Tallgrass Film Festival runs October 15–18 in Wichita, Kansas; free preview event set for First Friday, September 4
Wichita, Kan. (Sept. 1, 2026) The Tallgrass Film Association announces its Spotlight Films for the 24th annual Tallgrass Film Festival, taking place October 15–18, 2026, in downtown Wichita. Presenting sponsors for the 2026 festival are KAKE TV, Cargill and Kate & Clay Bastian, with Visit Wichita and Dan & Lynette Murphy serving as premier sponsors.
This year’s announcement also marks a new chapter for Tallgrass. In partnership with Harvester Arts, the organization’s new administrative and operational partner, the Tallgrass Film Festival returns to its original Old Town Square footprint, with programming centered throughout the square all festival long. The majority of screenings will take place at Boulevard Theatres in Old Town, with opening night held at Shocker Studios and additional screenings Saturday at the newly renovated Orpheum Theatre. A large tent will host daytime community-focused activities, filmmaker meet-and-greets, and evening parties, with the festival box office located at City Arts and Rock Island Studios serving as the filmmaker and VIP lounge. Throughout it all, festivalgoers will spot Poppi, the official Tallgrass mascot and self-proclaimed Popcorn Princess, greeting audiences and filmmakers at screenings and events across the festival.
This new chapter also brings additional leadership changes. Tom Mittlestadt, Tallgrass Events and Logistics Director since the festival’s founding, has been named Tallgrass Managing Director. In the expanded role, he’ll oversee operations for both the festival and the Tallgrass Film Center, putting years of institutional knowledge to work across the organization. Joining him are Programming Director Ouma Amadou and Programming Coordinator Hugo Phan, who now lead the festival’s programming efforts.
The programming team reflects a deep Midwest sensibility and a strong regional point of view. Amadou joins Tallgrass from Ragtag Cinema in Columbia, Missouri, bringing a Midwest arthouse sensibility to the role. She’s joined by Phan, a lifelong Wichitan and KMUW 89.1 Wichita Public Radio journalist whose reporting has long centered on Wichita’s own creative communities. Together with the rest of the programming team, they’ve built a lineup where the region isn’t just the setting, it’s part of the story: films about coming home, confronting the past, and figuring out where you belong.
The 2026 Spotlight Films
Drawn from both the festival’s competitive and non-competitive titles, the Spotlight Films are selected each year to serve as marquee highlights:
Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird) (dir. Anna Fitch, Banker White) After losing her friend Yo, Anna spends a decade building a detailed 1/3-scale replica of Yo’s house, just large enough to squeeze through the door, with a puppet of Yo inside. The film blends vérité footage with handcrafted recreation to honor a woman who lived life on her own terms. Documentary Feature Competition. Kansas Premiere.
Loves Company (dir. Jason Laurits, starring Rachel Dratch) Faded gameshow personality Blake de Troy is rescued after a car crash by his #1 (and only remaining) fan, Florida outcast Antoinette Funk. Convinced he’s been kidnapped, Blake soon realizes his “kidnapping” might be the publicity boost his career needs. Narrative Feature Competition. Regional Premiere.
Copeland (dir. Pablo Aragüés, produced by local filmmaker Shawn Rhodes) This documentary traces the career of Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police, from his childhood in Beirut through his film scoring work with Francis Ford Coppola and Oliver Stone. It features never-before-seen vintage footage shot by Copeland himself. Out of Competition. Regional Premiere.
Crystal Cross (dir. Richie James Follin) Dotty, a Christian singer in trouble, believes she’s found a sign from God when she meets James, a man who looks strikingly like Jesus and offers her a ride out of town. Their journey becomes a darkly comic, tender story about survival and connection. Stubbornly Independent Competition. Regional Premiere.
“These four films span very different genres, from documentary to comedy to drama, but each represent an exciting and fresh perspective in filmmaking,” said Tallgrass Programming Director Ouma Amadou. “Tallgrass Film Festival has always endeavored to bring together audiences around the art of film and these films invite audiences to consider the place of art in their own lives.”
Join Tallgrass Film Festival for a free First Friday preview featuring trailers of the Spotlight Films. Attendees will meet the Tallgrass programming team and get a sneak peek at what’s coming to the big screen this October.
- What: Tallgrass Film Festival Spotlight Films Preview
- When: Friday, September 4, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
- Where: Tallgrass Film Center, 120 E 1st N., Ste 113, Wichita
About the Tallgrass Film Festival
Founded on Tim Gruver’s vision to bring independent film to Wichita, the Tallgrass Film Festival has grown over more than two decades into a nationally recognized celebration of independent cinema, known for its accessibility, filmmaker focus, and strong sense of place. Now in its 24th year, Tallgrass continues to evolve, presented by the Tallgrass Film Association as a four-day festival in downtown Wichita featuring narrative and documentary features, shorts, and the Emerging Filmmaker Program, alongside year-round programming at the Tallgrass Film Center.
Media Contacts:
Jaci Ignudo
Marketing and Communications Lead
Tallgrass Film Festival
marketing@tallgrassfilm.org
Ouma Amadou | Hugo Phan
Programming Director | Programming Coordinator
Tallgrass Film Festival
programming@tallgrassfilm.org
Tom Mittlestadt
Managing Director
Tallgrass Film Festival
tom@tallgrassfilm.org