Call for Submissions: 10th annual Tallgrass Film Festival
Tallgrass Film Association announces the call for submissions for the 10th annual Tallgrass International Film Festival. The anniversary celebration will take place all year long and culminate at the 10th annual festival, Oct. 18-21 in and around downtown Wichita, Kansas. As the premier film association in America's Heartland region, TFA is dedicated to fostering and enhancing the cinematic arts through year-round programming and the flagship Tallgrass Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the state of Kansas.
“It is unique and refreshing to find a group of people that so genuinely care about Independent film. That is what I found the moment I landed in Wichita.” — Emily Lou (Director, “The Selling”)
"The Tallgrass Film Festival experience is truly a filmmaker's delight. ... I would advise producers and directors NOT to overlook this gem in the middle of America. They run the tightest ship in the festival business. And, oh yes — they know how to throw a party." — Fred A. Sayeg (Director, “The Encore of Tony Duran”)
“What a wonderful job everyone does, really love supporting your work with Tallgrass.” — Gordy Hoffman (Screenwriter/Filmmaker)
The Tallgrass Film Festival screens more than 100 films including many feature and short selections from around the world. Every year, filmmakers from around the country and the world are invited to Wichita to participate in the festival, which is packed with educational panels, legendary parties and renowned in the indie filmmaking community — an audience with a voracious appetite for independent film. More than 10,000 people gathered for the "Tallgrass Experience" in 2011.
Located in the South Central portion of the state, Wichita, is known as the "Air Capital of the World” and is the largest city in Kansas in terms of both land area and population, with an estimated populace of more than half a million people in the greater metropolitan area. Known as a breeding ground of entrepreneurs, the city is home to corporations including Pizza Hut, Hawker Beechcraft, Learjet, Cessna and Coleman. Filmmakers: your next Executive Producer could be right here in our audience.
In addition to showcasing the best of independent cinema from around the globe, including documentary, narrative, world cinema, animation, LGBT, retrospective and premiering films, the 10th annual Tallgrass Film Festival is specifically seeking films to feature in the following special programs and spotlights:
- Grasscendo — music-themed films
- Greengrass — environmentally-themed films
- Grassroots — featuring films about social issues especially films inspired by the Civil Rights movement
- Spotlight on Women Directors
- Spotlight on Scandinavian Cinema
- Smallgrass: Family Films
- Timothy Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers — Kansas filmmakers submit for free — see below for official rules
- Joel Fein Emerging Filmmakers Program — short films from high school student filmmakers (19 and younger) may submit for free — see below for official rules
Tallgrass Film Festival will grant cash awards in the following categories:
- Audience Award Winning Documentary Feature: $1,000
- Audience Award Winning Narrative Feature: $1,000
- Audience Award Winning Short Film: $500
Non-cash special recognition awards awarded by Tallgrass Programming Directors include:
- Golden Strands Awards for Outstanding Documentary and Fiction Feature
- Best Kansas Filmmaker Short Film
- Best Emerging Filmmaker Short Film
Founded in 2003, the Tallgrass Film Festival is a program of the 501(c)3 arts organization Tallgrass Film Association — the American Heartland’s premier film association, dedicated to fostering and enhancing an appreciation of the cinematic arts.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The entry deadline for film submissions is June 29, 2012 with a late submission deadline of July 13, 2012. (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 13, 2012, 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 35 mm, HDCam DigiBeta, BluRay or DVD as a final presentation format. Entries should be sent to: 6505 East Central Avenue, Box #146, Wichita, KS, 67206. The 2012 Tallgrass Film Festival will screen approximately 40 features and 75 shorts. To submit a film, please visit www.withoutabox.com and follow official submission instructions.
Submissions from Kansas filmmakers, and emerging young filmmakers from around the country will not require a submission fee, however, filmmakers must submit a valid Kansas address or a copy of a school ID, respectively, in order to submit for free.
