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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
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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:20260627T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T140000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260504T210055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T030400Z
UID:4434-1782561600-1782568800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
DESCRIPTION:Winner of the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and the Festival Favorite Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival!  \nDirected by David Alvarado \n\nIntroduction by Dr. Neill Gabrielle Esquibel-Kennedy\, Visiting Assistant Professor of the Chicanx/Latinx Program in KU Department of American Studies. \nRun time: 1hour 32min \nABOUT 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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T163000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260505T040154Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260526T222710Z
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 by our friends at Johnny’s Tavern and conversation with filmmakers! \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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T190000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260504T211326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T030133Z
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\, Director of Photography Marc Gerke\, and Pat Charbonneau moderated by Sarah Bariya of the STA (Sexual Trama and Abuse) Care Center. Don’t miss this special engagement! \nRun Time: 1 hr 40 min \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 acknowledgment\, 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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260627T213000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260505T041608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T023714Z
UID:4459-1782590400-1782595800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Taste of Cinema: Culinary Pairings
DESCRIPTION: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. \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 by Brett Eitzen (9 min)\nBenchless by Galiam Bruno Henry (23 min)\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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T140000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260504T204224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T030330Z
UID:4430-1782648000-1782655200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Paint Me a Road out of Here
DESCRIPTION:Introduction by Susan Earle\, Curator of European and American Art at the Spencer Museum of Art on Faith Ringgold’s visits to Lawrence. \nDirected by: Cathrine Gund \nRun Time: 1 hr 30 min \nABOUT 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.
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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T163000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260504T195941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260628T180906Z
UID:4417-1782657000-1782664200@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Seized
DESCRIPTION:Online Ticket Sales have closed. Please visit the Liberty Hall Box Office for tickets. \nThe Kansas premiere of the highly anticipated documentary fresh from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival accompanied by a post-screening Q&A with Director Sharon Liese\, Producer Paul Matyasovsky\, and Kansas Public Radio’s Kaye McIntyre! The Q&A will also feature Marion County Record Editor Eric Meyer\, former Marion County Record Reporter Phyllis Zorn\, and Marion County Record Attorney Bernie Rhodes. This event is made possible by support from the Lawrence Journal-World and the KU William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. \nRun time: 1 hr 34 min \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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260628T203000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260504T202820Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T025515Z
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 with Aaron Brookner moderated by photographer Philip Heying! This event is made possible by support from Tom Harper of Stephens Real Estate. \nRun Time: 1 hr 18 min \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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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260912T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260912T210000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260901T132346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T132639Z
UID:4615-1789239600-1789246800@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:The Abstraction Series | Gregory Uhlmann
DESCRIPTION:Love Garden Sounds presents the Abstraction Series featuring an evening of jazz with headliner Gregory Uhlmann and support by Josh Adams\, Shawn E. Hansen & Sterling Holman Trio. \nABOUT THE ARTISTS\nGregory Uhlmann is a guitarist\, composer\, and producer from Chicago living in Los Angeles. His musical palette embraces beautiful warble-y sounds\, low fuzzy vibrations\, and playful rhythms that overlap in surprising ways. His often-otherworldly guitar tones and syncopated picking style are immediately recognizable across a vast array of musical collaborations\, and that distinction while maintaining a shapeshifting flexibility is no small feat. His work as a solo artist ranges from cleverly arranged chamber-folk songwriting to beautifully abstract experimental jazz-informed instrumental compositions\, and his latest album\, Extra Stars\, explores that latter territory to a deeper degree than ever before. This new work\, his solo debut for International Anthem\, pulls Uhlmann even further into the spotlight while showcasing his knack for directing the talent of his community of collaborators. \nThe Josh Adams\, Shawn E Hansen and Sterling Holman Trio\, all with roots in Kansas City\, open the evening with an improvised performance with nods to the 2016 album “Want Cry Love” album. Hansen and Holman regularly record together as SHSH and Adams works as a touring drummer and percussionist alongside artists such as Jenny Lewis\, Tim Heidecker and Jon Batiste. \nABOUT THE SERIES\nThe Abstraction Series presents notable contemporary avant garde\, ambient\, and improvised music to stages in Lawrence.  This event is supported by grant funding from the City of Lawrence and presented in partnership with the Lawrence Arts Center. \n6:30pm |  Doors (General Admission)\n7:00pm | Concert
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/the-abstraction-series-gregory-uhlmann/
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/2026/09/LAC-Abstraction-Series-Graphic-copy.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260919T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260919T200000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260901T132114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T132114Z
UID:4612-1789840800-1789848000@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Art in Motion: An Evening of Film\, Poetry & Transit
DESCRIPTION:The City of Lawrence\, Lawrence Transit\, Explore Lawrence and the Lawrence Arts Center are proud to present a preview screening of the new short film\, The Name for Blue\, by Marc Havener. The screening will be accompanied by a Q&A\, sample bus rides\, live poetry\, and bus stop artwork. \nThis event is free and open to everyone. You’ll meet artists\, engage with community members\, and celebrate the confluence of art and transit that makes Lawrence such an unmistakable place to live (and visit)! \n6:00 p.m. Doors open for poetry on the Lawrence Arts Center Main Stage & bus stop artwork on display in the lobby. \n6:30 p.m. Remarks + Film Screening: The Name for Blue (10 min) \n6:50 p.m. Q&A with filmmaker Marc Havener + Bus Driver Eddy Martinez \n7:15 p.m. Reception with complimentary refreshments + Downtown loop bus rides to and from the Lawrence Arts Center – (10 min duration) \n\nABOUT THE FILM\nConvinced that a name is what makes a stranger visible\, Eddy Martinez has spent years learning every regular on his Lawrence\, Kansas bus route by name. He traces the habit back to a childhood librarian\, Linda\, who first showed him what it felt like to be truly seen.  The Name for Blue is a portrait of what it takes to actually notice the people around you.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/art-in-motion-an-evening-of-film-poetry-transit/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Art,Film
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261030T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261030T210000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260901T132545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T132545Z
UID:4618-1793386800-1793394000@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Napoleon Dynamite Film Screening
DESCRIPTION:Get ready for the upcoming Arts Center theatre production of Napoleon’s Dynamite Musical Parody with a screening of the 2004 movie that inspired it all\, Napoleon Dynamite! With a costume contest and raffle prizes\, this will be an evening of cult film\, nostalgia and community you won’t want to miss. \nABOUT THE FILM\nA listless and alienated teenager helps his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school\, while dealing with his bizarre family life back home.
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/napoleon-dynamite-film-screening/
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/2026/09/napoleonmoviestill.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261113T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261113T213000
DTSTAMP:20260910T151108
CREATED:20260901T131752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T131752Z
UID:4609-1794592800-1794605400@freestatefestival.org
SUMMARY:Cat Video Fest 2026
DESCRIPTION:Our fuzzy overlords return to the big screen of the Lawrence ArtsCenter in partnership with the Lawrence Humane Society! \n CatVideoFest is a compilation reel of the latest\, best cat videos carefully selected from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations\, music videos\, and\, of course\, classic internet powerhouses. Oscilloscope Laboratories presents this joyous communal experience\, only available in theaters\, and raises money for cats in need through partnerships with local cat charities\, animal welfare organizations\, and shelters to best serve cats in the area. \nDue to popular demand\, this year we are offering two showtimes of CatVideoFest on November 13:  6pm & 8pm\, so EVERYONE can see the cats!  \n\nA portion of the proceeds from this event will go to the Lawrence Humane Society! \n\nRuntime: 74 min\n\nCast: A Bunch of Cats
URL:https://freestatefestival.org/event/cat-video-fest-2026/
LOCATION:Lawrence Arts Center\, 940 New Hampshire St\, Lawrence\, KS\, 66044\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
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