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. FREE admission. No tickets required. After the film, head … [more]
Directed by by Gillo Pontecorvo Run Time: 2 hours Pre-show performance by New Horizons Band, including the Algerian National Anthem Post-show discussion with Megan Greene of KU International Affairs and Asmaa Ben Baba of KU African and African-American Studies Video by Adel Ben Bella, Brown University Doctoral Student ABOUT THE FILM One of the most … [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. This film … [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. Pre-show healing ribbon skirt and shirt fashion show. Post-show filmmaker Q&A. Run time: 1hr 24min ABOUT THE FEATURE FILM After being separated from their sacred stone for nearly a century, the … [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]
Winner of the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and the Festival Favorite Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival! Directed by David Alvarado Introduction by Dr. Neill Gabrielle Esquibel-Kennedy, Visiting Assistant Professor of the Chicanx/Latinx Program in KU Department of American Studies. Run time: 1hour 32min ABOUT THE FILM An auteur emerges from America’s underclass: from … [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 by our friends at Johnny's Tavern and conversation with filmmakers! Lend Me A Hand by Kat King (14 min) Welcome to Dollar Country by Michael Suter (24 min) … [more]
Nine Little Indians makes its Kansas premiere at the Free State Festival followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Shannon Kring, Director of Photographer Marc Gerke, and Pat Charbonneau moderated by Sarah Bariya of the STA (Sexual Trama and Abuse) Care Center. Don't miss this special engagement! ABOUT THE FILM Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Shannon … [more]
Experience bite-sized films thoughtfully paired with culinary selections by Meadowlark Wine Bar & Kitchen. A favorite event at every festival, this pass-holder only screening is peppered with community and conversation. One More Time by Jessie Van Der Vyver (5 min) Yoga Girl by Kaitlyn Furey (9 min) Home by Kelvin Garvanne (11 min) Puzzles Brett … [more]
ABOUT THE FILM In 1971, artist Faith Ringgold created a monumental painting “For the Women’s House” for the women incarcerated at Rikers Island jail. Fifty years later, artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, who gave birth in prison 15 years ago, finds herself banding together with an eclectic group of activists, politicians, artists, corrections officers and … [more]
