Tallgrass Film Festival announces the second wave of films for the 22nd annual event
The Tallgrass Film Festival recently announced the second part of its lineup for the 22nd festival, taking place in downtown Wichita Oct. 24-27 in several venues, including the Orpheum Theatre, Century II and the Advanced Learning Library.
The festival will feature more than 129 films culled from more than 1,700 submissions worldwide, including a record number of films from 72 countries.
Here are some highlights of the second announcement (the complete schedule can be found at www.tallgrassfilm.org; times and dates are subject to change):
OPENING NIGHT FILM
“Luther: Never Too Much” (Director: Dawn Porter) This chronicles the life of iconic performer Luthor Vandross from childhood musical talent to worldwide fame. Showing at 7 p.m. Oct. 24, at the Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater. A pre-reception sponsored by SAG Indie will be held at Hopping Gnome with the Kevin Marlo Band for pass holders or a gala ticket.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
“Bob Trevino Likes It” (Director: Tracie Laymon) This is inspired by the true friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger when looking for her father online. 7 p.m. Oct. 27, at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater. An after-party with karaoke will be held for pass holders at Barleycorn’s.
OUT-OF-COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
“Hope in the Heartland” (Director: Robert Thomas) An exploration of people experiencing homelessness in Wichita and the overall effects on our community. This world premiere is a venture by Project HOPE and the city of Wichita. 4 p.m. Oct. 24, Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater.
“Loud Enough: Surviving Justice” (Director: Hilary Klotz Steinman) Set against the backdrop of the fifth anniversary of the #MeToo movement, this intimate, personal film follows a sexual assault survivor and her tight-knit family as they fight for justice and systemic change. 11:30 a.m. Oct. 25, Century II 201 Peach Room.
“Missing from Fire Trail Road” (Director: Sabrina Van Tassel) This explores the case of Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, a Native American woman who disappeared in 2020, exposing how hundreds of indigenous women continue to go missing in the U.S., perpetuating trans-generational trauma on Native reservations, where Indigenous women are murdered at an alarming rate as mostly unsolved crimes committed by non-natives. 4:30 p.m. at Century II 101 Pear Room. Presented with AlterNative Film Festival.
“Por El Amor a La Cultura: For the Love of the Culture” (Director: Julian Azcary Montes) A passionate couple, Miguel Santana-Morales and Elisa Santana-Rosales, explore the unique challenges Latino entrepreneurs face in the arts in Wichita. 11:30 a.m. Oct. 27, Century II 101 Pear Room. Presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“The Spirit of Halloweentown” (Directors: Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb) In 1998, the Disney Channel original movie “Halloweentown” was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. Since then, the town has become a de facto Halloween destination, with over 50,000 visitors each October. This film is an observational portrait of the town 25 years later. 4:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater.
“Teaches of Peaches” (Director: Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer) This is an intimate look at the inner workings of feminist icon Peaches, a fearless force challenging gender norms for over two decades. 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at Century 2 Mary Jane Teall Theater.
OUT-OF-COMPETITION NARRATIVE FEATURES
“Bajo Naranja (Underground Orange)” (Director: Michael Taylor) A Californian backpacker becomes entangled in a polyamorous relationship with a gang of young actors who plot to kidnap the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at Century II Pear 101 Room.
“They Call Her Death” (Director: Austin Snell) On the wild frontier of the American prairie, a woman is on a bloody crusade against the criminal forces that have wronged her. She shows no mercy, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake on a mission that ultimately strikes at the heart of the American identity and the notion of manifest destiny. 4 p.m. Oct. 24, Century II 201 Peach Room.
“Young Frankenstein” (Director: Mel Brooks) This special screening co-presented by Wichita’s Madame Mae follows an American grandson of the infamous scientist struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body. 1 p.m. Oct. 26 at Orpheum Theatre.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
“Carefully Taught” (Cynthia Kao) This comedic documentary reveals the intricate web between U.S. policies, Asian stereotypes and media representation. 11:30 a.m. Oct. 26 at Century II Pear 101.
“Naked Ambition” (Director: Dennis Scholl & Kareem Tabsch) Bunny Yeager, once heralded as the world’s prettiest photographer, greatly influenced 20th-century pop culture, though few people know her name. Whether by popularizing the bikini, helping discover Bettie Page, shaping the image of Playboy, or inventing the selfie, Bunny was a trailblazer whose work bucked against conservative 1950s America but helped pave the way for the feminist movement and the sexual revolution. 5 p.m. Oct. 27 at Century II 201 Peach Room.
“No One Asked You” (Director: Ruth Leitman) Comedian disruptor-extraordinaire Lizz Winstead (co-creator of “The Daily Show”) and the Abortion Access Front organization criss-cross the U.S. to support abortion clinic staff and bust stigma. 1:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Century II 201 Peach Room and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Tallgrass Film Center.
“No Other Land” (Directors Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor) Made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, this shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance that develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval. 4 p.m. Oct. 24 at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater.
“Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts.” (Director: Matthew Salleh) This contemporary portrait of America is told through a collection of stories observed within the walls of former Pizza Hut buildings across the country. These portraits parallel the origin story of the original Pizza Hut, founded in Wichita in 1958. 11 a.m. Oct. 25 at Tallgrass Film Center and 2 p.m. Oct. 27 at Century II Pear Room.
“The World According to Allee Willis” (Director: Alexis Manya Spraic) Songwriter/artist Allee Willis began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling to fit established gender and sexual norms - until she found a path to love. 2 p.m. Oct. 26 at Century II Pear 101 Room.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
“Los Frikis” (Directors: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz) Inspired by true events, this coming-of-age story set in early ‘90s Cuba follows a group of punk rockers in search of freedom who deliberately inject themselves with the HIV virus to live at a government-run treatment home so they can create their own utopia. 1:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theatre.
“Paper Flowers” (Director: Mahesh Pailoor) A USC grad’s quest for change in Peru is cut short by cancer. Back home, he finds strength in family and his college love. 11 a.m. Oct. 26 at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theatre.
“Queen of the Ring” (Director: Ash Avildsen) A biopic of Mildred Burke, a champion female pro wrestler who revolutionized the sport for women when it was outlawed. 2 p.m. Oct. 27 at Century II 201 Peach Room.
Check www.tallgrassfilm.org for updates.