Los Frikis directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz won Best Narrative Feature and The World According to Allee Willis directed by Alexis Manya Spraic won Best Documentary Feature at the 22nd Tallgrass Film Festival.
To Kill a Wolf directed by Kelsey Taylor won the prestigious Stubbornly Independent Award; along with the EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Feature Film and for Outstanding Cinematography.
The 22nd Tallgrass Film Festival in person event wrapped on Sunday with closing night film Bob Trevino Likes It; and kicked off the virtual event which runs until November 3.
2024 Tallgrass Film Festival Awards
Outstanding Courage In Filmmaking: Short: Things Unheard Of Dir. Alexandra Qin
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
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