The 22nd Tallgrass Film Festival Presented By ARCHER HOTELS Announces WINNERS!
Wichita, KS (October 27, 2024) – The Tallgrass Film Festival announced this year’s award winners in a ceremony at Margarita’s Cantina this morning. Assistant Director Sierra Franklin-Morton and Program Director Andre Seward hosted the event with DJ Carbon. Winners will repeat in person next weekend at the Emily Bonavia Tallgrass Film Center. The festival continues today with the closing night film Bob Trevino Likes It at the Mary J. Teall Theater in Century II. The virtual event begins tonight and runs until November 3. Audience award winners will be announced in the e-newsletter and on social media tomorrow when voting ends tonight.
Prizes included the programmer awards by Andre Seward, Canan Turan (Narrative shorts), Alex Megaro (Documentary Shorts), and Brian Ratigan (Vortex shorts).
Outstanding Courage In Filmmaking: Short: THINGS UNHEARD OF, directed by Ramazan Kılıç.
Feature: No Other Land Dir. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor
Outstanding Cinematography: Short: I Was Never Really Here Dp: George Lewark & Enchukunoto Dp: Franklyne Mudulia Manono
Feature: To Kill A Wolf Dp: Adam Lee
Outstanding Editing: Short: Fantoomwjik
Feature: Donde Los Arboles Dan Carne: Ana Remón
Outstanding Art Direction: Short: Living Reality: Caroline Dean
Feature: They Call Her Death
Outstanding Sound Design: Short: Harlem Fragments: Ian Cymore & Ebb & Flow: Thierry Diab
Feature: The Major Tones: Javier Fernandez Jensen
Juror and Film Critic Jennifer Merin celebrated her 81st birthday on stage and was on hand with the EDA awards in partnership with the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, the EDAs goal is to highlight female talent behind the camera. They are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film, and television actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. She was one of the founders of Aftra and led the movement to pair Sag & Aftra.
EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Short Film: ENCHUKUNOTO [The Return]
EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Feature Film: To Kill A Wolf
Special Mention: Carefully Taught
Woman Filmmaker Spotlight, Sponsored by Holly Dyer and Gary Owens, with a $1,000 cash prize: If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing DIR: SADIE BONES
Best Documentary Feature: The World According to Allee Willis DIR: Alexis Manya Spraic
Honorable Mention: Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. DIR: Matthew Salleh
Winner of the best Murmurations short film is
EL CACHARRICO [THE PILEUP] DIR. Oscar Toribio Carbayo
Yo tenía una vida [I had a life] dir. OCTAVIO GERRUA
Documentary Short, as an Honorable Mention: The Waiting DIR. Volker Schlecht
The Winner of the Best Documentary Short is The Big Wait DIR. Yannick Jamey
The best Kansas Filmmaker Narrative Short
Special Award for personalizing a headline allows us to see the person’s grit and determination; otherwise, we would need to see through a news article. Unwarranted: The Senseless Death of Journalist Joan Myers
Honorable mention the casting director Nicole Hall: No Small Parts
Jury Selected: The Chronocular Device
Michael Moeder with Moeder and Associates spoke about the importance of educational programs in the renaming of the Thane Chastain Emerging Program in honor of a long-time Emerging instructor who died last year. Best Thane Chastain Emerging Narrative Short: $200 – SPONSORED by Moeder & Associates
Honorable Mention: To The Max DIR: Sundiata Enuke
Emerging Spirit Award: As You Wish DIR: Dennis Rider
Jury Selected: The Lake in the Sky DIR: Caleb Reese Paul
The Gordon Parks Award for Black Excellence in Filmmaking: $5,000, $15,000 value Panavision Camera Rental and a medallion – SPONSORED by Cargill and Panavision: Othelo, O Grande [Othello, The Great] DIR: Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos
Best Narrative Feature: LOS FRIKIS DIR: Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
Our Vortex category is for all animation, experimental, or hybrid projects.
Honorable Mention: THE NECTAR INSTEAD dir: Yoo Lee
Vortex Winner: ONE HAPPY CUSTOMER dir: WATTS
Best Narrative Short:
Honorable Mention: DEEP IN MY HEART IS A SONG DIR: JONATHAN PICKETT
Jury Selected: TERMINALLY ILL DIR: CHRIS COLE
The best Kansas Filmmaker Feature: START UP
DIR: Shane Konicki
Our final award is the Stubbornly Independent Winner must be a US Domestic narrative feature film made for $750,000 or under, without traditional, theatrical, domestic distribution at the time of the festival screening, Winning a one-of-a-kind Tallgrass Tap Handle made by Van Chase Studios.
Stubbornly Independent: TO KILL A WOLF dir: KELSEY TAYLOR
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Stubbornly Independent since 2003, the Tallgrass Film Festival is the largest film festival in Kansas. A program of the 501(c)3 Tallgrass Film Association, the festival showcases more than 200 films from around the world, hosts dozens of visiting filmmakers, and includes galas, parties, and educational workshops and panels. In addition to bringing the best of independent cinema to heartland audiences, the festival is designed to highlight the city’s cultural attractions including world-class museums, landmarks, and unique local businesses, to visitors and residents alike. Throughout the year, TFA presents independent cinema at the year-round film center in the Lux.
