For the second year in a row, Tallgrass’ Closing Night Gala will be presented by WSU’s Ulrich Museum of Art.

The Gala will feature the Canadian film MOMMY IS AT THE HAIRDRESSER’S, a vibrant family drama that examines gender roles with a keen sense of humor. The screening will begin at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 25 at the C.A.C. Theatre at Wichita State University and will be followed by a Q&A with delegate producer Francois Tremblay. The evening will conclude with the Closing Night Party at the Ulrich Museum of Art.

The event is free for WSU students, faculty, staff and Ulrich Museum members who are encouraged to RSVP in advance via email [email protected] or by calling (316) 978-3664.

Closing Night Gala tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance beginning October 5 through selectaseat.com, by calling (316) 755-7328, or by visiting the Orpheum Theater Box Office.

Party like a Filmmaker with the All Access Pass!

Get unlimited movies, parties and access to exclusive VIP events for just $150 for the entire weekend (or $120 if you are a student or WAMPA member!)

In addition to admission to ALL FILMS & GALAS (click here for event schedule), the All Access VIP Pass entitles you to:

Friday, October 23

VIP Filmmaker Lounge
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Market Centre, 155 N. Market

Old Cowtown Museum Presents the Mayor’s Welcome to Wichita Chili Feed
5-7 p.m., Old Cowtown Museum

Saturday, October 24

VIP Filmmaker Lounge
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Market Centre, 155 N. Market

Sunday, October 25

VIP Filmmakers Brunch
10:30 a.m.
Old Mill Tasty Shop

VIP Filmmaker Lounge
11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Market Centre, 155 N. Market

Buy your All Access VIP Pass starting this Monday at selectaseat.com or click here for Tallgrass Box Office information.

Check out the Complete ’09 festival lineup and get your passes and tickets on October 5th.

Check out the incredible lineup for the 2009 Tallgrass Film Festival in its entirety by clicking here and get your advance tickets on Monday, October 5th by:

*visiting selectaseat.com
*calling (316) 755-7328
*dropping by the Orpheum Theater Box Office at 200 N. Broadway

Pass Info

*VIP All-Access Pass (includes admission to all festival screenings, events and VIP events, including the VIP Filmmakers Lounge, Filmmakers Welcome Chili Feed Hosted by Mayor Carl Brewer, and Filmmakers Champagne Brunch): $150 general, $120 for students, seniors and WAMPA members.

*Daytripper Saturday Pass (Includes admission to all Saturday screenings, VIP Lounge and Saturday Gala Events): $55

*Best of the Fest Sunday Pass (Includes admission to all Sunday screenings, Filmmakers Champagne Brunch and Closing Night Gala): $45

Ticket Info

*General admission screenings: $9
*General admission discount: $7 with valid student, senior or military id

*Naked City Presents: The Opening Night Gala featuring “The Only Good Indian” (Ticket price includes movie and after‐party): $25

*Stella Artois Presents: Ad Astra Award Presentation to Seymour Cassel & Special Screening of “Reach for Me” (Ticket price includes Ad Astra presentation, tribute, movie and after party): $15

*Amira’s Dance Productions Presents: “Underbelly” (Ticket price includes movie, dance performance and after party): $15

*Ulrich Museum of Art Presents: The Closing Night Gala featuring “Mommy is at the Hairdressers” (Ticket price includes movie, and after party): $20
Admission free for WSU students/staff/faculty and Ulrich Museum members

Help visiting filmmakers and VIPs remember ICT forever!

Part of what makes Tallgrass so memorable for our visiting filmmakers (we’ve hosted more than 250 filmmakers in the last 7 years!) is the hospitality and treatment they receive from our community. This year we expect a wonderful group of guests and we’re putting together a SWAG bag for each of them. We’d like to show them what makes Wichita so special and send them home with some unique memorabilia and things that are only found in our neck of the woods.

From pens to books to T-shirts and sunflower seeds, help us fill their giftbags by adding something uniquely Wichita! Just 60 of each item will be needed and in-kind donations are tax-deductable. Call Hospitality Director Arietta Austin to schedule a pick up at 916-519-8130 or email her at [email protected]

Some of this year’s confirmed guests include:

AD ASTRA AWARD RECIPIENT
Seymour Cassel (Actor, Los Angeles)

THE ONLY GOOD INDIAN
Kevin Willmott (Director, Lawrence, KS)
Wes Studi (Actor, Phoenix, AZ)
Scott Richardson (Producer, Lawrence, KS)

REACH FOR ME
Seymour Cassel (Actor, Los Angeles)
Charlene Blaine (Producer, Los Angeles)

UNDERBELLY
Steve Balderson (Director, Los Angeles/Wamego, KS)
Pleasant Gehman, Princess Farhana (Feature Performer, Los Angeles)

MOMMY IS AT THE HAIRDRESSER’S (Maman est chez le coiffeur)
Francois Tremblay (Delegate Producer/Production, Canada)

THE BATTLE FOR BUNKER HILL
Kevin Willmott (Director, Lawrence, KS)
Scott Richardson (Producer, Lawrence, KS)
Greg Hurd (Producer, Lawrence, KS)

FISH OUT OF WATER
Kristen Kaza (Producer, Nashville, TN)

HOUSE OF NUMBERS
Brent Leung (Director, Nashville, TN)

KABUL 24
Ben Pearson (Director, Chicago, IL)

SWEET CRUDE
Sandy Cioffi (Director, Seattle, WA)

Do a drive-by of Tallgrass’ very own Roadside Attractions!

The theme for this year’s film festival is Roadside Attractions in an affectionate nod to the upbeat, quirky, and important attractions that capture the stubbornly independent nature of the Sunflower State and its citizens. Tallgrass is proud to count itself among those attractions!
Here are some of our very own offbeat offerings for ’09:

Tallgrass Trivia

Tallgrass Movie Trivia, with bonafide host Jake Euker and your brainy and beautiful trivia hygienist Heather Williams, returns at 7 PM on Thursday, October 15 at the Donut Whole. Come out for some incredible donuts as well as a chance to win a Ticket Voucher Package for the 2009 film festival and other goodies!

Tanya’s Soup Kitchen

Popular chef Tanya Tandoc will return to the downtown area with Tanya’s Soup Kitchen Caravan, a temporary mini-restaurant exclusively for the festival. It will serve up a choice of two of Tanya’s favorite soups on Friday and Sunday, and will be located in the parking lot of The Orpheum Theatre.

Mini Golf

Also in the Orpheum parking lot, a Quirky Attractions of Kansas Mini Golf Course will be up and running nearby with pairs from Big Brothers/Big Sisters Sedgwick County at the helm.

“Roadside Attractions” Window Display Contest

The Tallgrass Film Festival is inviting Wichita merchants to participate in a window/table decorating contest. Help us get the word out about our city’s upcoming annual film festival while drawing attention to your storefront with a spectacular window display.

If you’d like to create a display and do not have a window or storefront to decorate, a limited amount of space is available in the downtown area by request.

Contact TFF Artistic Director Tom Mittlestadt at (316) 737-5736 or [email protected] for more information. First place winner receives 2 VIP All Access Passes to the festival plus a $100 gift box of valuable window display items.

A Big SHOUT OUT to 2009 TFF Sponsors!

Thank you to our 2009 festival sponsors, including Integrated Media Group, Emily Bonavia Trust, Clear Channel Radio/Wichita, Wichita Downtown Development Corporation , City of Wichita , Stella Artois, House of Schwan, Glazer’s, Go Wichita!, KMUW , KPTS , ProductionHUB.com, Kansas Arts Commission, Greteman Group, National Endowment for the Arts, Ulrich Museum of Art , The Gruver Family, The Orpheum, The Garvey Center and Naked City.

Founded in 2003 by the late Timothy Gruver, the Tallgrass Film Festival is a program of the Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts (WAMPA), a non-profit 501©3 arts organization dedicated to entertaining and enlightening audiences from America’s Heartland. Through the festival, Third Thursday Film Series, Cinema Al Fresco Series, WAMPA Filmmaker Academy, and Special Screenings, WAMPA spotlights the city’s venues, cultural attractions and artistic communities.

For more information on the festival, go to tallgrassfilmfest.com