Omaha Film Festival 2009

The Omaha Film Festival, a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization, sets out to deliver a fresh and innovative cinema experience through the exhibition of independent film and the growth of its Film Education Initiative program, and has become a staple of Omaha’s developing cultural identity. The Omaha Film Festival endeavors to provide leadership in Nebraska filmmaking through collaborative efforts with production studios, distributors, filmmakers, and film markets for a comprehensive cinematic and educational experience that is responsive to community needs and preferences, as well as the needs of the independent filmmaker.

The 3rd annual Omaha Film Festival was held on February 16th-24th, 2008 kicking off on February 16th and 17th with a Filmmakers/Screenwriters Conference at Creighton University, which featured discussion panels with Hollywood screenwriters Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Jon Bokenkamp (Perfect Stranger, Taking Lives), and Josh Stolberg (Good Luck Chuck, Piranha 3D, Man-Witch), a 2-day screenwriting workshop with two of the top screenwriting coaches in the country, Jeff Kitchen and Lew Hunter, and a closing discussion panel with Hollywood editors Tom Elkins (Red Eye, The Missing, Wanted) and Oscar winner Mike Hill (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, The DaVinci Code). The conference was followed by a week of film screenings from February 18th – 24th at the Westwood 8 Cinema. Films shown at the 2008 festival featured such stars as Woody Harrelson, Helen Hunt, Dennis Hopper, Stephen Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Tom Sizemore, and Charlize Theron.