sms rss Email Wireless iPhone App

Tallgrass Film Festival


Last Update: 10/14/2009 12:59 pm
Set Text Size SmallSet Text Size MediumSet Text Size LargeSet Text Size X-Large
Print Story |
Play Video
All Video
WICHITA, Kansas – While France may have the Cannes Film Festival and Utah has the Sundance Film Festival, Wichita has the Tallgrass Film Festival.

It kicks off next week and it's not all about movies -- the event is a big money maker.

Film festivals are considered by many to be lofty events that draw upon the 'arts' crowd. While there may be the perception of that at every art event, Wichita's Tallgrass Film Fest has a tangible bottom line.

“For every ticket sold at a movie at an independent film festival it's generating somewhere between 28 and 35 dollars in additional sales,” said Ann Keefer, president of Wampa.

Using those numbers, $13,000 in ticket sales could generate between $360,000 to $500,000 ancillary dollars spent just the day of the screenings. And that doesn’t include money spend on hotels and transportation. On a broader scale, the festival’s budget is at $150,000.

Americans for the Arts estimates that for every dollar invested in the arts there's a return of seven dollars. That would translate to more than a $1 million dollar impact for Sedgwick County from three days in October.

This is the seventh year for the Tallgrass Film Festival. And for the first six years it’s had all of the screenings at the Warren Theaters around town. This year they're keeping it downtown, but they're going on the road. They've got five different venues including the wonderful Orpheum Theater that is still under restoration and also the exquisite theater that is up at the Scottish Rite Center.

“We are an independent film festival, so our focus is on independently made films, which are outside of the Hollywood system,” Keefer said. “And so they are looking for kudos that will help them get noticed by those distributors so that they'll pick up the films and start branching them out to theaters across the country.”

Tallgrass is known for audience participation. Filmmakers get valuable feedback from viewers during panel discussions after screenings.

“Otherwise they're just sitting in a dark studio, watching their own film and getting no feedback,” said Keefer.

This year veteran independent film actor Seymour Cassel is being presented the Ad Astra Award for his tremendous contribution to independent films.

Tallgrass will screen his most recent multiple award-winning film 'Reach for Me'. He and producer Charlene Blaine Schulenburg will discuss their film in a panel forum.

The film festival kicks off next Friday, October 23rd through the 25th. Tickets can be purchased through the Orpheum or Select-A-Seat.


Print Story |

Add a Comment
Add Video Comment
(0) Comments









  This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.