The 16th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival presented by Consolidated Equities Trust (October 17-21) announced their filmmaker awards on Sunday, October 21 at the Orpheum Theater in Wichita, Kansas, prior to their Closing Night screening of Theo Love’s WHITE TIDE: THE LEGEND OF CULEBRA. Leading the pack of filmmakers receiving awards, were Pablo Solarz’s THE LAST SUIT, which received the Golden Strands Outstanding Narrative Feature Award, and Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, which received the Golden Strands Outstanding Documentary Feature Award.

 

Director of Programming, Nick Pope said, “This year’s edition of the Tallgrass Film Festival was – as it always is – a celebration of film, and specifically stubbornly independent film in the way that only we at Tallgrass can do it. These award winners exemplified that spirit and that willingness to make provocative films, smart films, films that touched us and affected us, and never ceased to entertain us. Our Wichita audiences responded in a great way to all of them, so it was not an easy process to single out the select few to honor with our awards.”

 

The Audience Awards went to Adam Cushman’s THE MAESTRO (Narrative Feature), and Rachel Dretzin and Jamila Ephron’s FAR FROM TREE (Documentary), with both films taking cash prizes of $2500.00. Spencer Currie’s MODERN SLAVE won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s FREEDOM FIGHTERS wn the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short Film and the cash prizes of $1000 prize that came with those nods.

 

Megan Griffiths received the Teddie Barlow Outstanding Female Filmmaker Award (designed by Glass Artist Claire Anderson) for her work directing SADIE. The husband and wife team of Nitzan Mager and Shachar Langlev were cited for “Excellence in the Art of Filmmaking” for their work at the helm of A SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO LIVING AND DYING, Sahra Mani received the Golden Strands Award for “Courage in Filmmaking” for her film A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME, Will McFadden won “Outstanding First Feature” for his drama, DOUBTING THOMAS, Leon Lee’s LETTERS FROM MASANJIA got the nod for “Outstanding Animated Feature,” “Outstanding Screenplay,” went to the NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE screenwriting team of Vahid Jalilvand and Ali Zarnegar, “Best Editing” went to LIGHT IN THEA WATER’s James Cude, and Josh Goleman was cited for “Outstanding Cinematography” for his work on A TUBA TO CUBA.

 

Acting nods went to Halina James (QUANTUM) for “Outstanding Rising Star,” Xander Berkeley (THE MAESTRO) for “Outstanding Male Actor,” Condola Rashad (BIKINI MOON) for “Outstanding Female Actor,” and H.P. Mendoza’s BITTER MELON, which received the Golden Strands nod for “Outstanding Ensemble Cast” for a cast which included Jon Norman Schneider, Patrick Epino, Brian Rivera, L.A. Renigen, Theresa Navarro.

Additional winners in the Short Film categories included; Adi Wojaczek’s IT GETS BETTER (“Outstanding Narrative Short Film”); Elizabeth Beecherl and Carla Patullo’s LOTTE THAT SILHOUETTE GIRL (“Outstanding Documentary Short Film”); Andrew Kevitt’s NO HARD FEELINGS (“Best Emerging Student – Narrative Short Film”); Brett Jones’s I’M GONNA WIN CAUSE I WANNA WIN: KENNEDY BROWN (“Best Emerging Student – Documentary Short Film”); Sam Findlay’s THE BEDROOM (“Best Kansas Short Narrative Film”); and Joshua Dubois’s WASTE OF FILM, KC LOVES TRAVIS YOUNG (“Best Kansas Short Documentary Film”).

 

Previously announced was the Jake Euker Stubbornly Independent Gala Award, which went to Sara Radle’s ELEVEN HUNDRED TO LUBBOCK. Radle received a $5,000 check and the Stubbornly Independent Beer Tap Trophy from VanChase Studios prior to the gala screening of her film on Saturday, October 20. Mani’s A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME became the second film to be chosen as the Greteman Group’s DOX Spotlight selection, which highlights the work of female documentary filmmakers.

Earlier in the day, on Sunday, and prior to a special screening of his latest film, SILVER LAKE, Martin Starr was presented with the Tallgrass International Film Festival’s inaugural Soaring Talent Award. On Thursday evening, Tallgrass honored film icon Pam Grier with the festival’s Ad Astra Award.

 

2018 TALLGRASS FF FILMMAKER AWARDS

AD ASTRA AWARD

Pam Grier

 

SOARING TALENT AWARD

Martin Starr

 

TEDDIE BARLOW OUTSTANDING FEMALE FILMMAKER AWARD

Megan Griffiths (SADIE)

 

 

GOLDEN STRANDS & PROGRAMMING AWARDS

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Narrative Feature:

THE LAST SUIT (Director: Pablo Solarz)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Documentary Feature: 

RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE (Directors: Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, & Jeff Springer)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding First Feature:

DOUBTING THOMAS (Director: Will McFadden)

 

Golden Strands Award – Courage in Filmmaking:

Sahra Mani (A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Animated Film:

LETTERS FROM MASANJIA (Director: Leon Lee)

 

Golden Strands Award – Excellence in The Art of Filmmaking:

Nitzan Mager and Shanchar Langlev (A SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO LIVING AND DYING)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Cinematography:

Josh Goleman (A TUBA TO CUBA)

 

Golden Strands Award – Best Editing:

James Cude (LIGHT IN THE WATER)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Screenplay

Vahid Jalilvand and Ali Zarnegar (NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Rising Star:

Halina James (QUANTUM)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Male Actor:

Xander Berkeley (THE MAESTRO)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Female Actor:

Condola Rashad (BIKINI MOON)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Ensemble Cast:

BITTER MELON (Jon Norman Schneider, Patrick Epino, Brian Rivera, L.A. Renigen, Theresa Navarro)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Narrative Short Film:

IT GETS BETTER (Director: Adi Wojaczek)

 

Golden Strands Award – Outstanding Documentary Short Film:

LOTTE THAT SILHOUETTE GIRL (Directors: Elizabeth Beecherl & Carla Patullo)

 

Best Emerging Student Award (Narrative):

Andrew Kevitt (NO HARD FEELINGS)

 

Best Emerging Student Award (Documentary):

Brett Jones (I’M GONA WIN CAUSE I WANNA WIN: KENNEDY BROWN)

 

Best Kansas Short Film Award (Narrative):

Sam Findlay (THE BEDROOM)

 

Best Kansas Short Film Award (Documentary):

Joshua Dubois (WASTE OF FILM, KC LOVES TRAVIS YOUNG)

 

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Award – Narrative Film:

THE MAESTRO (Director: Adam Cushman)

 

Audience Award – Documentary Film:

FAR FROM TREE (Directors: Rachel Dretzin and Jamila Ephron)

 

Audience Award – Short Narrative Film:

MODERN SLAVE (Director: Spencer Currie)

 

Audience Award – Short Documentary Film:

FREEDOM FIGHTERS (Director: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy)