Filmmakers Labs

DOWN TO THE WIRE: A 24 HOUR FILM RACE

MovieMaker Magazine named Wichita one of the top cities for independent film production in 2012 for a reason. Tallgrass Filmmakers Lab and Creative Rush are teaming up for Wichita's first-ever 24 hour film competition. Down to the Wire: A 24 Hour Film Race, is open to the general public - you need not be a professional filmmaker to participate.

Space is Limited, Sign Up Today!

Tallgrass Filmmakers Lab presents a free workshop, “Documentary Appreciation,” with Tallgrass Film Festival Programming Director Nick Pope. The class takes place 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 at the House of Schwan, 3636 N. Comotara. The workshop is open to the public, however space is limited to 50 people. Advanced RSVP is required to Tallgrass Education Coordinator Nick Probst, by email nicholas@tallgrassfilmfest.com or by calling 316-303-9292.

Led by award-winning filmmaker James Spione, whose most recent short film, INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD, won Best Documentary Short at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, Grand Prize Documentary Short at the 2011 Rhode Island International Film Festival the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the 2011 Tallgrass Film Festival and has been nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.

“Incident in New Baghdad” filmmaker James Spione to speak and teach at Tallgrass events on Feb. 10 and 11 in Wichita

WICHITA, KAN — Documentary film director James Spione will be in Wichita Feb. 10 and 11 to  present his Oscar-nominated documentary film INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD and teach a Tallgrass Filmmakers Lab. The documentary received the Academy Award nomination Jan. 24 for Best Documentary Short Subject film, and features Wichita resident Ethan McCord, a former U.S. Army Specialist and subject of a 2007 WikiLeaks controversy, who witnessed one of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq War — the slayings of two Reuters journalists and a number of other unnamed civilians by U.S. attack helicopters in Iraq.

The 2012 Tallgrass Filmmaker Lab series debuts on Saturday, Feb. 11 with Making and Marketing An Independent Documentary In the Digital Age led by award-winning filmmaker James Spione. Spione’s most recent short film INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD won Best Documentary Short at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, Grand Prize Documentary Short at the 2011 Rhode Island International Film Festival the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the 2011 Tallgrass Film Festival and is shortlisted for a 2012 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject.

The class will be from 1:30 to 4 p.m., Feb. 11 at the Wichita Art Museum in the Howard Wooden Lecture Hall. Advanced registration is $20 for general admission; $15 for students/teachers/seniors/TFA Members. Admission is $25 at the door. For advanced registration, click here.

Following the extraordinary trajectory of this award-winning film, Spione reveals how the power of 21st-century social media has radically transformed the creation, marketing and distribution of independent film. By comparing his previous filmmaking experience before the emergence of today's online tools, Spione's candid presentation will offer a rare and detailed behind-the-scenes look at how the interconnected power of Facebook, Twitter and Kickstarter, in conjunction with established venues like film festivals and television, helped bring his latest film from his home editing suite to an international stage.