A free festival dedicated to experimental films is returning to ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City for its fourth edition April 4-6, including a special guest appearance by an acclaimed filmmaker.
The Wide Open Experimental Film Festival (WOEFF), hosted by the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University Film Department, will take place at the Noble Theater in the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City Museum of Art, located at 415 Couch Dr.
Organized by ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ faculty and students, WOEFF will showcase 53 films from more than a dozen countries across five different screening sessions. This yearβs festival will also feature its first guest speaker β acclaimed filmmaker and animator Kelly Gallagher, who will give a special presentation and artist talk.
Gallagherβs handcrafted films and commissioned animations have been featured at prestigious venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and the Smithsonian Institution. Her work has also been shown on Netflix and PBS. Gallagher has presented solo programs at institutions including Close-Up Cinema London, SF Cinematheque and the Wexner Center for the Arts. She is currently a film professor at Syracuse University.
WOEFF's screening schedule includes:
- April 4: 6 and 8 p.m.
- April 5: 4 p.m.
- April 6: noon and 2 p.m.
Gallagher's presentation will be at 7 p.m. April 5.
This year, the festival has adopted the slogan, βWOEFF 2025: Free Movies.β
βThe slogan is both a rallying cry and a promise,β said Billy Palumbo, festival director and visiting associate professor of film at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½. βThese films demonstrate whatβs possible when filmmakers are free from expectations and able to express their unique visions. Plus, the festival itself is free for audiences.β
WOEFF celebrates a wide range of experimental film practices, featuring works that explore alternative forms, structures and styles, including abstract animation, digital and chemical manipulation, visual lyricism, surreal narratives and essay films.
βItβs incredibly exciting to see new and original films from around the world,β said ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ film production student Gabe Wyatt. βThereβs so much variety, and I canβt wait to see it all on the big screen.β
Admission is free and tickets are not required. For more information or the full screening schedule, visit .
