The virtual 18th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival is proud to announce this year’s programming award winners – the best of a program full of excellent films – all deserving of their own praise in one way or another. This year, Tallgrass screened 47 features and 196 shorts, from more than 35 countries around the world.
On this year’s winners, Programming Coordinator Hannah Bothner said:
Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature – Two of Us
Audience Award: Best Narrative Short – The Dying Breed
Audience Award: Best Documentary Short- The Roads Most Traveled: Photojournalist Don Bartletti
Best Kansas Documentary Short – WuShock Doc: The History and Making of WuShock in Bronze directed by Tyler Pennick
Best Kansas Narrative Short – Fear Not directed by Emily Railsback
Best Emerging Student Documentary Short, a documentary film made by a student 18 or younger – Chasing Normality directed by Madison Empalmado
Best Emerging Student Narrative Short, a narrative film made by a student 18 or younger – Faulty Roots directed by Ella Greenwood
Excellence in the Art of Filmmaking, Outstanding Female Filmmaker – A Song Without a Name directed by Melina León
Outstanding Courage in Filmmaking – The Roads Most Traveled: Photojournalist Don Bartletti directed by Bill Wisneski
Outstanding Cinematography – No Fear No Favor directed by Mirra Bank
Outstanding Screenplay – Dramarama directed by Jonathan Wysocki
Outstanding Editing – Out of Stock directed by Bryan Taira
Outstanding Film Animation – Yuan Yuan and the Hollow Monster directed by Catherine Chen
Outstanding Rising Star – Katie Beth West in GraceLand directed by Bonnie Discepolo
Outstanding Male Actor – Zachary Schultz in Itchy Fingers directed by Anna Nilles & Marco Jake
Outstanding Female Actor – Jennifer Lafleur in Baby Kate directed by Jennifer Lafleur
Outstanding Ensemble Cast – Materna directed by David Gutnik
Outstanding First Feature – Puppy Love directed by Michael Maxxis
Outstanding Documentary Short – Grab My Hand: A Letter to My Dad directed by Camrus Johnson and Pedro Piccinini
Outstanding Narrative Short – Sitting directed by Jones
2020 DOXX Award Winner – The Earth is Blue as an Orange directed by Iryna Tsilyk
2020 Stubbornly Independent Award Winner – Materna directed by David Gutnik
Outstanding Documentary Feature – Whirlybird directed by Matt Yoka
Outstanding Narrative Feature – Itchy Fingers directed by Anna Nilles & Marco Jake
