Tulsa-based singer, songwriter, filmmaker and producer Branjae is set to screen her new film Master of Ceremonies at Circle Cinema on Thursday, October 29, in an all-black red carpet event that folds in a fundraiser, a panel discussion and mental health resources. The 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. event asks guests to dress formally, in all black, as doors open for cocktails and small bites before red carpet photos begin at 6:30 p.m.
According to KOSU, the film centers on Nikita, a singer privately unraveling behind the curtain, and explores addiction, anxiety and grief while celebrating resilience and the tenacity of the human spirit. The screening starts at 7 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. panel discussion featuring Branjae alongside representatives from NAMI Tulsa, and the evening wraps with a live musical performance. Tickets run $20 for Circle Cinema members and $22 for general admission, with doors at 10 S. Lewis Avenue in Tulsa.
The project also includes a companion soundtrack album slated for release in 2027, which received additional support from the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture, per the same KOSU listing. Beyond the screening and music, the event offers interactive experiences, character meet-and-greets, fundraiser drawings and access to mental health resources, with NAMI Tulsa representatives on hand to share information, connect with guests, accept donations and join the panel.
A Grant-Backed Project With a History at Circle Cinema
Master of Ceremonies is backed by a $10,000 grant from the Artists Creative Fund, an annual program created by the George Kaiser Family Foundation that awards 20 Tulsa-area artists $10,000 each along with professional development, administered in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, according to Oklahoma.gov. The fund marked its fourth cohort this year and has funded 60 local creative projects since 2023, per the same state arts office.
This isn't Branjae's first time using Circle Cinema as a launchpad for socially conscious work. In 2019, she premiered her breakout short film and music project Street Light at the venue — a project advocating for domestic abuse survivors that was produced in partnership with local groups including Domestic Violence Intervention Services, as Jammerzine reports. That premiere earned her the Best Female Artist award at the Black Wall Street Music Awards. An early screening of Master of Ceremonies was also featured this past July as part of the annual Circle Cinema Film Festival, which showcases Oklahoma independent filmmakers, ahead of this formal red-carpet screening.
Circle Cinema's Deep Roots in Tulsa Film History
Circle Cinema itself carries significant local weight. The theater opened on July 15, 1928, as a silent picture house along the original Route 66 alignment in Tulsa's Kendall-Whittier neighborhood, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The National Park Service describes it as the only one of Tulsa's 1945 theaters that remains standing. Circle Cinema is a nonprofit movie theater. The nonprofit Circle Cinema Foundation saved the building from demolition in the 1990s.
The theater also served as a filming location in the opening scene of Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, a connection commemorated with an official plaque installed at the venue in 2021, as noted by Route 66 News. Just last month, the theater was named one of 13 historic landmarks featured in Tulsa's 9th annual 918 Day Passport Challenge celebrating 100 years of Route 66, as Hoodline previously reported.
Branjae's National Credentials and Mental Health Focus
Branjae, who leads her own independent production company, PowerSource Productions, has been featured by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Afropunk and NPR, and has performed at New York City's Apollo Theater, per KOSU. She also collaborated with hip-hop bluegrass group Gangstagrass on Your Land, a reinterpretation of Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land that appeared on the group's 2020 album No Time For Enemies, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart, according to Jambands.
In a statement reported by KOSU, Branjae said the evening creates space for people to experience, talk, listen and find resources and support. Malayna S. Hasmanis, executive director of NAMI Tulsa, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership and for Branjae's use of art to foster mental health conversations and connect people with resources, the outlet notes.
NAMI Tulsa and Mental Health Support
NAMI Tulsa, which stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Tulsa, provides mental health education, support, advocacy, training and resources for individuals and families throughout the Tulsa community. The organization has served the area since 1993 and offers support and education programs and engages in advocacy, according to NAMI Tulsa.
For those seeking support beyond the event, the NAMI Helpline can be reached by phone at 1-800-950-6264 or by texting NAMI to 62640, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988. Master of Ceremonies: An All-Black Red Carpet Event takes place October 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Avenue, with more information available by calling 918-585-3504.
