Save the date for May’s Third Thursday screening of FRESH at 7:30 p.m. There will be a pre-film Farmers Market reception starting at 6:30. The screening will begin at 7:30 with a discussion immediately following film. The event will be held at Newman University in the Dugan Library and Campus Center (Dugan-Gorges Conference Center). Tickets are $10 at the door, $8 for students and seniors.

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet. Among several main characters, the film features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

“Fresh, a documentary that highlights people working to change the current industrial food system, is a refreshing compliment to Food, Inc.. While Robert Kenner did a fantastic job of exposing how much is wrong with our food system, Ana Joanes chose to focus on people who are doing what’s right.” – The Huffington Post, July 2009
TFA presents 8th season of Cinema Alfresco: Films on the Fringe, starting May 27th!
Cinema Alfresco

The 2010 Cinema Alfresco series will take place Thursdays from May 27 through July 29, under the stars at 8 p.m., at The Brickyard, 129 N. Rock Island. The event is free and open to the public and because the Brickyard has a covered outdoor area, the movies will show rain or shine.

This season’s theme “Films on the Fringe” will focus Cinema Alfresco on flapper-era dramas. and will kickoff with the musical CHICAGO (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere) on May 27th. Other selections include the Oscar winning SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood), the original 1932 version of SCARFACE (Paul Muni) and Julie Andrews as a young lady from Salina in 1967’s THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Please see the full schedule here.

Each film will be preceded by a Tallgrass Film Festival short film and there will be drawing for a pair of Tallgrass Film Festival VIP Tallpasses, a $300 Value. Winners must be present to win. The Brickyard doors and kitchen open at 7 p.m. Enter at east and west doors (west side has better parking). Bring your ID. Under 21 welcome. Cinema Alfresco Specials include $3 Tallgrass Brewing Co. draws, $3.50 Stella Artois, $5 Quesadilla Special and $5 Brickyard Burger and Fries Special.

The series is sponsored by The Brickyard, Stella Artois, Tallgrass Brewing Company and 107.3 The Brew.
Tallgras Film Association Memberships Available!

The Tallgrass Film Association is the 501c3 parent organization of Tallgrass Film Festival. In addition to sponsoring our stubbornly independent annual film festival, Tallgrass offers special film screenings and events, the Third Thursday film series, the Cinema Alfresco film series, and educational programs for aspiring filmmakers. Become a member yourself or buy a membership for a friend and support Tallgrass and your passion for independent film.

Benefits of the $35 Tallgrass membership include:
* Your support of the U.S.’s most stubbornly independent film festival.
* Two free tickets to any TFA Special Screening or Third Thursday held throughout the year
* A Tallgrass Film Association membership card
* Advanced ticketing for Tallgrass Film Festival
* Discounted VIP TALLpass to the Tallgrass Film Festival: $120 (a $150 value)
* Two General Admission ticket vouchers to the Tallgrass Film Festival
* Sneak peek at the Tallgrass Film Festival program
* Discounts on Tallgrass Film Festival merchandise
* Invitations to exclusive TFA Member events held throughout the year
* Free monthly e-newsletter

Buying your Tallgrass Film Association memberships is easy. Just follow this link to purchase securely by Paypal.

Exciting Membership news coming soon…
Art Pride Parade will be 11am-1pm, Saturday, May 29 along Douglas in Delano

Join Tallgrass as we rock the Art Pride Parade and reveal our theme for the 2010 Tallgrass Film Festival! The parade will be a celebration of the arts in our city. It is conceived as a festival, like a carnival or Mardi Gras, but what we are celebrating is ART! Wichita artists are integral to all aspects of life in our city. The parade will feature artists of every kind, in every form, at every stage of their respective careers. Consider the parade as a large, community/collaborative performance art piece with the intention of rallying community support for the arts.
Save the date for Lee Whitman’s WAR STORIES, making its Midwest premiere at 7pm, June 26 at the Orpheum, $10 at the door
War Stories

Tallgrass presents the Midwest & Kansas premiere of Wichita-native, Emmy Award winner and former Tallgrass Film Festival staff member Lee Whitman’s WAR STORIES!

For Tim Curtright, life in his quiet suburban hometown of Derby, Kansas seems painfully ordinary. For him, his gay best-friend, Austin, and girlfriend, Laura life consists of a series of school, dances, and the occasional party. Unbeknownst to them, a dark secret lies just beneath the surface of the quiet Kansas community that will change their lives forever. When Tim is assigned a research project for school, he decides to write about the Gulf War. Having grown up believing that his father, Ben Curtright, died while fighting in the war, Tim is stunned to discover that his father might still be alive and in turn goes in search of the truth. With his mother Emily Curtright standing in the way, can Tim and his friends break through a generation of lies and secrets and discover what really happened to his father? A thrilling, mysterious, and provocative adventure, War Stories challenges viewers to ask themselves just how well they know their family’s past.