The 20th Tallgrass Film Festival
Presented By ARCHER HOTELS
(September 28-October 2)
Announces Ravi Kapoor’s FOUR SAMOSAS and Matthew Eskey’s THE MOJO MANIFESTO: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOJO NIXON double up as the Opening Night Gala selections
20th Anniversary highlights include musical performances by Mojo Nixon and the Toadliquors, The Embarrassment, a work-in-progress screening by Kansas-based Academy Award-winner Kevin Willmott, Ad Astra Award presentation to Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman and more!
Wichita, KS (August 29, 2022) – The Tallgrass Film Festival announced this year’s film lineup celebrating its 20th Anniversary on September 28-October 2. Ravi Kapoor’s Four Samosas will be the Opening Night Gala selection, joining the previously announced gala presentations, which include the world premiere of Daniel Fetherston and Danny Szlauderbach’s, We Were Famous, You Don’t Remember: The Embarrassment, Bryan Darling and Jesse Finley Reed’s All Man: The International Male Story, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s Butterfly in the Sky, and Camille Hardman and Gary Lane’s Still Working 9 to 5. Troma Films legend Lloyd Kaufman will receive the festival’s Ad Astra Award, also previously announced.
Tallgrass FF’s lineup includes 53 features and 14 short film programs with 195 films, highlighted by the film festival’s signature Stubbornly Independent, Female Filmmakers, and Gordon Parks competitions. The 20th Anniversary celebration will also include a return visit and salute to Tallgrass Film Festival’s former Executive Director Lela Meadow Conner, film programmer Eric Moore, and a special work-in-progress screening from Academy Award-winner Kevin Willmott.
Tallgrass FF program director Andre Seward said, “This edition of Tallgrass will be one to remember for sure. We say the same thing every year: this year’s films are the best we’ve seen. There is no doubt that it is true for this year as well. I am very proud to be able to present the line-up that we have for our 20th anniversary. The wide range of genres and styles will give everyone a chance to find something to fall in love with during the festival.”
Tallgrass FF Executive Director Melanie Addington added, “The films selected this year embrace the same stubbornly independent spirit as Tallgrass, from freedom of speech fighters to almost famous indie musicians. The best part is that many of the directors, actors, documentary participants, and musicians will be coming to Wichita with those films and will be joining amazing film personalities like Lloyd Kaufman, Kansas favorites like Kevin Willmott and The Embarrassment, as well as our beloved Lela Meadow Conner and Eric Moore, to make this a true extended Anniversary party for film lovers here in Wichita.”
Thursday, September 29, Kapoor’s Four Samosas will make its Kansas premiere as the Opening Night selection. The comedy follows the exploits of a wannabe rapper and his crew, who concoct a brilliant plan to steal her dowry of family jewels to disrupt her wedding and make a fortune in the process. Also making its Kansas Premiere is Matthew Eskey’s The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon, which follows the origin story of the enigmatic rocker Mojo Nixon tracing the musical journey, including the touring, the record deal, college radio airplay, and MTV exposure that lead to unexpected mainstream success. Kapoor and star Venk Potula will attend and participate in a Q&A after the Four Samosas screening, and Mojo Nixon and the Toadliquors will play at the Opening Night Gala after party.
As previously announced, Friday, September 30, Tallgrass will host a Double Gala event with the world premiere of Daniel Fetherston and Danny Szlauderbach’s documentary We Were Famous, You Don’t Remember: The Embarrassment and Bryan Darling and Jesse Finley Reed’s documentary All Man: The International Male Story. We Were Famous; You Don’t Remember: The Embarrassment is the highly anticipated film about the Kansas band The Embarrassment, which scored an intensely loyal following in Wichita and beyond while not quite courting mainstream success. The presentation of the film will include a reunion concert of the band’s members, including a post-screening concert at the after-party. In recognition of the All Man presentation, RMI will present Wichita Male Models at the after-party.
Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s Butterfly in the Sky will be the Centerpiece Gala selection following the Filmmaker Awards presentations, Camille Hardman and Gary Lane’s Still Working 9 to 5. Butterfly in the Sky looks at the history and influence of the beloved “Reading Rainbow!” series by one of the most adored television hosts of all time, LeVar Burton. Camille Hardman and Gary Lane’s Still Working 9 to 5 focuses on the cultural zeitgeist, one of the highest-grossing comedies of all time 9 to 5.
As part of its salute to Ad Astra Award honoree Lloyd Kaufman and Troma, along with the film festival’s traditional “Conversation on Film” it hosts with Ad Astra honorees, Tallgrass will be screening his cult classic, The Toxic Avenger (1984), Poultrygeist (2006), as well as his latest film, #ShakespearesShitstorm (2020) which naturally involves a mad scientist and his blind daughter on the run from evil pharmaceutical execs, and how he seeks to wreak vengeance upon them by feeding mass amounts of laxatives to whales, among other things.
Tallgrass FF’s three signature competition categories (Stubbornly Independent, Female Filmmaker, and Gordon Parks) will each bring grand prizes of $5000 this year.
The Stubbornly Independent Competition (for domestic narrative features made for under $750,000) includes HP Mendoza’s Attack, Decay, Release, a sci-fi musical chronicling a human migration following decimation from a pandemic. The Svane Family Foundation for ARK commissioned the film, a collection of 100 art pieces interpreting the narrative of Noah’s Ark. Anna Baumgarten’s Disfluency, about a formerly promising young female academic piecing together the trauma that caused her to leave school short of graduation looks. Daniel Yoon’s micro-budget comedy/drama East Bay follows a Korean American man who “throws in the towel” at age 39, deciding there is no point in trying to be happy and successful since we’re all probably living in a simulation anyway. Though the film is just being released, it features Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu in her first film role.
Among the Female Filmmaker Competition films is Nicole Mejia’s A Place In The Field. The film follows a veteran who receives a package and special request from a friend he served with, setting him off on a cross-country journey to fulfill a promise made while in combat. Jordan Danger’s dramedy God Save the Queens focuses on four Drag Queens finding common ground and more at a therapy retreat which requires each of them to relive past traumas in glorious detail. Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship’s Refuge looks at a white nationalist leader and former veteran who is forced to confront his hatred for Muslims when he receives an unexpected text from a Muslim refugee and heart doctor who needs his help.
The Gordon Parks Competition for Black Excellence in Filmmaking includes Jon-Sesrie Goff’s After Sherman. In the film, Goff’s exploration of coastal South Carolina as a site of pride and racial trauma is interrupted by the tragic and shocking shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah’s Amansa Tiafi (Public Toilet Africa) follows a woman’s quest to pay an old debt by returning to the place where she was gifted to a white art collector as a little girl. Making its world premiere will be Damon Jamal Taylor’s Black Daddy: The Movie, a captivating look at the experience of fatherhood by black men.
Additional highlights include a special work-in-progress screening of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott’s directorial effort No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas. Taking its cue from C.J. Janovy’s book No Place Like Home: Lessons in Activism in LGBT Kansas, the film takes us on a tour of the deep red state to meet people who have found themselves in a battle for LGBTQ rights in the most unlikely places – including rural Trego County, Salina, and Topeka. Janovy and Willmott will be on hand before the screening for a book signing.
Iliana Sosa’s What We Leave Behind is presented in partnership with Array and Tallgrass. The film takes us on a journey with 89-year-old Julián as he takes one last bus ride to El Paso, Texas, to visit his daughters and their children — a long trip he has made without fail every month for decades. Travis Heying and Roy Wenzl’s Emmy-winning documentary Once Was Lost: The 70-Year Search for Chaplain Emil Kapaun. The film looks at the remarkable life story of Kapaun, who was raised on the plains and farm fields of central Kansas, became a catholic priest, and later an Army chaplain whose service led to him posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor in 2013 and even the potential for Sainthood.
For more information on the Tallgrass Film Festival and to purchase passes and tickets, please go to: https://tallgrassfilm.org/
Opening Night Gala Selection
Four Samosas Kansas Premiere
Director: Ravi Kapoor | Country: United States; Running Time: 80 min
Determined to disrupt his ex-girlfriend’s engagement by stealing her dowry, underachieving, wanna-be rapper Vinny and his eccentric neighborhood pals concoct a plan to take her family jewels from a supermarket safe in LA’s “Little India.”
Lloyd Kaufman/Troma Films Salute
Poultrygeist (2006)
Director: Lloyd Kaufman | Country: USA, Running Time: 102 min
When the American Chicken Bunker, a military-themed fast-food restaurant, builds its latest chain restaurant on the site of a Native American burial ground, the displaced spirits take revenge on the unsuspecting diners and transform them into chicken zombies.
#ShakespearesShitstorm (2020)
Director: Lloyd Kaufman | Country: Albania, USA; Running Time: 94 min
Mad scientist Prospero runs away with his blind daughter Miranda to Tromaville, hiding from evil pharmaceutical execs, including his sister Antoinette. With the help of a handicapped crack-whore, he releases a massive amount of laxatives to whales while his enemies are on a cruise ship to North Korea.
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Directors: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman | Country: USA; Running Time: 82 min
Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.
Friday Double Gala Selections
All Man: The International Male Story Kansas Premiere
Directors: Bryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed | Country: USA; Running Time: 83 min
All Man: The International Male Story journeys across three decades of the catalog’s unlikely but lasting impact on fashion, masculinity, and sexuality in America.
We Were Famous; You Don’t Remember: The Embarrassment World Premiere
Directors: Daniel Fetherston, Danny Szlauderbach | Country: USA; Running Time: 103 min
Four bespectacled misfits in Kansas — Bill Goffrier, Brent Giessmann, John Nichols, and Ron Klaus — grabbed instruments and, as the Embarrassment, invited “a thousand loving friends” into their secret world of “weirdo new wave freaks” in Wichita and beyond. They drew the attention of influential figures like Allen Ginsberg, John Cale, and Jonathan Demme — but their independence and refusal to sell out sparked tension within the group and kept mainstream success at bay.
Saturday Centerpiece & Closing Gala Selection
Butterfly in the Sky Kansas Premiere
Directors: Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb | Country: USA; Running Time: 87 min
Two seconds into the bubbling synth sounds of its theme song will have a child of the 1980s or ‘90s exclaiming, “Reading Rainbow!” The show introduced the world to one of the most adored television hosts of all time LeVar Burton.
Still Working 9 to 5 Kansas Premiere
Directors: Camille Hardman, Gary Lane | Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min
When the highest-grossing comedy of 1980, 9 to 5 (starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman) exploded onto cinema screens, the laughs hid a severe message about women’s inequality in the office.
Special Presentations
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
Director: John Hughes
Country: USA; Running Time: 93 min
A Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Director: Richard Kelly
Country: USA; Running Time: 113 min
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a giant rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Spotlight Films
Director: Brayden Frazier | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
2022 Take 36 Audience Award Winner
Death and Bowling Kansas Premiere
Director: Lyle Kash | Country: United States; Running Time: 63 min
X is a white transgender actor who struggles with what it means to be seen as a representation of transgender identity on screen and interpersonally as the beloved outsider to his queer community of amateur-bowling lesbians who meet as The Lavender League.
Director: Judah Hansen | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
2022 Take 36 Grand Prize Winner
Hidden Letters Midwest Premiere
Director: Violet Du Feng | Country: China, USA, Norway; Running Time: 86 min
Hidden Letters tells the story of two Chinese women trying to balance their lives as independent women in modern China while confronting the traditional identity that defines but also oppresses them.
Director: Denny Tedesco | Country: United States; Running Time: 101 min
“Immediate Family” tracks the rise and collaborations of a group of legendary studio musicians through the 1970s, 80s, and onward, chronicling their illustrious partnerships and their formidable record of hit-making.
It Is In Us All Kansas Premiere
Director: Antonia Campbell-Hughes | Country: Ireland; Running Time: 92 min
Hamish (Cosmo Jarvis) is forced to confront his self-destructive core when a violent car crash involving a precocious teenager, Evan (Rhys Mannion), challenges him to face his truth.
Director: John Alexander | Country: United States; Running Time: 61 min
Louis Armstrong is iconic to the world — a symbol of musical genius, unparalleled success, and unassailable character. To Sharon, he was simply Dad.
Lowndes County and The Road to Black Power Kansas Premiere
Director: Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard | Country: United States; Running Time: 90 min
The passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 represented not the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement but the beginning of a new, crucial chapter. Nowhere was this next battle better epitomized than in Lowndes County, Alabama, a rural, impoverished county with a vicious history of racist terrorism. This isn’t a story of hope but of action.
Director: Daresha Kyi | Country: USA; Running Time: 90 min
Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call themselves “mama bears” because while their love is warm and fuzzy, they fight ferociously to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQ+ people.
No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas Work In Progress Screening
Director: Kevin Willmott | Country: United States; Running Time: 57 min
Directed by Oscar winner Kevin Willmott, No Place Like Home takes you on a tour of a deep red state to meet people who have found themselves in a battle for LGBTQ rights in the most unlikely places. In rural Trego County, Salina, and Topeka, you’ll meet some of the people C.J. Janovy profiles in her book No Place Like Home: Lessons in Activism in LGBT Kansas. Janovy and Wilmott will be on hand before the screening for a book signing.
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
Director: Teemu Nikki | Country: Finland; Running Time: 82 min
Jaakko is blind and disabled, tethered to his wheelchair. He loves Sirpa. Living far away, they have never met in person, but they meet daily over the phone. When Sirpa is overwhelmed by the shocking news, Jaakko immediately decides to go to her despite his condition.
The Bottom Kansas Premiere
Director: Morgan Ruaidhrí O’Sullivan, James Kautz | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Twenty: A Retrospective World Premiere
Director: Todd Ramsey | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
A look back at the past twenty years of the Tallgrass Film Festival.
What We Leave Behind Presented in Partnership with Array
Director: Iliana Sosa | Country: Mexico, United States; Running Time: 71 min
At the age of 89, Julián takes one last bus ride to El Paso, Texas, to visit his daughters and their children — a long trip he has made without fail every month for decades.
STUBBORNLY INDEPENDENT COMPETITION SPONSORED BY THE COTILLION
Attack, Decay, Release Kansas Premiere
Director: H.P. Mendoza | Country: United States; Running Time: 70 min
A sci-fi musical piece featuring 18 electronic dance songs by H.P. Mendoza chronicles humans’ migration after Earth is decimated by a deadly virus.
Disfluency Kansas Premiere
Director: Anna Baumgarten | Country: United States; Running Time: 96 min
After failing her final college class, Jane returns home to her family’s lake house and comes to terms with the trauma that derailed her senior year.
East Bay Midwest Premiere
Director: Daniel Yoon | Country: United States; Running Time: 94 min
A micro-budget comedy/drama about a Korean American man who, at age 39, decides he’s had it with trying to be happy and prosperous. This is Constance Wu’s first feature role performance, made before Crazy Rich Asians.
Paris is in Harlem Kansas Premiere
Director: Christina Kallas | Country: United States; Running Time: 110 min
On the eve of New York City’s controversial “No Dancing” Law getting repealed, the lives of several strangers are forever changed by a shooting at a historic jazz bar in Harlem.
The Civil Dead Kansas Premiere
Director: Clay Tatum | Country: United States; Running Time: 103 min
A struggling photographer is forced to reunite with an old friend who ends up being more of a curse than a blessing.
The Unknown Country Kansas Premiere
Director: Morrisa Maltz | Country: United States; Running Time: 85 min
The Unknown Country follows a grieving woman (Lily Gladstone) as she travels from the Midwest to the Texas-Mexico border following an invitation to reconnect with her estranged Oglala-Lakota family.
MURMURATIONS SPONSORED BY WSU DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AND ULRICH MUSEUM OF ART
Finlandia Kansas Premiere
Director: Horacio Alcalà | Country: Mexico, Spain; Running Time: 92 min
A devastating earthquake hits Oaxaca. After that, nothing will be the same for the lives of the Muxes, the so-called third gender.
Home Owners US Premiere
Director: Pablo Aragüés, Marta Cabrera | Country: Spain; Running Time: 75 min
A young couple finds their dream house. Their new home ends up being a dream come true in more ways than one.
Mierda World Premiere
Director: Brett Allen Smith | Country: Spain; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Sergi Martí | Country: Spain; Running Time: 19 min
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Dogleg North American Premiere
Director: James “Al” Warren | Country: United States; Running Time: 80 min
A balding director named Alan loses his fiancé’s dog at a gender reveal party on the morning of an important shoot.
Midday Black Midnight Blue Midwest Premiere
Director: Samantha Soule & Daniel Talbott | Country: United States; Running Time: 88 min
In this cinematic poem, Ian (Chris Stack) lives alone in a house on the edge of Puget Sound, grappling with long-held grief and shame over the loss of Liv (Samantha Soule), a woman he loved dearly who died nearly two decades ago.
Quantum Cowboys Midwest Premiere
Director: Geoff Marslett | Country: United States; Running Time: 99 min
Two hapless drifters, Frank and Bruno, team up with Linde to recover her land and trek across 1870’s Southern Arizona to find an elusive frontier musician. The complex quantum time theory is blended with philosophical musings about art as the way we understand our history and memories, with gunfights, horses, dance halls, cacti, and saloons!
Shall I Compare You To A Summer’s Day Kansas Premiere
Director: Mohammad Shawky Hassan | Country: United States; Running Time: 66 min
A contemporary queer musical took Arab folktales as its formal reference and Egyptian pop music as its primary sonic material. It is based on the filmmaker’s love diary and told in the form of a “One Thousand and One Nights” tale, where stories playfully unfold through conversations.
Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying Midwest Premiere
Director: Parker Seaman | Country: United States; Running Time: 78 min
After discovering their best friend Wes is dying, aspiring filmmakers Parker Seaman and Devin Das decide that the best gift for their ailing pal would be a personalized video message from Mark Duplass.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon Kansas Premiere
Director: Matthew Eskey | Country: United States; Running Time: 85 min
Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. comes of age in Danville, VA, listening to records from his father’s soul radio station and plotting his escape from the confines of conservative small-town life. On a bicycle trip across the country, Kirby experiences The Mojo Revelation and becomes Mojo Nixon, a primitive blues-inspired musician. Mojo then teams up with the enigmatic Skid Roper to form an outrageous duo. Relentless touring, a record deal, college radio airplay, and MTV exposure lead to unexpected mainstream success. The song “Elvis Is Everywhere” is a cult phenomenon, but MTV bans his next single, and Mojo makes a decision that could jeopardize his career.
That Thing | That Sound Midwest Premiere
Director: Kelsey Hammer-Parks, Nathan M. Emerson | Country: United States; Running Time: 71 min
That Thing | That Sound explores the uncertain future of the steel guitar, an instrument primarily played by older, white men. Because it’s an expensive and challenging instrument, most young and diverse musicians do not have access to steel guitars or instructors. The film follows a man’s journey to pass on his knowledge and keep the steel guitar alive. His inspirational story is a model for anyone looking to make a difference in the world.
The Art of Rebellion Kansas Premiere
Director: Libby Spears | Country: United States; Running Time: 78 min
The Art of Rebellion is a film that follows LA-based street artist, activist, and single mother, Lydia Emily, who defies a crippling diagnosis that threatens to take away her livelihood. Fighting against an unforgiving healthcare system while she battles the symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis, Lydia ties paintbrushes to her failing hands to create large-scale works of creative resistance.
The Pez Outlaw Kansas Premiere
Director: Amy Bandlien Storkel & Bryan Storkel | Country: United States, Austria; Running Time: 87 min
Steve Glew, from rural Michigan, spent ten years smuggling Pez dispensers into the USA from Eastern Europe, making millions of dollars. It was all magical until… his arch-nemesis, the Pezident, decided to destroy him.
FEMALE FILMMAKER COMPETITION SPONSORED BY FIDELITY BANK
Director: Nicole Mejia | Country: United States; Running Time: 84 min
When Veteran Gio Scuderi receives a package and a letter from an old friend, he sets out on a journey across the American Southwest to fulfill a promise made long ago during deployment.
Deconstructing Karen Kansas Premiere
Director: Patty Ivins Specht | Country: United States; Running Time: 75 min
The premise is simple: What if white women could wake up and participate in ending racism? Watch out; Karen and Becky are coming to dinner.
God Save the Queens Midwest Premiere
Director: Jordan Danger | Country: United States; Running Time: 87 min
A dramedy about four Drag Queens who find themselves at the very same therapy retreat. To overcome issues holding them back, they dissect their problems, told in vignettes of their lives. They discover common ground; Perhaps, it wasn’t serendipity that brought them together. Maybe they’re not alone?
Klondike Kansas Premiere
Director: Maryna Er Gorbach | Country: Ukraine, Turkey; Running Time: 100 min
The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Ukraine and Russia during the start of the war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after, they found themselves at the center of an international air crash catastrophe on July 17, 2014.
Refuge Kansas Premiere
Director: Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship | Country: United States; Running Time: 76 min
A leader in a white nationalist hate group finds healing from the people he once hated – a Muslim heart doctor and his town of refugees. Chris is a husband and father, a veteran, and until recently, a leader in the KKK. He starts hating Muslims when the planes hit the Twin Towers but are forced to confront his hate when he receives a text from a Muslim refugee, Heval.
GORDON PARKS COMPETITION SPONSORED BY CARGILL
After Sherman Kansas Premiere
Director: Jon-Sesrie Goff | Country: United States; Running Time: 91 min
A story about inheritance and the tension that defines our collective American history. The director’s exploration of coastal South Carolina as a site of pride and racial trauma through Gullah cultural retention and land preservation is interrupted by the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Amansa Tiafi (Public Toilet Africa) Kansas Premiere
Director: Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah | Country: Ghana; Running Time: 95 min
Years after her disappearance, a reticent Ama returns to the city, where she was gifted to a white art collector as a little girl. Her quest to pay an old debt quickly goes tailspin when she recruits an ex-lover. Evading capture, the lonely country road they travel is beset with a series of bizarre encounters, and their fate is tied to that of two passengers they cross paths with.
Anastacias Kansas Premiere
Director: Thati Almeida | Country: Brazil; Running Time: 81 min
Women who had troubled emotional relationships but who still show deep affection for other people and life. This connects the stories of Anair, Nega, Cenira, Janaina, and Márcia, but also the fact that they all live in the Jabaquara district, on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo.
Black Daddy: The Movie World Premiere
Director: Damon Jamal Taylor | Country: United States; Running Time: 83 min
Any man can father a child, but raising one takes a real man. “Black Daddy: The Movie” is a beautiful and captivating display of storytelling by black men as they journey through deep dialogue around experiencing fatherhood in America and their own experiences with their fathers.
Me Little Me Kansas Premiere
Also in Female Filmmaker Competition
Director: Elizabeth Ayiku | Country: United States; Running Time: 84 min
Mya is an ambitious young woman who learns that life doesn’t pause when one decides it’s time to heal.
Our Father, the Devil Kansas Premiere
Also in Female Filmmaker Competition
Director: Ellie Foumbi | Country: France; Running Time: 108 min
An African immigrant’s quiet life is upended by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest who reminds her of her troubled past.
KANSAS FEATURE COMPETITION
It Started with a Horse World Premiere
Director: Joshua Dubois | Country: United States; Running Time: 79 min
M.T. Liggett was born in a claim-shack house outside of Mullinville, KS. M.T. left a trail of chaos in his tracks, including multiple arrests in foreign countries, over six failed marriages, and numerous children, before settling down as a folk artist in his hometown. A freshly sober Liggett focused his chaotic nature on becoming one of the most prolific outdoor sculpture creators in the United States.
Mary Deboutez Zellmer Fenoglio World Premiere
Director: Sam Huntley | Country: United States; Running Time: 90 min
An intimate portrait filmed across ten years of Mary DeBoutez Zellmer Fenoglio, a charismatic and complex septuagenarian born and raised in rural Kansas, USA. Mary runs a curiosity shop out of her front yard, builds giant furniture, and dreams of becoming an artist one day.
Once Was Lost: The 70-Year Search for Chaplain Emil Kapaun Emmy winner in 2022
Director: Travis Heying, Roy Wenzl | Country: United States; Running Time: 59 min
Raised on the plains and farm fields of central Kansas, Emil Kapaun aspired from a young age to become a catholic priest. Later, his aspirations grew to include serving in the Army as a chaplain. When capture was imminent, Kapaun continued to be a beacon for his fellow prisoners during captivity through. Kapaun posthumously received the Medal of Honor in 2013. The Vatican is currently investigating his life for Sainthood. It was thought his remains would never be recovered. But in March of 2021, Kapaun’s nephew received a phone call he never expected.
Personal History World Premiere
Director: Tyler W. Moore | Country: United States; Running Time: 78 min
While researching for a grant, a history major and her documentarian friend discover a man who has not physically aged in over 100 years. They set out to learn everything they can about his life and to meet the phenomenon himself.
Director: Devon Bray, Naiya Lilly | Country: United States; Running Time: 133 min
A worldwide pandemic has struck, causing small businesses to struggle to keep their open signs up and lit. That is until the government created a loan for these forgivable businesses that didn’t have tight requirements to obtain it, the PPP loan.
VORTEX COMPETITION
(Cathedral) Midwest Premiere
Director: James Bascara | Country: United States; Running Time: 39 min
7LBS 8OZ Kansas Premiere
Director: YOO LEE | Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min
Director: Jody Cleaver | Country: Australia; Running Time: 6 min
An Example of Lee-Roth Fog Isolated Under Laboratory Conditions Kansas Premiere
Director: Ryan Betschart | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Director: Katrina Brook Flores | Country: United States, Senegal; Running Time: 14 min
Bird in the Peninsula US premiere
Director: Atsushi Wada | Country: France. Japan; Running Time: 16 min
Call It What You Will World Premiere
Director: Deanna Wardin | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Cloud Boy: An Autistic Journey Kansas Premiere
Director: Kieran Firth-Bernard | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 3 min
Empire of My Melodious Mind Kansas Premiere
Director: Jeannette Louie | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Everybody Goes to the Hospital
Director: Tiffany Kimmel | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Director: Wally Chung | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Incursion World Premiere
Director: Ajuan Isaac – George | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 7 min
Director: David Wayne Reed | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
May We Know Our Own Strength Kansas Premiere
Director: Jih-E Peng | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
Memento Mori Kansas Premiere
Director: Paul O’Flanagan | Country: Ireland; Running Time: 9 min
Director: Dale Small | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
Phainesthai Midwest Premiere
Director: Cyan Meeks | Country: United States; Running Time: 22 min
Shakespeare for all Ages Kansas Premiere
Director: Hannes Rall | Country: Germany/Singapore; Running Time: 3 min
Slasher Squad Kansas Premiere
Director: Nathan Stone & Stuart Campbell | Country: Australia; Running Time: 5 min
The Body is a House of Familiar Rooms Kansas Premiere
Director: Eloise Sherrid, Lauryn Welch | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
The Perfect Fit North American Premiere
Director: Meinardas Valkevičius | Country: Lithuania; Running Time: 11 min
The Well Kansas Premiere
Director: Peter Stanley-Ward | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 9 min
Turning the World World Premiere
Director: Enrique Garcia | Country: United States, Mexico; Running Time: 7 min
We Are Here Kansas Premiere
Director: Doménica Castro, Constanza Castro | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Where are the Files? North American Premiere
Director: Philip Davies | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 5 min
EMERGING FILMMAKER COMPETITION
Director: Kenneth Ha | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Director: Bryn Wright |Country: United States; Running Time: 2 min
Director: Johanna Halbartschlager, Jasmin Pemmer | Country: Austria; Running Time: 7 min
Family Games World Premiere
Director: Patricia Da Silva | Country: France; Running Time: 6 min
Game Plan Kansas Premiere
Director: Sophia Winters | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
Gone Kansas Premiere
Director: Kyle Ward | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Cameron Staley, Shivnil Lal | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
holding hands with the moon Kansas Premiere
Director: Sarah Blake | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Nina Rafique | Country: Canada; Running Time: 2 min
Invisible Gun Midwest Premiere
Director: Reese Robers | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Director: Madeleine Case | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Colette Samek | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Director: Alana Malingagio | Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min
Solar Flare Kansas Premiere
Director: Kalea Blevens | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Swept Away World Premiere
Director: Braden Webb | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Voices in Our Heads Kansas Premiere
Director: Brendan Egan | Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min
KANSAS SHORT COMPETITION
“jokes” World Premiere
Director: Micah Streeter | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
As the Crow Flies World Premiere
Director: Sophia Baldwin | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Better to Have Loved World Premiere
Director: Nora Graham | Country: United States; Running Time: 23 min
Body Paragraphs US Premiere
Director: Erika Lobati | Country: United States; Running Time: 21 min
Bone Appetit Midwest Premiere
Director: Zach T. Koehn | Country: United States; Running Time: 21 min
Call Me Snake World Premiere
Director: Todd Norris | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Julian Liby | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Drift World Premiere
Director: Caitlyn Cody and Robert Thomas | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Fake Tools World Premiere
Director: Patrick Duegaw | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Good Night Mr. Vincent Van Gogh
Director: Lindsey Doolittle | Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min
Grand Nationals – The ’74 Fire US Premiere
Director: Patrick Mazur and Bobby Obermite | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
In The Waking Dust World Premiere
Director: Jordan Horsch | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
It’s OK to not be OK Midwest Premiere
Director: Andrew White | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Kansas Honor Flight Documentary
Director: Corri Newman | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Director: Brydie O’Connor | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Director: Hadley White | Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min
Ramen World Premiere
Director: Nathan Martin | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Scream World Premiere
Director: J.S. Hampton | Country: United States; Running Time: 2 min
Director: Marlo Angell, Lourdes Kalusha-Aguirre | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Shaky Hands World Premiere
Director: Caitlyn Cody | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
So That Others May Live Kansas Premiere
Director: Gregory Sheffer | Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min
Director: Brett Jones | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
The Cycle World Premiere
Director: Olivia Herman | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
The Den Midwest Premiere
Director: Jessica Aquila Cymerman | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
The Messenger Kansas Premiere
Director: Jessica W. Love | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
The Muse Kansas Premiere
Director: Juliana Lee White | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Director: Patrick Poe & Lolo Loren | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Director: Moïse Togo | Country: France; Running Time: 14 min
Director: Liam Tangum | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Director: Tomas Kamphuis | Country: São Tomé&Principe; Running Time: 13 min
Black Beauty Kansas Premiere
Director: Elle Moxley | Country: United States; Running Time: 27 min
Elvis of Laos Kansas Premiere
Director: Van Ditthavong | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Director: Chris Temple, Owen Dubeck | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Gina Kansas Premiere
Director: Kathryn Prescott | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Holding Moses Kansas Premiere
Director: Rivkah Beth Medow; co-director: Jen Rainin | Country: United States, Japan; Running Time: 17 min
In Search Of…Pregame Kansas Premiere
Director: Jason R.A. Foster | Country: United States, Jamaica; Running Time: 25 min
Director: Emma Morgan-Bennett | Country: United States; Running Time: 20 min
MATKA / POLKA [MOTHER / POLE] US Premiere
Director: Joanna Suchomska | Country: Poland; Running Time: 14 min
More Than I Want to Remember Kansas Premiere
Director: Amy Bench | Country: USA/Chile; Running Time: 15 min
My Duduś Kansas Premiere
Director: Tom Krawczyk | Country: USA; Running Time: 8 min
Opera for Earth Presents: the Arts Earth Festival
Director: Tony King | Country: United States; Running Time: 17 min
Prolyfyck Midwest Premiere
Director: Faith Briggs and Tim Kemple | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Restoring Néške’emāne Kansas Premiere
Director: Loren Waters | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Soldier Kansas Premiere
Director: Justin Zimmerman | Country: United States; Running Time: 22 min
Stories Within Kansas Premiere
Director: PJ Raval | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver Kansas Premiere
Director: Lewie Kloster & Noah Kloster | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Susan and Leslie World Premiere
Director: Claire Barnett | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Tapping Into Our Past, Tapping Into Our Future: Ayodele Casel Midwest Premiere
Director: Jennifer Burton and Ursula Burton | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
The Hairdresser / La Coiffeuse Kansas Premiere
Director: Lorraine Price | Country: Canada; Running Time: 13 min
Director: Malika Zouhali-Worrall | Country: United States; Running Time: 23 min
Visions Kansas Premiere
Director: Karina Lomelin Ripper | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
We Dance Midwest Premiere
Director: Brian Foster and Ethan Payne | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
You’ve Never Been Completely Honest Kansas Premiere
Director: Joey Izzo | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
XAR – Sueño de Obsidiana US Premiere
Director: Fernando Pereira , Santos and Edgar Calel | Country: Brazil; Running Time: 13 min
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Director: Alberto Acosta | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
Ang Motel Kansas Premiere
Director: Jon Matthews | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Anniversary Kansas Premiere
Director: Lain Kienzle | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
August Sky US premiere
Director: Jasmin Tenucci | Country: Brazil; Running Time: 16 min
Blender World Premiere
Director: Sarah Adams | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Bow Midwest Premiere
Director: Isaiah Smith | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Bunny World Premiere
Director: Corey Clifford and Ryan Lagod | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
Bus Girl Kansas Premiere
Director: Jessica Henwick | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 11 min
Canceled Kansas Premiere
Director: Christopher Guerrero | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Convection Midwest Premiere
Director: Stacey Davis | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
Could This Have Been An Email Midwest Premiere
Director: Nicole Kemper, Sarah Alison Hodges | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Cruise Kansas Premiere
Director: Sam Rudykoff | Country: Canada; Running Time: 39 min
Dance or Drive Midwest Premiere
Director: Stephen Sanow | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Director: Mark Albiston | Country: New Zealand; Running Time: 15 min
de closin night Kansas Premiere
Director: Shicong Zhu | Country: United States; Running Time: 19 min
Deep Clean US Premiere
Director: B Welby | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 15 min
Deep Fears Kansas Premiere
Director: Ryan Chu | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Deliver Kansas Premiere
Director: Hannah Dweck | Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min
Desi Standard Time Travel US premiere
Director: Kashif Pasta | Country: Canada; Running Time: 19 min
Dinner Party World Premiere
Director: Sam Findlay | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
Dog Lover Midwest Premiere
Director: Anne-Sophie Bine | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine Kansas Premiere
Director: Ethosheia Hylton | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 16 min
Dollar Generals Kansas Premiere
Director: Claire Downs and Brenden Gallagher | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Down We Go World Premiere
Director: Ryan Allsop | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
El Carrito Kansas Premiere
Director: Zahida Pirani | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Elevate Kansas Premiere
Director: Dylan Boom | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
F^¢k ‘€m R!ght B@¢k Kansas Premiere
Director: Harris Doran | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Frank & Emmet Kansas Premiere
Director: Carlos F. Puertolas | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Gaydream Kansas Premiere
Director: Brandon Wilson | Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min
Half Kansas Premiere
Director: Jacob Roberts | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
Hermie Kansas Premiere
Director: Jonathan Becker & Anthony Pitsilos | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
High Power Kansas Premiere
Director: Joel Boyd | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Hoar Midwest Premiere
Director: Jeanette Dilone | Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min
Director: Ewa Smyk | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 10 min
Hot Singles Kansas Premiere
Director: Laura J. Hocking | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Director: Nyala Moon | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Human World Premiere
Director: Bill Watterson | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Intimacy Workshop World Premiere
Director: Eddie Prunoske | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Julian Midwest Premiere
Director: Vivian Kerr | Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min
Kiddo Midwest Premiere
Director: Paul Taylor | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
La Macana Midwest Premiere
Director: Maria Mealla | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Le Censeur Des Reves (Censor Of Dreams) Kansas Premiere
Director: Léo Berne | Country: France; Running Time: 18 min
Loves Baby Soft Kansas Premiere
Director: Lanie Zipoy | Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min
Lucy Kansas Premiere
Director: Emma Sofia Fazzuoli | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Maddie Kansas Premiere
Director: Zane Rubin | Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min
Make Me A King Kansas Premiere
Director: Sofia Olins | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 16 min
Mama Retreat Kansas Premiere
Director: Eileen Álvarez | Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min
Mamma Kansas Premiere
Director: Aslak Danbol | Country: Norway; Running Time: 15 min
Mickey Dogface Kansas Premiere
Director: Zach Fleming | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Milk Snake World Premiere
Director: Jacob Shelton | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
My Summer Vacation Midwest Premiere
Director: Kelly O’Sullivan | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Nigerian Letter Kansas Premiere
Director: Preston Moss | Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min
Non-Negotiable Kansas Premiere
Director: Mike Doxford | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 9 min
North Star Kansas Premiere
Director: P.J. Palmer | Country: United States; Running Time: 30 min
OMI World Premiere
Director: Adam Lebowitz-Lockard | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Out Of This World Kansas Premiere
Director: Elia Petridis | Country: United States; Running Time: 17 min
Director: Tia Salisbury | Country: UK; Running Time: 13 min
Red Line World Premiere
Director: Jake Bistrong | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Riskfalling Kansas Premiere
Director: Jonathan Faircloth Kirk | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
Shark Kansas Premiere
Director: Nash Edgerton | Country: Australia; Running Time: 14 min
Starfuckers Kansas Premiere
Director: Antonio Marziale | Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min
Tank Fairy Kansas Premiere
Director: Erich Rettstadt | Country: Taiwan; Running Time: 10 min
The Devil Will Run Kansas Premiere
Director: Noah Glenn | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
The Diamond Kansas Premiere
Director: Vedran Rupic | Country: Sweden; Running Time: 14 min
The Dress Kansas Premiere
Director: Marie Karkashadze | Country: Georgia (Country); Running Time: 9 min
The End of the Squirrel Kansas Premiere
Director: Michael Christensen | Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min
The Girl at the Motor Hotel Kansas Premiere
Director: Garrett Detrixhe | Country: United States; Running Time: 18 min
The Housesitters Midwest Premiere
Director: Graham High | Country: United States; Running Time: 17 min
The Lonely Store Midwest Premiere
Director: Amy Roy | Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min
The Man of My Dreams Kansas Premiere
Director: Tristan Scott-Behrends | Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min
Director: Craig Trow | Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min
The Marigolds Listen World Premiere
Director: Jacob Figueroa | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
The Mountain US Premiere
Director: Clare Macdonald | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 14 min
The Nipple Whisperer Kansas Premiere
Director: Jan Van Dyck | Country: Belgium; Running Time: 15 min
The Plumber Kansas Premiere
Director: Cate Carson | Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min
The Pulpit – Prelude Midwest Premiere
Director: Tosin Morohunfola | Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min
Three Points of Suspension World Premiere
Director: Rahaf Jammal | Country: Lebanon; Running Time: 8 min
Time Cop: Justice Has a New Name Kansas Premiere
Director: Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas | Country: United States; Running Time: 19 min
Twitching Kansas Premiere
Director: Madelaine Moore | Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 15 min
Unbound Midwest Premiere
Director: Sarah Moshman | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Valentine Kansas Premiere
Director: Beck Kitsis & Chris McNabb | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Valid Glitter World Premiere
Director: Alexander Hagani | Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min
Director: Dania Bdeir | Country: Lebanon, France; Running Time: 16 min
We Should Get Dinner! Kansas Premiere
Director: Eliza Jiménez Cossio, Lexi Tannenholtz | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
Wei-Lai Kansas Premiere
Director: Robin Wang | Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min
Wild Card Kansas Premiere
Director: Tipper Newton | Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min
Witchy Midwest Premiere
Director: Liz Manashil | Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min
##
About the Tallgrass Film Association
Tallgrass Film Association (TFA) is Kansas’s largest independent film organization. TFA’s goal is to foster an appreciation of the cinematic arts by creating shared experiences around the international medium of film through its year-round film center and alliance, screenings, educational workshops, a 36-hour film race, and an annual film festival. Archer Hotels present the festival with additional producing sponsors, Emily Bonavia, Greteman Group, Moka’s Selig Polyscope Company, Cargill, and House of Schwan.
#Tallgrass20th
Additional Media Links: Media Badge Request Form
