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PRODID:-//Free State Festival - ECPv5.7.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
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X-WR-CALNAME:Free State Festival
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://freestatefestival.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Free State Festival
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TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20260308T080000
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TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
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TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20261101T070000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260622T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260622T203000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T183548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T182900Z
UID:4398-1782153000-1782160200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:The Arab
DESCRIPTION: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. \nDirected by Malek BensmailRun Time: 1 hour 46 min \nABOUT THE FILM\nAn old man from Oran claims to be the brother of “the Arab” killed in Camus’s The Stranger. A leading figure of Algerian theatre and cinema since the 1970s\, actor Ahmed Benaïssa brings a rare intensity\, both intimate and political\, where personal memory\, collective history\, and rebellion against the erasure of Arab voices intertwine. This testamentary role\, performed shortly before his death in 2022\, gathers the full power of his artistic journey: a commanding presence\, remarkable precision in acting\, and a unique ability to make us hear — behind every silence — an entire country and an entire life. \nFreely adapted from the novel The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/the-arab/
LOCATION:Liberty Hall\, 644 Massachusetts St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/the-arab-web.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260623T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260623T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T184551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T190123Z
UID:4402-1782239400-1782248400@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:The Battle of Algiers
DESCRIPTION:Directed by by Gillo Pontecorvo\nRun Time: 2 hours \nABOUT THE FILM\nOne 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 case study in modern warfare\, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. The film won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 1966 Venice Film Festival\, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/the-battle-of-algiers/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Battle-of-Algiers-web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260624T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260624T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T191454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T134124Z
UID:4408-1782325800-1782334800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:I Love Boosters | An Evening with Boots Riley
DESCRIPTION: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. \nABOUT THE FILM\nA crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service.\n \nABOUT THE ARTIST\nBoots Riley is a provocative and prolific poet\, rapper\, songwriter\, producer\, screenwriter\, director\, community organizer\, and public speaker. He wrote and directed Sorry to Bother You\, a comedy fantasy sci-fi film\, in his directorial debut. Boots was nominated for the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director Award\, and Sorry to Bother You was nominated for the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and won the Spirit Award for Best First Feature\, as well numerous other awards\, including seven critics awards and a Humanitas nomination. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. \n 
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/i-love-boosters-an-evening-with-boots-riley/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I-Love-Boosters_weby.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T180000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T193958Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T152404Z
UID:4413-1782410400-1782410400@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:The Return of the Sacred Red Rock + Healing Ribbons: One Stitch At a Time
DESCRIPTION:A screening of the feature documentary\, The Return of the Sacred Red Rock\, and the short documentary\, Healing Ribbons: One Stitch at a Time. \nABOUT THE FEATURE FILM\nAfter 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 new era of accountability for the city of Lawrence\, Kansas and healing for the Kaw people. This film documents the honorable cooperation between community and governmental stakeholders in Lawrence\, Kansas and the Kaw people in rematriating In ́zhújé waxóbe. The film follows the events leading up to and culmination of the Red Rock’s relocation to Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park in Council Grove\, Kansas.\n \nABOUT THE SHORT FILM\nThe award-winning short documentary highlights how creating traditional regalia—like ribbon skirts—helps Native American women and two-spirit relatives heal generational trauma\, reclaim cultural identity\, and build community.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/the-return-of-the-sacred-red-rock-healing-ribbons/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sacredredrockweb.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T203000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T223000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T214810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T194155Z
UID:4443-1782419400-1782426600@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait
DESCRIPTION:ABOUT THE FILM\nAn 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 utilized by filmmakers Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno to capture Zidane from multiple angles rather than the soccer ball. Using effects\, slo-mo\, and a soundtrack by Scottish band Mogwai\, the directors create the opportunity of stepping into one of the shoes of one of the most famous soccer players of all time.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/zidane-a-21st-century-portrait/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/zidane.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T193000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T170147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T205637Z
UID:4387-1782498600-1782502200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:A Conversation With Robyn Hitchcock | Lawrence Public Library 780 Series
DESCRIPTION: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. \nABOUT THE ARTIST\nWith a career now spanning six decades\, Robyn Hitchcock remains a truly one-of-a-kind artist. A surrealist rock ‘n’ roller\, iconic troubadour\, guitarist\, poet\, painter\, and performer\, Hitchcock has traversed many genres with humor\, intelligence and originality. From The Soft Boys’ proto-psych-punk and The Egyptians’ Dadaist pop to solo masterpieces\, Hitchcock has crafted a strikingly original oeuvre rife with sagacious observation\, astringent wit\, recurring marine life\, mechanized rail services\, cheese\, Clint Eastwood\, and innumerable finely drawn characters\, real and imagined. \nAlong with his musical efforts\, Hitchcock has appeared in several films\, among them collaborations with the late Jonathan Demme on 1998’s concert documentary Storefront Hitchcock and roles in 2004’s The Manchurian Candidate and 2008’s Rachel Getting Married. An inveterate traveller and live performer\, Hitchcock has toured nearly constantly for the past four decades\, playing countless shows worldwide\, from Africa to the Arctic. \n 
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/a-conversation-with-robyn-hitchcock-lawrence-public-library-780-series/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Ideas,Music
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Robyn-Hitchcock-780.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T203000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T220000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T174407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T183654Z
UID:4391-1782505800-1782511200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Robyn Hitchcock In Concert
DESCRIPTION:Headliner Robyn Hitchcock performs a full band concert live on the Arts Center stage! \nTickets are $25. Doors at 8pm. Concert at 8:30pm. General admission. \nNote: this event is a separate ticket from the 6:30pm conversation with Robyn Hitchcock. \nThis event is made possible thanks to support from the Lawrence Public Library\, Love Garden Sounds and Eighth Street Taproom. \nABOUT THE ARTIST\nWith a career now spanning six decades\, Robyn Hitchcock remains a truly one-of-a-kind artist. A surrealist rock ‘n’ roller\, iconic troubadour\, guitarist\, poet\, painter\, and performer\, Hitchcock has traversed many genres with humor\, intelligence and originality. From The Soft Boys’ proto-psych-punk and The Egyptians’ Dadaist pop to solo masterpieces\, Hitchcock has crafted a strikingly original oeuvre rife with sagacious observation\, astringent wit\, recurring marine life\, mechanized rail services\, cheese\, Clint Eastwood\, and innumerable finely drawn characters\, real and imagined. \nAlong with his musical efforts\, Hitchcock has appeared in several films\, among them collaborations with the late Jonathan Demme on 1998’s concert documentary Storefront Hitchcock and roles in 2004’s The Manchurian Candidate and 2008’s Rachel Getting Married. An inveterate traveller and live performer\, Hitchcock has toured nearly constantly for the past four decades\, playing countless shows worldwide\, from Africa to the Arctic.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/robyn-hitchcock-in-concert/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Music
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Robyn-Hitchcock.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T140000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T210055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T210530Z
UID:4434-1782561600-1782568800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
DESCRIPTION:ABOUT THE FILM\nAn 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 that killed the show\, he persevered\, creating La Bamba—a breakout blockbuster that authentically depicted MexicanAmerican life to the world. Now in its 60th year\, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/American-Pachuco-The-Legend-of-Luis-Valdez.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T163000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260505T040154Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T160706Z
UID:4451-1782570600-1782577800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Slice of Life: Short Documentaries + Pizza Party
DESCRIPTION: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! \n\nLend Me A Hand by Kat King (14 min)\nWelcome to Dollar Country by Michael Suter (24 min)\nLand Back to the Future by Brendan McInerney (23 min)\nReclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms by Matt Jacobson & Maria Velasco (28 min)\n\n  \n 
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/slice-of-life-short-documentaries-pizza-party/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Welcome-to-Dollar-Country-Poster-scaled-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T190000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T211326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T175129Z
UID:4439-1782579600-1782586800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Nine Little Indians
DESCRIPTION: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! \nABOUT THE FILM\nExecutive 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 suffered in the American Indian boarding school system. In 2008\, the nine Charbonneau daughters sought restitution for the appalling physical\, emotional\, and sexual abuse that they had endured decades earlier at St. Paul’s Indian Mission School in Marty\, South Dakota—one of many such American Indian residential schools that proliferated in the U.S. and Canada from the early 19th through mid-20th centuries with the explicit goal of assimilating Native American children to white Christian society and culture.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/nine-little-indians/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nine-little-indians-web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T213000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260505T041608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260519T204350Z
UID:4459-1782590400-1782595800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Short Films + Culinary Pairings
DESCRIPTION: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. \n\nOne More Time by Jessie Van Der Vyver (5 min)\nYoga Girl by Kaitlyn Furey (9 min)\nHome by Kelvin Garvanne (11 min)\nPuzzles Brett Eitzen (9 min)\nBenchless by Galiam Bruno Henry (23 min)\n\n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/short-films-culinary-pairings/
LOCATION:10th & Mass Studios\, 1000 Massachusetts St.\, Lawrence\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/benches.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T140000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T204224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260520T181108Z
UID:4430-1782648000-1782655200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Paint Me a Road out of Here
DESCRIPTION:ABOUT THE FILM\nIn 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 Faith Ringgold herself to free the artwork with the ultimate goal of freeing the women. Paint Me a Road Out of Here is a wild tale of the painting’s whitewashed journey and the two artists who challenged the same powerful and oppressive institutions\, a half century apart\, with their artwork\, their voices and their shared\, persistent goals. \nIntroduction by Susan Earle\, Curator of European and American Art at the Spencer Museum of Art on Faith Ringgold’s visits to Lawrence.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/paint-me-a-road-out-of-here/
LOCATION:Liberty Hall\, 644 Massachusetts St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Paint-Me-a-Road-Web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T163000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T195941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T201059Z
UID:4417-1782657000-1782664200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Seized
DESCRIPTION:The Kansas premiere of the highly anticipated documentary fresh from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival accompanied by a post-screening Q&A! This event is made possible by support from the Lawrence Journal-World and the KU William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. \nABOUT THE FILM\nSeized is a gripping\, stranger-than-fiction investigative thriller that plunges audiences inside the troubling police raid on the Marion County Record. What begins as a shocking small-town incident quickly spirals into a national story\, exposing how corruption\, politics\, and decades-long tensions turned a quaint Kansas community into a battleground over the First and Fourth Amendments. The film unfolds in real time through police body-cam and surveillance footage\, revealing the raid’s chaos\, the bombshells that followed\, and the devastating personal toll on the newsroom\, including the tragic death of its 98-year-old co-owner.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/seized/
LOCATION:Liberty Hall\, 644 Massachusetts St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/seized-web.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T203000
DTSTAMP:20260524T023843
CREATED:20260504T202820Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T195423Z
UID:4425-1782671400-1782678600@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Nova '78
DESCRIPTION:Aaron Brookner returns to Lawrence for the Kansas premiere of the film Nova ’78 followed by a filmmaker Q&A! This event is made possible by support from Tom Harper of Stephens Real Estate. \nABOUT THE FILM\nNova ’78\, directed by Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias from a restored archive by Howard Brookner\, is an electrifying journey into the heart of 1970s counter-culture\, built around never-before-seen footage from the legendary Nova Convention. This explosive three-day event in New York City celebrated William S. Burroughs’ return to America after living for over twenty years in Latin America\, North Africa\, Paris\, and London. It brought together icons such as Patti Smith\, Frank Zappa\, Laurie Anderson\, Philip Glass\, Allen Ginsberg\, Merce Cunningham\, John Cage\, and many more. A cultural time capsule on the enduring power of creative freedom\, the footage captures backstage moments\, candid encounters\, and raw performances at the heart of the downtown scene.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/nova-78/
LOCATION:Liberty Hall\, 644 Massachusetts St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freestatefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/NOVA78_Courtesy_Pinball_london.jpg
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