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, … [more]

One of the most influential  films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [more]

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 the abuses they … [more]

Experience bite-sized films thoughtfully paired with culinary selections. A favorite event at every festival, this pass-holder only screening is peppered with community and conversation. One More Time by Jessie Van … [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 … [more]