An animated short film about a survivor of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing has won a top prize at an Arkansas film festival and earned a spot in an Oscar-qualifying showcase. The film, titled Will I Dance Again?, tells the story of bombing survivor Daina Bradley and was directed by Arkansas filmmaker Princella Smith.
Will I Dance Again? took home the Best Animation trophy at the 2026 Fayetteville Film Festival and has since been accepted into the 29th annual Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival, according to nwahomepage.com. The film features narration from Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard, a Tulsa native, alongside ballet virtuoso Misty Copeland, per the same report.
Smith said her connection to Bradley’s story goes back nearly a decade. “I met Daina in 2016, and we embarked on a journey to present her story to the world,” Smith said, according to nwahomepage.com. The film, as reported by KATV, is intended for mature teens and older rather than younger children, given the weight of the subject matter.
What Happened to Daina Bradley in 1995
Bradley was 19 years old when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed on April 19, 1995. According to bbc.com, she was pinned by a cement support column that had landed on her right leg between the knee and the ankle. Surgeons determined that amputating her leg at the scene was the only way to save her life, the BBC reported.
Separate accounts differ on exactly who was with Bradley inside the building and which family members she lost that day. The BBC reported that Bradley’s two young children and her grandmother were killed in the attack, while her sister was injured but survived. KOCO, meanwhile, reported that Bradley’s mother and two children died, while Bradley and her sister survived; its account states, “She and her sister survived, but the rest of her family was gone,” according to koco.com. Nwahomepage.com offered yet another version, reporting that Bradley lost her mother, son and daughter in the bombing. The bombing as a whole killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured more than 500 others, per the BBC.
A Screening and Q&A Planned in North Little Rock
According to KATV, a screening and Q&A tied to the film is set for Sunday at Birdies Cabaret in North Little Rock. The screening is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., followed by a Q&A with director Princella Smith and survivor Daina Bradley, KATV reported.
A VIP meet-and-greet featuring Birdies food and drinks is set to start at 4 p.m. that same day, per KATV. General admission tickets cost $5, while VIP tickets are priced at $15, according to the station's report.
