Tallgrass Film Festival Press Release – 2/23/2009:

The Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts (WAMPA) and the Tallgrass Film Festival announced their call for submissions for the 7th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival to be held October 22-25 in Wichita, Kansas at the Warren Old Town Theatres and other downtown venues. Over the last six years, more than 25,000 local and regional attendees and over 200 filmmakers from Kansas and all over the world have enjoyed the region’s premiere independent film festival.

The Tallgrass Film Festival is dedicated to entertaining, educating and enlightening audiences in America’s Heartland by showcasing the very best of independent cinema – including domestic and foreign, documentary and narrative, short and feature length, animation, GLBT and immigrant voices, environmental, and High School cinema.

WAMPA also announced their cash awards: $1,000 will be given to the Audience Award Winning Feature Film, and $500 will be awarded to the Audience Award Winning Short Film.

For the second year, the 2009 Tallgrass Film Festival will also include the environmentally conscious GREENGRASS category, which will screen films pertaining to environmental issues. In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the festival will once again partner with environmentally friendly companies and organizations, to promote their messages.

Submissions from Kansas filmmakers, and high school filmmakers from around the country will not require a submission fee, however, all official submission forms must be filled out as usual at www.withoutabox.com and filmmakers must submit a valid Kansas address or a copy of a valid high school ID, respectively, to request the fee waiver.

Highlights from the 2008 festival included the Opening Night Gala Screening of the documentary What’s the Matter with Kansas?; the Closing Night Gala screening of The Deal; the Timothy Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers presented by the Kansas Film Commission; the Joel Fein High School Shorts Program; the Audience Award winning feature film The Wrecking Crew; the Audience Award winning short film Electric Revolution; the 2009 Independent Spirit Award nominees: documentary The Order of Myths directed by 2009 Spirit Award winner Margaret Brown, the animated feature Sita Sings the Blues and the 2009 Academy Award nominee for Short Film (Live Action) New Boy.

Official festival selections are made by the local Tallgrass Film Festival Programming Committee, made up of Wichitans from all walks of life. Programmers work diligently throughout the year to tailor the film festival to the Wichita audiences who delight in the festival’s diverse independent film programming.

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 annual film festival, the summertime Cinema Al Fresco Series, WAMPA Filmmaker Academy and Special Screenings, WAMPA spotlights the city’s venues, cultural attractions and artistic communities. WAMPA strives to foster the ever-growing, local filmmaking community, sparking a dialogue among filmmakers and enhancing artistic expression.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The entry deadline for film submissions is July 13, 2009 with a late submission deadline of July 27, 2009. (Fees: Features $50, Shorts $25/Late Submission Fee: Features $100, Shorts $50).

The Early Bird Deadline offers reduced submission fees; however, films must be submitted by April 6, 2009, to qualify for the discount. (Fees: Features: $40 and Shorts: $15).

Entries must be submitted on DVD (NTSC format) and will be screened in either DigiBeta, Beta SP, or DVD as a final presentation format. Entries should be sent to: 6505 East Central Avenue, Box #146, Wichita, KS, 67206. The 2009 Tallgrass Film Festival will screen approximately 18 features and 40 shorts. To submit a film, please visit www.withoutabox.com (http://www.withoutabox.com/login/4153)
and follow official submission instructions.

Submissions from Kansas filmmakers, and high school filmmakers from around the country will not require a submission fee, however, all official submission forms must be filled out as usual at www.withoutabox.com and filmmakers must submit a valid Kansas address or a copy of a valid high school ID, respectively, to request the fee waiver.