Founded in 2003 by the late Timothy Gruver, a Wichita native, the Tallgrass Film Festival strives to bring the best of independent film from around the world right here to Wichita.

The Tallgrass Film Festival is a program of the not-for-profit 501(c)3 arts education organization Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts (WAMPA), founded by Gruver in 2002 after he realized the city’s need for cinematic education and events. The festival showcases the city’s venues, cultural attractions, and artistic communities.

The Wichita Association for the Motion Pictures Arts fosters community appreciation, education, and entertainment through an annual film festival as well as year-round events like the summertime Cinema Al Fresco series and the WAMPA sponsored filmmaking classes at Rule Productions Studios.

Over the last three years, the Tallgrass Film Festival has been enjoyed by over 10,000 local and regional attendees, and over 75 visiting (and returning) filmmakers from around the globe. It is becoming clear to the rest of the world, that Wichita, with a unique and captive audience, is a great destination to screen independent films.

The 2005 festival (dubbed “Shortgrass”), though shortened because of Gruver’s sudden death, attracted the highest one-day total of attendees to date. The inaugural Audience Award Winning Feature Film, 39 Pounds of Love, was critically acclaimed. Another selection, Conventioneers, went on to win the John Cassavettes Award at the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards. The Audience Award Winning Short Film, Learn Self Defense, came from Chris Harding, a returning Kansas filmmaker. Other selections included the thriller Waterborne (Dir. Ben Rekhi, who opened the first festival with Bomb The System), the IFC films release Punk: Attitude, and the international documentary North Korea: Day in the Life.

Another hugely successful part of the 2005 festival was the newly-added “Timothy Gruver Spotlight on Kansas Filmmakers” program. This feature will highlight the work of filmmakers with a Kansas connection, from high school filmmakers, to professionals. WAMPA and Tallgrass are proud to support and showcase filmmakers from the heartland.

In 2004, the inaugural Ad Astra award was handed to Oscar® winning actress Cloris Leachman. The Ad Astra, named for the state motto Ad Astra Per Aspera (To The Stars Through Difficulty), is given to those who dedicate their lives and make significant contributions to the art and process of moviemaking. The 2005 Ad Astra Award was given posthumously to Tallgrass founder Timothy Gruver, whose dream to make Wichita and Film synonymous is being realized.

Past festival highlights have included a special screening of The Buddy Holly Story, with a visit from and performance by Academy Award nominee Gary Busey, a garage-turned New York underground club for 2003’s Opening Night Gala, and an appearance by baseball legend Jose Canseco, who introduced 2004’s Opening Night Movie, the baseball documentary Up For Grabs.

Tallgrass is also very proud to be garnering the reputation as a “filmmaker’s festival”. You won’t find Paris Hilton here. At Tallgrass, the films and the filmmakers are the stars of the show. Not only have life-long friendships and work collaborations been forged between visiting filmmakers and attendees, but filmmakers are excited to return again and again, each time bringing with them their latest production for Wichita audiences.

Major sponsors of the Tallgrass Film Festival include: Warren Theaters, Rule Productions Studios, Emily Bonavia Trust, Howerton & White, The Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, Budweiser, and Clear Channel Radio Wichita.

Read the Staff Biographies here.

The preliminary mission statement of WAMPA is:

2006 Submission Form — PDF