By DEBI OKEKE/Staff Writer
Festival season is in full swing. While Venice and Toronto are making headlines, they’re far from the only ones. The Tyler Film Festival 2025 was held this past weekend, transforming Liberty Hall Theatre into a vibrant hotspot for filmmakers and viewers alike. There was a diverse mix of dramas, comedies and documentaries. The fest brought together filmmakers to celebrate talent and creativity on a big screen. This was my first time going to the Tyler Film Fest (or any film festival, for that matter), I came in with a blank slate and no expectations.
I’ll quickly run through and grade some of the films in no particular order, highlighting the standouts that made this year’s festival worth attending.
With that in mind, here are my thoughts.
Cats in Serbia kick off the festival.
The first night started off strong with Danilo Stanimirović’s Serbian drama “Cats”, about a young boy who finds an abandoned kitten, seeking from it the attention his parents fail to give. One of the two black-and-white films in this festival, “Cats,” is brilliantly shot with gorgeous angles and framing that prioritize symmetry and balance. The lack of color amplifies the boy’s loneliness while making the moments with the kitten feel even more tender. It, like the boy, is quiet and lets the audience sit and breathe in its stillness. I think this earns an A.
Comedy
Moving over to comedies, two that failed to hit the mark were “Most Likely To” by Julia Guest and “The Time Capsule” by Michael Charron. Both had promising premises but not great execution. The story of a girl who felt so lost in her high school identity that she tries to win a yearbook superlative in hopes of finding what her “thing” is, brings me back to classic teen rom-coms. But “Most Likely To” lacks the charm and humor of its inspirations, with poor pacing and underdeveloped characters keeping it from reaching potential. It felt like every opportunity it was given to be funny, it decided to just not be. “Time Capsule” on the other hand, had funnier moments and hard-to-stomach ones as well. Four friends dig up an old time capsule after 30 years and look through what they put in. The film leans into the nostalgia and natural comedy of the setup, and certainly has its fair share of gross humor. A lot of moments dragged on and halted like we were waiting for a laugh track to come in, but some punchlines never quite landed, leaving the film feeling more awkward than amusing. I would give “Most Likely To” a C and “The Time Capsule” a B-.
Documentary
For more real-life stories, we had two documentary entries at the festival. The first, “Pray for Joe: A Story of Recovery”, is about firefighter Joe Yeakley, who was caught in a devastating accident and suffered severe burns on most of his body. This is a story of him and his family’s resilience through the years to rehabilitate him into his former life. It is a truly inspiring story and won the award for “Film with the Biggest Heart.” The next one, “Birds of a Feather”, from Tyler-local Michael King, follows Dr. Jim Bednarz and his UNT Biology students, trying to find out why American Kestrels are reducing in numbers. Both documentaries succeed at diving deep into their respective topics and bringing a strong human element to the fest. They balanced the program by offering stories that were not only informative but also emotionally engaging. I would give them a joint score of B.
Cinematography
Winner of the “Best Cinematography” award, “The Ohio, Texas Remix” is the clearest standout from this festival. Ya’Ke Smith’s drama, based on true events, is suspenseful and shows family dynamics in a real and horrifying way. It has a unique style of realism while still incorporating laughs and humorous moments into an otherwise dark film. The main actress, Veronica Bozeman, won the “Best Actress” award, and I can’t imagine anyone else it could have gone to. Her performance is nuanced, powerful, especially near the end and she shines brightest in this film. This movie has a clear vision and does not compromise its story or tone, making it one of the most memorable films of the festival. I strongly urge you to see this movie on the biggest screen possible and experience the full impact of its tension, emotion and breathtaking cinematography firsthand. A+!
Nostalgia
If you are looking for a nostalgic and cheesy watch, look no further than Nwoah Tayem’s “Cyd”, a queer retelling of a tale we’ve all heard a million times, Cinderella. This adaptation doesn’t just regurgitate the same story and leans into the campy, over-the-top theatrics with a fairy “drag” mother and a vogue-off at the ball. It keeps the heart of the fairytale intact while adding in elements of queer culture. The cinematography was dynamic with a glitzy blur and felt like you were watching an 80s documentary, drawing comparisons in my mind to “Paris Is Burning and Tongues Untied,” especially because of the similarities of covering the queer black experience. The story was very simple, with little room for audience imagination, at times seeming more like a YouTube parody than a proper adaptation. Yet you could argue that its charm is derived from its simplicity. I give this a B+!
Student Film
“Wormwood” by Sawyer Goolsby is a heartfelt story of two boys who have to make peace with the fact that the world is ending. It won the well-deserved “Best Student Film” award because of its themes of acceptance, grief, and religion. The way Sawyer shapes the aesthetics of awkward teen relationships over the background of the world ending in less than an hour, which created a profound and moving experience for me and the audience. The film is very beautiful. Capturing the boys in a natural, golden glow. A shift from the usual dark and grainy images of other apocalyptic movies. I sort of wish that the end was left on more of a cliffhanger just for an added sense of uncertainty to raise the emotional impact. That being said, this film has earned itself an A on my scale.
Animation
The animated features were exciting treats for the audience. “Dream Code” is an autobiography of filmmaker and director Narottama Panitz, blending personal memory with exciting visuals to create a story of his life. The video-game arcade style is playful yet deeply personal, turning moments of Panitz’s life into levels of a game that the audience gets to journey through alongside him. Meanwhile, “We’re Kinda Different” is a fun watch, about a talking butt who learns to find the beauty and joy in everyday life, despite his differences. It is completely sung-through and bursts with so much charm, using humor and music to deliver a surprisingly heartfelt message from a butt. I would give “Dream Code” an A and “We’re Kinda Different” a B+.
Wrapping up the Fest
Our last film of the first night came to us all the way from Iran, from director Mahdi Hadizadeh, about a duo who attempt to rob a house, not knowing it was really the home of their mafia boss. “The Story of a Theft” is wonderfully wacky, not taking itself too seriously while still dealing in some gruesome imagery. The feeling is also added to by the coloring of this film, which is vibrant as heck. The vivid neons, the bright pinks and blues, the radiant candles of the house, all of it works together to create a dreamlike, almost surreal atmosphere that works with the film’s playful energy. I remember thinking to myself that it felt like I was watching a music video. You finished wondering whether you had hallucinated the whole thing. The two leads, Nima ImanZadeh and Morteza Darbeheshti, were endlessly entertaining to watch, packing great comedic timing in with clever visual gags to create a truly chaotic yet delightful pair of thieves. There is a reason it won the “Funniest of the Fest” award. It didn’t feel rooted in a set formula and let the story take the audience wherever it felt like. And for that, this earns a capital A+!
Overall, it was a very fun going-out and movie-watching experience. In terms of quality and creativity, this year’s projects blow it out of the park. Highly recommend everyone to watch out for next year and see what else the Tyler Film Festival has to offer!
Honorable Mentions:
- Sweepstakes – B-
- The Actor – B+
- Gramercy – A-
- Replay Requiem – B
- Burning Market – C+
- Everybody Eats! – B-
- Captive Market – C
- Champion – A-
- El Lloron – A
- Monkey – A+
