2024 Tallgrass Film Festival Film Screenings at Tallgrass Film Center

Friday, Oct. 25th

11:00 AM 

Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. 

A contemporary portrait of America, told through a collection of stories observed within the walls of former Pizza Hut buildings across the country. These nostalgic spaces hold memories of a bygone era, but through the power of transformation, they provide something new and special for the communities that continue to flow through them.

From an LGBTQ+ church in Florida, to a karaoke bar in Texas, to a cannabis dispensary in rural Colorado, these modern-day portraits are paralleled with the origin story of Pizza Hut - one of America's most iconic brands, and the two brothers who founded the company in Wichita, Kansas in 1958.

2:00 PM 

Encore: TBA

5:00 PM

A Nuestros Amigos (To Our Friends) 

Sara, a young woman from a working class neighborhood, starts university and constructs her identity, split between her friends from her community and the new world she is exposed to as she comes of age.

10:00 PM 

Late Night Vortex Shorts

Crystal Galaxy Enforcers

Flying through space in a crystal ship, Modnar encounters an annoying nemesis.

Dead Flesh

A young boxer's commitment to his craft is unparalleled. But the wounds of his life outside the ring threaten to ruin his future success--inside and outside the ring--if he can't overcome their lasting impact.

Inner Freak

Petting the cat, damning the beaver, flicking the bean. No matter what you call it, Gray just can'€™t quite get herself to do it. In this NSFW dark comedy, Gray'€™s life is tossed into chaos when she begins to explore her sexual desires - like her thirst for intimate luchadores and a toe-nail biting fetish. When shame and self-doubt take hold, she is confronted by her own horny hand coming to life to help her act out her deepest desires. "€˜Inner Freak"€™ brings viewers on the whacked out adventure that is the experience of sexual awakening for so many. Get ready to paddle the pink canoe into this fever dream.

Oversight

A gay couple notices a drone hovering near their apartment's deck. Initially, they think it just belongs to the kid next door. But they soon find out it's "supposed" to be there.

Take All of Me

A woman, haunted by a distorted vision of a person from her past, must decide whether to accept or destroy this memory.

The Greenhouse

On a quiet evening in a house in rural suburbia, Dwayne and Kelly are living worlds apart. Kelly stews over her homemade chili while Dwayne jams to rock’n’roll. Boiling with resentment, Kelly decides to take matters into her own hands and serve Dwayne something special from her Greenhouse.

The Sun Sets Like a Scar

Engaging with the poetry of Langston Hughes, this film investigates the afterlives of Vladimir Lenin in eastern Germany.

Toast

“Toast” is an exercise in shutting down the frontal lobe during the writing process in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle, both in the written word and corresponding imagery. A five minute waterfall of automatic cadence about how we, as humans, argue and negotiate with ourselves every morning over the simple task of getting out of bed...and what massive consequences that seemingly small decision has over our lives.

Tulipomania: Shines On

A light from long ago shines on in this paean to ambiguity and endurance.

Tulipomania present a new animated music video for Shines On – the third single to be released for their newest album Dreaming of Sleep.

For this new animated music video, band members/directors Tom Murray and Cheryl Gelover created, then modified and manipulated original footage to produce an animated exploration of light and color. The final animation is composed of thousands of individual collages, augmented by bold swipes of pastel on distressed and reconfigured surfaces of black paper.

Zasady (The rules)

A Song on the End of the World is a poem that was written by Czeslaw Milosz just before the Warsaw uprising. The poem, according to scholar Steven Ward, is a poem that wrestles with the ays in which immense catastrophe doesn't always arrive in the form we expect it to. This could be applied to the circumstances of the world today. The black figure could be realistic or metaphoric, is the world she's created an internal manifestation of her fears or is this a dystopian world where she is forced to cope with her circumstances?

El Autor (The Author)

Martin, a self-centered writer obsessed with his book, Carlos, a devoted young man, and Mayka, 9 months pregnant, are the last people on Earth. After years looking for survivors, Mayka’s pregnancy makes them have to look for shelter in an unsettling house so she can give birth to a baby who could change it all.

Saturday, Oct. 26th

4:00 PM 

Encore TBA  

7:00 PM 

Encore TBA  

10:00 PM 

Life and Death Shorts

Grave Error

Emma Larson, finds herself in a state of limbo after an administrative error leaves her legally dead. A whole new world of chaos descends upon her as she loses access to her money, job and recognition anywhere. After an unanticipated and rather uncomfortable voyage to begin the process of rectifying the issue, she's finally presented with an opportunity to start afresh. But even that doesn't go according to plan...

Hold On For Dear Life

A young man wanders around his bomb-wounded city with his dog and his noseless friend Jean-Michel, while trying to keep his everyday life intact.

Jedo's Dead

During the social and political turmoil of 9/11, a young girl and her brother intimately confront loss when they discover their dead grandfather’s body. Jedo’s Dead frames the traditional rituals surrounding death and loss through the eyes of young children. Alone and confused, they work their way through the stages of human grief—from the painfully human to the inescapably transcendent. 

Singing in the Lifeboat

In the midst of the Covid pandemic, Jin, a Korean British woman in her late 20s, flees to the tranquil woods of Pennsylvania in search of solace. Isolated and yearning for connection, she begins an unconventional companionship with the forest. Placing name tags on trees, she befriends them, finding comfort in their silent presence. As days blend into each other, Jin's routine becomes a lifeline, shielding her from the relentless chaos outside. Yet, beneath the surface, her thoughts take a darker turn. The isolation that initially offered refuge now transforms into a haunting abyss, breeding desperation within her fragile psyche.

Terminally Ill 

When a struggling rapper is summoned to his grandmother'€™s deathbed, he engages in a madcap freestyle in a desperate attempt to prevent her from dying.

The Door

A year after their daughter's disappearance, Kara and Felix struggle to move on in their own ways as their marriage falls apart around them. But when a mysterious door appears in her kitchen, Kara becomes obsessed with uncovering what lies behind it at any cost. Even as it threatens to reopen old wounds.

The Steak 

As a mother prepares a cake for her daughter's birthday, the enemy's Army suddenly launches a surprise attack. There is no time to escape, but to protect her daughter, the mother hides the girl in a closet. The Soldiers attack the house and kill the mother. A medic soldier discovers the girl and tries to bring joy by celebrating her birthday. However, the birthday changed to a funeral.

This is Ours

Trapped in a 1960s facility evaluating children for potential citizenship, two girls are faced with the question of human value. While their competitive conditioning sets them against each other, oneâs rebellion disrupts everything and sparks a connection that neither will forget.

Sunday, Oct. 27th

11:00 AM

Encore TBA  

2:30 PM 

Encore

No One Asked You

Comedian, disruptor-extraordinaire Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show), and Abortion Access Front crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinic staff and bust stigma. Pop culture icons and next-gen comics fuel this six-year road film activating small-town folks to rebuild vandalized clinics, exposing wrongdoer politicians, anti-abortion extremists, and media neglect as the race to the bottom ensues. A bold call to action reminds us that even as our rights burn down, joy will prevail.

Super High: A Period Piece

In the semi-autobiographical short film "Super High: A Period Piece," Amanda battles excruciating period pain caused by fibroids. Desperate for relief, she experiments with a celebrity cannabis brand's edibles. A dosage mishap catapults her into a surreal, anxiety-filled journey until she awakens.

5:00 PM 

Encore: TBA

Friday, Nov. 1st

1:00 PM

Tallgrass Award Winners: Stubbornly Independent Winner + Narrative Short

Saturday, Nov. 2nd 

1:00 PM 

Tallgrass Award Winners: Gordon Parks Winner

4:00 PM 

Tallgrass Award Winners: Documentary Feature Winner 

Sunday, Nov. 3rd 

1:00 PM 

Tallgrass Award Winners: Woman Filmmaker Winner + Vortex

4:00 PM 

Tallgrass Award Winners: Narrative Feature Winner + Mumuration Short