Submissions Now Open for 20th Annual Tallgrass Festival

Tallgrass Film Association (TFA) announces the call for submissions opens tomorrow for the 20th annual Tallgrass Film Festival, September 28th-October 2nd, 2022 in and around downtown Wichita, Kansas.

In addition to showcasing the best of independent cinema from around the globe, including documentary, narrative, world cinema, animation, LGBTIA+, retrospective and premiering films, the 20th annual Tallgrass Film Festival is specifically seeking films to feature in the following special programs and spotlights:

• Gordon Parks Award for Black Excellence in Filmmaking - Feature-length film with no traditional distribution deal at the time of the festival. Open to films of any production budget from any country from any genre with a director that self-identifies as Black, African-American or part of the African-Diaspora.
• Vortex Animation, Experimental, and VR short films - This is for all animation, experimental, hybrid or virtual reality projects.
• Murmurations - The Murmurations category is open to short and feature films that meet the following requirements: fifty percent of production is based in Spain OR writer, director, or producer is based in Spain; the original voice is in Spanish or one of the co-official languages of Spain (Basque, Catalan, Aranese, and Valencian); and subtitled in English language.
• Female Filmmaker Spotlight - Feature films directed by women (Changed from DOXX category to all features)
• Stubbornly Independent Films: domestic, narrative features made for under $750,000 USD with no traditional distribution
• Timothy Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers - Kansas filmmakers submit for free - see below for official rules)
• Joel Fein Emerging Filmmakers Program - short films from filmmakers (19 and younger) may submit for free - see below for official rules

Tallgrass Film Festival will grant cash awards in the following categories:

Stubbornly Independent: $5,000 and one-of-a-kind Tallgrass tap handle

Female Filmmaker Spotlight: $5,000 and award

Gordon Parks Award for Black Excellence in Filmmaking: $5,000, $15,000 value Panavision Camera Rental and an award.

Best Kansas Filmmaker Documentary Short Film: $500

Best Kansas Filmmaker Narrative Short Film: $500

Best Emerging Documentary and Narrative Short: $500

Best Narrative and Documentary Short: $500

Best Narrative and Documentary Feature: $500

Best Vortex Short: $250

Best Murmurations Film: $250

Audience Award Winning Documentary & Narrative Feature: $2,500

Audience Award-Winning Narrative and Documentary Short: $1000

For more information, visit: https://tallgrassfilm.org