The 22nd Tallgrass Film Festival will be held in downtown Wichita, Kansas, October 24-27, 2024 . The festival will host more than 129 films at the Orpheum Theatre, the Advanced Learning Library (all downtown on 1st Street), and a new venue with three screens inside Century II, including the Mary J. Teall Theater.
“I look forward to another Stubbornly Independent edition of the Tallgrass Film Festival. Century II, serving as the main hub for the festival, should provide a positive experience for moviegoers and visiting Filmmakers alike. A nice highlight this year is that about half of all feature films were directed by women; overall, this is a diverse and exciting program with something for everyone,” Program Director Andre Seward said.
The festival will celebrate Kansas cinematic history ties from 1939: Hattie McDaniel, a Wichita native who was the first Black actor to win an Oscar for Gone With the Wind (1939), and Wizard of Oz, which will be shown for free in Naftzger Park. Celebrating Hattie McDaniel, presented by the Kansas Humanities Council, will include panels, a film screening of In This Our Life, and a City of Wichita presentation providing a key to the city to her family, who will attend.
“For me, celebrating Wichita’s own Hattie McDaniel has been a priority since moving here in 2021 and learning more about her through The Kansas African American Museum. We are so excited to partner with the museum, the city, and the Kansas Humanities Council to honor her important cinematic legacy,” Melanie Addington, Executive Director, said.
The festival shared the first highlights including the World Premiere of three Kansas-directed feature films, Arrive Alive, Meet Me at Magic Hour, and The Sunshine Dreamer.
Also, North American premieres of Woman Filmmaker narrative feature El Vaquero (The Cowboy) and Murmurations feature I Had a Life and USA premiere of Murmurations Where the Trees Bear Meat and To Our Friends, as well as regional premieres of several popular festival films No Other Land, Othelo, The Great, Paper Marriage and The Spirit of Halloweentown.
Sunshine Dreamer by Wichita filmmaker Shawn Rhodes will serve as the Friday night spotlight gala. The festival will donate a portion of the proceeds from the screening to the non-profit organization Coming Together for a Cure.
Dr. Neil Riordan, PA, PhD, a Wichita native and one of the early pioneers and experts in applied stem cell research will join the Q&A with Director Shawn Rhodes and Producer Blake Benton. Although this is Shawn’s fifth year showing at Tallgrass (Bender, Hoover Road, This is Love, Little Satchmo, etc.), this is Shawn’s directorial debut.
SPOTLIGHT FILMS
These films are not in juried competition but are selected to enhance the festival experience.
IN THIS OUR LIFE (part of the Hattie McDaniel Celebration) Presented by Kansas Humanities Council, City of Wichita and Visit Wichita.
Directors: John Huston, Raoul Walsh
RT:97m/USA
The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister’s husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman’s former fiancé.
This film plays on Saturday, October 26 at 4:30 pm at the Orpheum Theatre after a unique key to the city presentation to Hattie McDaniel’s family to honor her contributions to cinematic history.
METROPOLIS Presented by Wichita Wurlitzer
Director: Fritz Lang
RT: 120m/Germany
Wichita Wurlitzer is happy to team up with the Tallgrass Film Festival to present the 1927 silent film Metropolis. Organist Donnie Rankin will provide the live musical score to this show set in a futuristic urban dystopia that follows the attempts of a wealthy city master to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with the city master. Metropolis is considered one of the most influential films ever made.
THE WIZARD OF OZ Presented by Clark Investment Group
Directors: Victor Fleming & King Vidor
RT: 102m/USA
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others’ wishes.
I NEEDED PARIS
Director: D. Michael Cheers
Producer: D. Michael Cheers, B. Kameron Lawson, LaTonia Kennedy, Pricsa Barnes, Sheila Kinnard and Sharon Cranford
Kansas Premiere. RT: 40m/USA, France
I Needed Paris follows nine middle school photo students from Gordon Parks Academy in Wichita. The students reimagine how Gordon Parks photographed fashions, portraits, and street photography during his 1950-1952 tenure in Paris as a photographer in the LIFE magazine bureau. The film explores Gordon’s foray into composing classical music and his interest in poetry. The documentary also introduces the students to African American expats living in Paris, who share their experiences, hoping to inspire the trajectory of the students’ young lives.
Tim Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers Category showcases our state filmmakers with features and short films.
AMERICAN UNDERDOG
Directors: Gustavo Martin-Benites
Producers: Naveen A. Chathapuram, Cristy Coors Beasley, Rashaana Shah
Kansas Premiere. RT: 89m/USA
AMERICAN UNDERDOG is the story of an Indian-American immigrant and amateur MMA fighter, fresh out of jail, a Prodigal Son who must redeem and rebuild his life to become a better man. During an unexpected encounter in a convenience store, our protagonist steps in to stop a robbery and finds himself suddenly and uncomfortably in the limelight, hailed as a local hero. He is entered into a local MMA tournament, and to win, he must look deep within to overcome his past transgressions, find redemption, and move forward.
ARRIVE ALIVE
Directors Gina Bryant
Producers: Gina Bryant, Roy Nugen, Tyler W. Moore
World Premiere. RT: 83/USA
Old friends Ruby Hammond (Molly Strickler) and Erica Garner (Mercedes Hayden) share a dark secret. Karl Gallo (Naythan Smith) is fresh out of prison and looking to avenge his brother’s murder. Police Chief “Harv” Harvey (Emmanuel Cockrell) wants to keep the peace without hurting his family. All their violent stories collide in a small Kansas town, where they all want to ARRIVE ALIVE.
Mo’s Strange Predicament (short) plays with ARRIVE ALIVE
Directors: Naythan Smith & Victoria Gayer
RT: 4m/USA
A Gen Z teen gets involved in movie mayhem when a silent film star arrives at her house.
MEET ME AT MAGIC HOUR
Director: Monica Honey
Producer: Monica Honey, Maria Victoria Savage
World Premiere. RT: 76m/USA
Following the death of their mother, Jordan is suddenly tasked with managing the family-owned movie theater. Overwhelmed by a string of cringe-worthy incidents at the funeral involving their brother, partner, and the community, Jordan seeks solace in a vibrant imagination. In a desperate attempt to navigate their challenges, Jordan dives headfirst into worlds inspired by different movie genres. Along the way, amidst the chaos and laughter, Jordan unexpectedly discovers insights that might hopefully save the day—and their reputation.
Finding My Voice (short) plays with the feature MEET ME AT MAGIC HOUR
Director: Rouven Gueissaz
Regional Premiere. RT: 10m/USA
This short student documentary is a crossed portrait of two transgender women working on their voices to make them sound more feminine and to match the new person they have become. One of them is 67-year-old Bernie Wagenblast, one of New York’s most famous voices. She is among the male subway voices that millions of commuters hear daily. The other character is 25-year-old Jade Stephan, who is currently seeing a voice therapist to help her work on her voice. This film explores their relationship to their voices and how voices can be a factor in integration into society.
STARTUP
Director: Shane Konicki
Producer: Shane Konicki, Meredith Konicki, and James Luce
World Premiere. RT: 98m/USA
Brothers Pete and Norm Stuckey will do anything to ensure their brand-new make-up startup succeeds. Pass out flyers, hit-up social media influencers…and even borrow money from their town’s local loan shark. With the clock ticking to pay him back and their product missing days before their company launch, they’ll have to turn to a late-night, infomercial ‘fixer’ to save their business…and their lives.
Jimmy Trigger and the Mystery Box (short) plays with STARTUP.
Director: Mason Vietti
RT: 15m/USA
Jimmy Trigger, a self-proclaimed secret agent, must retrieve a box from his arch-nemesis, Buster Douglas.
THE SUNSHINE DREAMER
Director: Shawn Rhodes
Producer: Blake & Ryan Benton, Christa Rude Vazeos
World Premiere. RT:80m/USA, Hungary, Ireland
Ryan Benton is a young musician afflicted with the muscle-wasting disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which carries an average life expectancy of 16 to early 20s. He was the first human with MD to be treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells. This treatment has worked on MD and other untreatable rare diseases with no adverse side effects! However, large pharmaceutical companies in the United States and the E.U. work hard to block this remedy since they stand to lose hundreds of billions in revenue if legalized. The film is a sobering snapshot of an uncured rare disease and an uplifting portrait of an artist who dreams big against all odds.
UNWARRANTED: THE SENSELESS DEATH OF JOURNALIST JOAN MEYER
Director: Travis Heying, Jaime Green
RT: 38m/USA
A police raid of a small-town newspaper in Kansas and the death of the newspaper’s owner a day later brought worldwide condemnation and attention to attacks on press freedoms in the United States.
Color Me Wichita (short) plays with UNWARRANTED: THE SENSELESS DEATH OF JOURNALIST JOAN MEYER.
Director: Charity & Sara Harmon
World Premiere. RT: 20m/USA
Sara and Charity Harmon are sisters, artists, and award-winning filmmakers. They spotlight Gary Pendergrass, creator of an outdoor museum called Steampunk Village. Inspired by Gary’s work, the sisters attempt to create a piece of art in a steampunk-ish style and present it to him.
Black Enough Season 2 (episodic short) with UNWARRANTED: THE SENSELESS DEATH OF JOURNALIST JOAN MEYER.
Director: Micah Ariel Watson
Kansas Premiere. RT:23m/USA
Black Enough is a web series that follows Amaya, an insecure dancer, and her kaleidoscope of friends as they learn what it means to be Black on the campus of a BWI. In the 5th episode of season 2, Black Ball brings out a new flame, Amaya, and old frustrations in her first college friend and former crush, Jaheem.
The fourth annual Gordon Parks Award for Black Excellence in Filmmaking presented by Cargill Competition which will provide a $5,000 cash prize and a $10,000 camera rental package from Panavision:
ALBANY ROAD
Director Christine Swanson
Producer: Michael Swanson
Kansas Premiere. RT: 135m/USA
It seemed Celeste’s life was on a perfect fairy tale path. She excelled in a demanding job she loved, with promotions forthcoming. Then there was her soul mate, Kyle. Theirs was a relationship on the fast track. No one could have foreseen the degree to which one person could change the whole trajectory of Celeste’s life forever. But Kyle’s mother, Paula, had it in for Celeste the moment she laid eyes on the girl who would take away her one and only son. But Paula was not about to let that happen. So, it didn’t. One year after the Kyle/Paula debacle and on her way to the most important meeting of her career, Celeste bumps into Paula at the airport. Due to bad weather, all flights were canceled, forcing Celeste and Paula to share the only remaining rental car in the airport from NYC to Washington, D.C. In a truly unexpected turn of events, Celeste discovers that Paula is hiding a significant secret from everyone, including her son, Kyle. Burdened with this heavy information, Celeste begins to soften toward Paula, trying to convince her to tell Kyle what she is hiding from him. Paula slowly realizes that she misjudged Celeste and may have made a mistake getting between her and Kyle. As the two begin to create a bond of understanding, the inclement weather conditions force them to take a detour to Paula’s cousin’s house for the night. To both their surprise, there are additional house guests for the evening, including Kyle and his new fiancée! And, to be expected, the proverbial crap hits the fan.
OTHELO, THE GREAT
Director: Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos
Producer: Ailton Franco Jr.
Regional Premiere. RT: 83m/Brazil
“Othelo, The Great” is a documentary about Sebastião Bernardes de Souza Prata, aka Grande Othelo, one of Brazil’s greatest actors and comedians. Black, orphaned, and the grandson of enslaved people, Othelo escaped poverty to forge a career that broke every imaginable barrier for a black actor in the first half of the 20th century, working with filmmakers such as Orson Welles, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Werner Herzog, Julio Bressane, Marcel Camus, and Nelson Pereira dos Santos, among many others. Othelo used that space to shape his narrative and discuss the systemic racism that haunted him for eight decades, two dictatorships, and over a hundred films.
THE FIGHT FOR BLACK LIVES
Director/Producer: Micere Keels
Kansas Premiere. RT: 73m/USA
The Fight for Black Lives shows how racial stress and the US healthcare system disadvantage the health of Black Americans, starting before birth. Shockingly, the present-day gap between a Black newborn’s risk of dying before their first birthday compared to a White newborn exceeds what it was during the early 1900s. The film weaves together stories of Black women who were pregnant during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter uprising, interviews with Black health experts, and historical records to illustrate the struggles Black women face in safeguarding their lives and infants during childbirth.
In the Jake Euker Stubbornly Independent category, films are expected to have a production budget under $750,000 and must be domestic narrative features. The winner will receive a Stubbornly Independent Tap Handle.
PAPER MARRIAGE
Director: Jeff Man
Producers: Angela Park
Regional Premiere. RT: 91m/USA
Fanny, a Chinese immigrant desperate for a green card, pays Jeff to be her fake husband. Over a year, they adjust to living together, meeting Jeff’s parents, and even having a “wedding banquet.” To convince everyone that their love is real, Fanny and Jeff must overcome their differences and find the good in each other.
Quayle (short) plays with PAPER MARRIAGE
Director: Kyle Kenyon
Regional Premiere. RT: 6m/USA
Two roommates have one last chance to admit their true feelings.
The Paper Bag Plan
Director: Anthony Lucero
Producers: Ke’alohi Lee Lucero, Anthony Lucero
Kansas Premiere. RT: 107m/USA
Oscar has dedicated his life to the well-being of his disabled son, Billy. But Oscar is not only a devoted father; he is also a high-functioning alcoholic. The thought of “who will care for my son once I die” has now come face to face with Oscar with his recent colon cancer diagnosis. After scrambling unsuccessfully to find any job placement for Billy, he notices a help wanted sign at a nearby grocery store. With their remaining precious time together, Oscar forges ahead with training his son to bag groceries, hoping to land him his first job and begin a life of independence.
TO KILL A WOLF
Director: Kelsey Taylor
Producers: Adam Lee, Kelsey Taylor, Ricky Fosheim
Kansas Premiere. RT: 92m/USA
On the fringes of the Oregon wilderness, two strangers with troubled pasts are brought together when a reclusive WOODSMAN discovers a teenage runaway, DANI, hypothermic and barely conscious in the woods. After saving Dani from the elements, The Woodsman begrudgingly agrees to return the teen to her grandmother, and the two become unlikely travel companions. As they make their way across the state, they forge an unexpected bond, delving into their pasts and testing their willingness to trust one another. Ultimately, with each other’s help, they face the demons that haunt them and discover a new way to start their lives.
Cairn (short) plays with TO KILL A WOLF
Director: Gia-Rayne Harris & Joshua Nathan
Regional Premiere. RT: 20m/USA
A groundskeeper, Ada, working in rural Georgia, stumbles on a dark secret while searching for a young woman who has gone missing on her employer’s property. With no idea what may have happened to the woman, Ada must decide whether the weekend visitors on the property also mean her harm.
Celebrating our woman-representing filmmakers this year, the Woman Filmmaker Spotlight highlights woman-directed films from across the globe.
EL VAQUERO (THE COWBOY)
Director: Emma Rozanski
Producers: Gonzalo Escobar Mora, Louise McElhatton, Juiana Saray
North American Premiere. RT: 93m/Colombia
The arrival of a stray horse triggers a series of events in Bernicia’s life that alters her world as she slowly takes on the persona of a cowboy. Through her journey, she must overcome several obstacles that threaten her newfound desires. EL VAQUERO is an uplifting drama about self-determination.
IF THAT MOCKINGBIRD DON’T SING
Director: Sadie Bones
Producers: Mandy Ward
Kansas Premiere. RT: 95m/USA
After a passionate prom night, Sydnie’s boyfriend Lucas drops a bomb: he wants to date other girls in college. Devastated, Sydnie gives up on her travel dreams, and to make things worse, she discovers she’s pregnant. Hoping to win back Lucas, she keeps the baby despite her family’s objections. Lucas, compelled by his religious mother, returns from college. Initially upset, he embraces the pregnancy as an opportunity to transform and support his family. Reuniting tentatively, Sydnie and Lucas clash over values and plans. Enter Daniel, the charismatic lead singer of ‘Delusions of Grandeur.’ Sydnie then decides to stay with Lucas and keep the baby or pursue her dreams with Daniel.
THE MAJOR TONES
Director: Ingrid Pokropek
Producers: Iván Moscovich, Juan Segundo Álamos, Ingrid Pokropek, Magdalena Schavelzon, Pablo Piedras, Miguel Molina, Adán Aliaga
Kansas Premiere. RT: 101m/Argentina
It’s winter holidays, and fourteen-year-old Ana discovers that the metal plate she has in her arm from an accident she suffered as a child is now receiving a strange message in Morse code.
Malkoak (short) plays with THE MAJOR TONES
Director: Sonia Estévez
Kansas Premiere. RT 5m/Spain
A tear from a child, Malko, tells us that it does not always come out equally from the eyes of the child to which it belongs. Depending on the reason that causes the child’s crying, the tear has a different appearance; in particular, it dresses differently. The child appreciates his tears on all occasions, and the tear appreciates all of her forms.
For our Murmurations category, we highlight Spanish cinema in honor of our local Miro mural at Ulrich Art Museum.
I HAD A LIFE (Yo Tenía Una Vida)
Director: Octavio Guerra
Producers: Calibrando Producciones
North American Premiere. RT: 71m/Spain
Jesús (61) arrives at a housing and employment reincorporation center after living on the streets for a decade. Now Jesús’ life is entirely of rules. His struggle doesn’t make sense if he cannot make his own decisions. After years of depending on social services, he leaves the program with all the risks this decision entails. Elena (30), coordinator of the supervised accommodation, is writing her thesis on the reincorporation of homeless people. When Jesús leaves, her research takes a turn, and she focuses her thesis on Jesús’ life story. Elena becomes his only emotional support.
WHERE THE TREES BEAR MEAT (Donde los árboles dan carne)
Director: Alexis Franco
Producer: Roberto Minervini, Denise Ping Lee, Alexis Franco, Nadia Martínez, Inés Massa
USA Premiere. RT: 73m/Argentina
In the heartland of Argentina, a hardworking cattle rancher, Omar, finds himself entangled in an unyielding battle against nature’s wrath. Due to a prolonged drought, the land bears the heavy burden of dying livestock. As Omar struggles to keep his cows alive, we witness the heart-wrenching decisions he must make to save what little remains. In a parallel narrative, we are introduced to Omar’s 93-year-old mother, who has begun planning for her imminent departure. She prays for rain to help the cows survive, yet she profoundly understands the harshness and fragility of life that does not make any promises. The youngest branches of this family end at Libertad, the innocent 4-year-old granddaughter who pines for her missing father. Omar takes on the dual role of protector and provider for this fragile child, shielding her from the dangers of the wilderness outside.
Poppy Crash (short) plays with WHERE THE TREES BEAR MEAT
Director: Andalusia K. Soloff
USA Premiere. RT: 27m/Mexico
Fields of radiant red poppy flowers fill the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico. The sale of the opium paste extracted from these poppies drives the mountain economy, allowing them to pay for their children’s education, construct homes, and put food on the table. This was until fentanyl crashed the market and drove opium paste prices down. Poppy Crash examines these mostly indigenous farmers’ dependence on the volatile black market that provokes an uncertain future where increased poverty and violence are evident. When illicit crop cultivation is reduced, campesinos migrate to work as underpaid farmworkers, join the ranks of organized crime, or just try to keep earning a living while harvesting corn and poppy. This intimate portrait of rural life bound to an illegal economy diverts the lens from the havoc and death wreaked by fentanyl overdoses. It encourages viewers to reflect on the impact of global drug policies on those who slice poppy flowers just to get by.
TO OUR FRIENDS (A nuestros amigos)
Director: Adrián Orr
Producer: El Viaje Films, New Folder Studio, Karõ Filmes
USA Premiere. RT: 90m/ USA
There are moments when it seems that your life will be decided forever. Sara, a young woman from a working-class neighborhood of Madrid, is on the cusp of great change as she starts university. She is caught between two worlds – the people she grew up with and her new peers from a different social class. Confronting betrayal, loss, and love, she struggles to understand who she is and will become.
All the following films will be shown in the Tim Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers shorts block, a local favorite.
Breathless
Directors: Cole Campbell, Janel Barrier
Kansas Premiere. RT: 3m/USA
As an ancient creature terrorizes a young woman in her home, she discovers the hidden truth about its peculiar purpose.
Citrinitas
Director: Jackson Griffin
World Premiere. RT: 19m/USA
Dauph returns home to face her father’s impending death. Outside of town, a crop circle has appeared. Their search for hope leads them to its center.
Electra Wasp
Director: Wasan Hayajneh
RT: 6m/USA
ELECTRA WASP is an experimental animated psycho-biography about the death and life of trailblazing pilot Amelia Earhart.
Harmony
Director: Alyssa Pfeifer
Kansas Premiere. RT: 9m/USA
Zane finds solace in their time at church, a peace not always reciprocated by community members. With a pastor they have known since childhood, they discuss how they perceive their spirituality and gender intersecting and hope that he has the heart to listen.
Icebox
Director: Patrick Rea
Regional Premiere. RT: 14m/USA
On a bitterly cold night, a pizza delivery driver, Eric, shows up to face his demanding boss, Dee, with a stack of orders ready to go. After his first stop, a carjacker attacks him and locks him in the trunk. Even worse, a stray bullet from a fatal shootout leaves Eric wounded. When Eric doesn’t return, Dee sets out to find him. She sees his car at the shooting scene but gets no help from the cops there. Only when Eric tries a last-ditch message-in-a-bottle tactic does Dee figure out how to free him in the nick of time.
No Small Parts
Director: Patrick Poe, Lolo Loren
RT: 12m/USA
An actor auditions to be an extra in a movie.
Pink Walls: Based On A True Story
Directors: Dylan Warrington
USA Premiere. RT: 6m/USA
Based on a True Story: A 15-year-old transgender youth who, through internal contemplation and interactions with family, decides whether to read a poem he wrote to a group of school peers, revealing his true self.
The Chronocular Device
Director: Edward Loupe
Kansas Premiere. RT: 16m/USA
A shadowy figure breaks into an abandoned home and finds a strange device that allows him to glimpse its past.
The Real Big Brucey
Director: Elizabeth Jaeleigh Davis
Regional Premiere. RT: 5m/USA
“The Real Big Brucey” is a quirky comedy that delves into the life of a former children’s TV entertainer, Big Brucey. Now in his 30s, Bruce is on a quest to reinvent himself after a failed romance with Hannah, who couldn’t separate him from his beloved puppeteer persona. The story oscillates between past and present, showcasing Bruce’s struggle to move beyond the shadow of his famous alter-ego.