A brand new Algerian co-production fresh from the 2026 Rotterdam International Film Festival screens at the Free State Festival in celebration of the Algerian soccer team's home base in Lawrence, Kansas this summer. This free screening is made possible by support from the Lawrence Public Library. Directed by Malek BensmailRun Time: 1 hour 46 min … [more]
Directed by by Gillo Pontecorvo Run Time: 2 hours ABOUT THE FILM One of the most influential films in history, The Battle of Algiers vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a … [more]
Headliner Boots Riley returns to the Free State Festival for a screening of his new film, I Love Boosters, and a post-screening Q&A. This event was made possible by support from the KU Department of African and African-American Studies, KU Film and Media Studies and the Hall Center for the Humanities at KU. ABOUT THE … [more]
A screening of the feature documentary, The Return of the Sacred Red Rock, and the short documentary, Healing Ribbons: One Stitch at a Time. ABOUT THE FEATURE FILM After being separated from their sacred stone for nearly a century, the Kaw (Kanza) Nation reunites with In ́zhújé waxóbe, a 28 ton quartzite boulder, marking a … [more]
ABOUT THE FILM An entire football match filmed from the perspective of soccer hero Zinedine Zidane (father of this year's Algerian goalie, Luca Zidane). High-art comes to the pitch for this ambitious project hailed widely as a groundbreaking new direction in sports films. At a 2005 match between Villarreal versus Real Madrid, seventeen cameras were … [more]
The Lawrence Public Library presents a captivating conversation with Robyn Hitchcock on the Arts Center stage. Admission to the 6:30pm conversation is FREE, but advance registration is required. Admission to the concert by Robyn Hitchcock & his band at 8:30pm requires a separate $25 General Admission Ticket. The theatre will be cleared between events. ABOUT … [more]
Headliner Robyn Hitchcock performs a full band concert live on the Arts Center stage! Tickets are $25. Doors at 8pm. Concert at 8:30pm. General admission. Note: this event is a separate ticket from the 6:30pm conversation with Robyn Hitchcock. This event is made possible thanks to support from the Lawrence Public Library, Love Garden Sounds … [more]
ABOUT THE FILM An auteur emerges from America’s underclass: from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection … [more]
Four short documentaries capture people, places and things in Kansas and beyond. Experience the films on the big screen and head to the lower lobby for pizza and conversation! Lend Me A Hand by Kat King (14 min) Welcome to Dollar Country by Michael Suter (24 min) Land Back to the Future by Brendan McInerney … [more]
Nine Little Indians makes its Kansas premiere at the Free State Festival followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Shannon Kring and Pat Charbonneau. Don't miss this special engagement! ABOUT THE FILM Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Shannon Kring’s wrenching, vital documentary tells the story of a family’s decades-long fight for acknowledgement, justice, and healing after … [more]
