A punk rock road trip with deep Oklahoma roots just made its world debut on one of the biggest international stages. New Year’s Rev, a comedic coming-of-age film sparked by an idea from Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September. Behind its rebellious humor and cross-country storyline is a story that shines a spotlight on Oklahoma City’s rising film industry. Since Green Day’s rise in the 1990s, their sound and swagger have fueled countless garage bands. In New Year’s Rev, one of those groups, The Analog Dogs, will do anything to meet their heroes. When a prank convinces them they have scored an opening spot for Green Day’s New Year’s Eve show at the Hollywood Palladium, the trio piles into a car and heads west from Kansas, chasing their shot at glory. NEW YEAR’S REV ROCKS TIFF WITH OKC ROOTS
A film fueled by punk spirit Written and directed by Lee Kirk and co-produced by Green Day, the film doubles as a love letter to road movies, ’90s nostalgia and the dream of making music at all costs. More than a dozen Green Day songs underscore the ride, while a cast of absurd and endearing characters—Fred Armisen, Angela Kinsey, Bobby Lee, McKenna Grace and more—keep the journey unpredictable. Stars Mason Thames, Ryan Foust and OKC’s own Kylr Coffman round out the central band of misfits. Oklahoma talent on the big screen While the story sends its characters from Kansas to California, much of the movie came to life in OKC. The film was shot primarily in OKC during February 2025, making use of both the OKC Film Rebate Program and the state film rebate. For Coffman, who runs OKC-based OFA Studios, landing one of the lead roles was a dream realized through persistence. He recorded a self-taped audition, submitted it to a casting director in Los Angeles and soon after was invited to audition. That opportunity ended with his casting as one of the leads. “Growing up on punk music like Green Day, I always felt like there was this mountain I wanted to be on top of, and New Year’s Rev gave me that moment,” Coffman said. “I was raised by a single mom, I used to play the drums before I thought about acting, and now I get to be part of a story like this. From filming in Oklahoma City to Los Angeles and then walking the red carpet in Toronto, it was surreal.” OKC at TIFF That Oklahoma connection extended beyond production. The Oklahoma City Film & Creative Industries Office and the Oklahoma Film + Music Office partnered with Live Nation Studios to co-host the Sept. 12 red carpet premiere and after-party at Vinny’s Vinyl Bar in Toronto. For Jill Simpson, executive director of the OKC Film & Creative Industries Office, the evening was an opportunity to celebrate not just a single film but the entire community of talent that makes Oklahoma a growing hub for production. “New Year’s Rev represents the kind of opportunity our rebate programs were designed to support,” Simpson
Kylr Coffman (OK) poses in front of Warner Bros water tower on set of New Year’s Rev.
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