hours spent reviewing raw, independent film submissions.
“This really is the most exhausting thing I’ve ever tackled,” Crull admits. But when the house lights drop on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Icon Cinema, that exhaustion will give way to something far more electric: the raw, communal energy of independent cinema.
To understand the Nitty Gritty Film Festival, you have to understand how its curator views the films themselves. For Crull, the shift from a casual viewer to a passionate cinephile was sparked by the discovery that the images flickering on screen were the result of deliberate choices made by real people trying to bridge the gap between their interior worlds and a stranger sitting in the dark.
That human element remains the North Star of the festival’s curation. In an era where digital tools allow any amateur filmmaker to achieve a mathematically perfect image, NGFF looks for something far stickier. It looks for the soul of the piece.
“For me personally, it’s certainly about the ‘vibe’ or aesthetic,” Crull says of his screening process. “What it all boils down to eventually is just: how hard can your film hit me in the shortest runtime possible? It’s all too often that a film is technically flawless, but I get lost because it seems soulless or sterile.”
This dedication to atmosphere over sterile perfection is woven into the very fabric of this year’s festival lineup. It is a philosophy that values the jagged edge of a bold idea over the safe, smooth corners of a high-budget imitation. While regional filmmaking often conjures images of sweeping prairie dramas, Crull has noticed a distinctly darker, more visceral current pulsing through local submissions.
“The horror genre is alive, well and mutating in Oklahoma, which has not always been the case,” Crull notes. “And the sense of community among these filmmakers is unmatched. They collaborate and share a mutual respect for each other that is great to see.”
This community-first pragmatism also drove the festival’s most significant structural change this year: a venue shift from the historic Poncan Theatre to the newly renovated Icon Cinema. While the atmospheric, decades-old soul of the Poncan is undeniable, the realities of building a sustainable arts culture require clear-eyed, data-driven decisions.
“Last year we had the pleasure of holding our festival in the Poncan Theatre,” Crull explains. “However, after only filling about 5% of the seats last year, paired with the amazing offer we received from the newly renovated Icon Cinema location, it only made sense to move the location this year. We learned we need to gain interest and involvement from the local community before a larger venue like the Poncan will prove to be cost-effective.”
By anchoring the festival within the modern comfort of Icon Cinema, NGFF creates an intimate, high-energy environment where every reaction is shared collectively. And make no mistake, the energy of the festival remains defiantly quirky. You won’t find delicate glass trophies here. In keeping with its independent spirit, the filmmakers who walk away victorious win championship title belts instead of traditional plaques.
For the young directors and novice storytellers sitting in those seats this September, Crull offers a piece of advice born from years of cutting through the noise: “Make every frame matter for your film. Edit out the things that don’t matter to your film. Respect your viewers’ time, and don’t waste any of it.”
It’s a golden rule of storytelling that defines the entire Sept. 26 lineup. Running from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Icon Cinema, the festival promises a dense, fast-moving marathon of independent cinema interspersed with live comedy and magic performances.
When the final credits roll and the championship belts are handed out, the celebration spills into the local night. Festival pass holders will head to The Alley from 8-11 p.m. for an exclusive afterparty featuring live sets from three different musical acts (also open to the public with a cover charge at the door), cementing the festival’s mission to merge film, music and community into a single, cohesive culture.
“NGFF aims to provide what we want from a festival as filmmakers, and what we want from a festival as audience members,” Crull says. “No shortage of entertainment, and to feel like you’re a part of a celebration of the arts.”
