volume 1 • issue no.3
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR TALLGRASS FILM IN AUGUST
THE FRENCH August 5-6 For two weeks a year, the world looks to Paris as the titans of tennis come together to play at the Roland Garros Tournament, better known as The French Open or simply, The French. In 1981, Klein and three camera crews were given exclusive, unprecedented access to the tournament for the first time in its 90-year history, and using that doorway into locker rooms, TV studios, and players’ boxes, he shot the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the 1981 French Open—a crucial moment in a crucial year in the history of a game, and its iconic players Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Yannick Noah, and Ivan Lendl. “For me, this film encapsulates everything I loved and love about the tennis of that moment; and in the hands of the great and singular William Klein, it is at once a gripping sports page, a fascinating piece of reportage, and a work of art.” —Wes Anderson
August 6: Esther Newton Made Me Gay Esther Newton was drawn to the drag scene as a student in the 1950s. Identifying as both butch lesbian and between genders, she felt a kinship with the queens; what the feminine clothing society expected her to wear felt like a form of drag. Her 1972 book ‘Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America’ is noted as the first rigorous study of its kind. Now entering her sixth decade writing about queer communities, Newton exudes wisdom and a healthy dose of New York no-nonsense. The film’s amazing archive footage encompasses gay liberation, the feminist sex wars, AIDS activism and life on the safe haven of Fire Island. Her other main passion is dog training, so this illuminating history lesson is peppered with poodles!
August 7: Being Thunder Sherente Harris, a two-spirit genderqueer teenager from the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island, boldly challenges the status quo of what it means to be a queer Indigenous person in a world bound by binary gender roles.
Plays with short film: The Floating World Wichita Pride, Inc., organizes events to celebrate and unite the diverse LGBTQ+ community, as well as allied people, in the greater Wichita area. Positive Directions is a local non-profit founded in 1991 thats serves the Wichita community and surrounding region by providing free testing, prevention, and educational services for HIV/STIs.
August 11-14: Marcel The Shell Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family.
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August 29 4-8 pm Community Impact Fundraising Event!: Come meet Tallgrass board and staff as we bus your table and tell you all about Tallgrass Film Association! While you eat pizza, you do good to help us raise funds to feed volunteers at the 20th annual film festival!
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