Event Info
January 28-30, 2011 - Venues

The Oklahoma Film and Music Office's Jill Simpson, Lt. Governor Jari Askins, and Festival Director Anthony Foreman pose for a photo at the 2009 Trail Dance Film Festival.

About Trail Dance
The Trail Dance Film Festival introduces up-and-coming filmmakers from around the globe to Oklahoma's emergent film industry, and provides a welcoming forum to showcase films... all amidst a beautiful Western landscape. The mission of the Trail Dance Film Festival is to encourage originality and creativity, and to promote the film industry in Oklahoma. Trail Dance provides an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work to local and visiting audiences.

The Trail Dance Film Festival is the realization of the dream of Cameron University communications student Anthony Foreman. Anthony started the Southwest Association of Film in 2005 and began plans for the first Trail Dance in early 2006. Little did he know that four years later the Trail Dance Film Festival would receive acclaim world wide and become one of the southwest’s premiere film events.

Trail Dance has garnered respect in the film festival circuit due in part to the awards and acknowledgments it has received. In 2007 the festival received the "Outstanding New Event" RedBud Award at the Governor's Conference on Tourism. MovieMaker Magazine named Trail Dance twice in their top 25 list - once as “Worth the Entry Fee” (For Filmmakers) and again as one of the “Coolest” Film Festivals.

Many Trail Dance films have received distribution, including Bill Sebastian's MIDLOTHIA, and JOHNNY WAS (the first-ever submission to Trail Dance) which was picked up by Starz. Golden Drover Award-winner Jon Sajetowski (DONNYBROOK) went on to direct ABC's "Wife Swap," and Best Actor David Lawrence (MY NAME IS WALLACE) recently booked a recurring role on NBC's "Heroes."

Festivities are open to the public and include live entertainment, professional seminars, networking opportunities and much more. The Festival concludes with a grand awards gala where the GOLDEN DROVER AWARD is presented to worthy filmmakers, and one lucky student is awarded a scholarship to pursue a career in filmmaking.

The Southwest Association of Film
The Trail Dance Film Festival is an event organized by the Southwest Association of Film (SWAF). SWAF is located in the Southwest Oklahoma City of Duncan. SWAF was started with the following goal: Encourage originality, creativity, and promote the film industry among Oklahomans and to create scholarship funds for students studying film and/or media arts. SWAF is registered with the State of Oklahoma as a not-for profit organization and is currently a member of the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma.

Board of Directors

     Executive Director: Anthony Foreman
     Programming Director: Ed Foreman

     Chairman: Ken Jones
     Co-Chair: Cova Williams
     Treasurer: Danny Moore
     Secretary: Jessika Davis
     Online Marketing: Chris Moore
     Manager: Amber Foreman

     Others: Jason Smith, Clinton Johnson

Event Venues Where Trail Dance Takes Place www.simmonscenter.com Simmons Center 800 Chisholm Trail Parkway Duncan, OK 73534 (580) 252-2900 Explore the Theatre in 360 Degrees - Click Here A breathtaking 105,000 square foot, multi-purpose complex incorporating flexible meeting room setups, a sports facility, and performing arts theater which can be utilized for meetings and conventions as well. The sports/recreation facility includes a 25-meter indoor pool, walking/jogging track, saunas, whirlpool, gyms, courts for basketball, racquetball, walleyball & handball, and the latest in strength and conditioning equipment as well as classes. Trail Dance Utilizes this facility as a primary meeting and gathering area for filmmakers, guests, and press. A 750 seat auditorium is also home to one of three screens used to present films. www.onthechisholmtrail.com Chisholm Trail Heritage Center 1000 Chisholm Trail Parkway Duncan, Oklahoma 73534 (580) 252-6692 See the Theatre - Panaramic Photo - Click Here The Heritage Center was established in 1998 to commemorate and celebrate the great history and heritage of the old Chisholm Trail and the other Great Cattle Trails of the late 19th century. The Center includes the largest bronze sculpture in Oklahoma, a monumental statue of a cattle drive, and an adjacent museum and visitor center. Inside the museum, displays and galleries put you on the old Trail. Visitors can sit down in the Campfire Theatre with life-like Jesse Chisholm, for whom the trail is named, and a young cowboy named Tex as they talk about their experiences on the trail. The experience is heightened with a visit to the multi-sensory Chisholm Trail Experience Theatre. This wide-screen, high definition auditorium allows visitors to see, hear, feel, and smell the trail-driving adventure. Additional dioramas, displays, and the new Garis Gallery of the American west add to an unforgettable experience.