Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts today announced that the 2009 Tallgrass Film Festival Ad Astra Award recipient will be legendary independent film actor Seymour Cassel. Well-known as a contemporary and fellow traveler of John Cassavetes, Cassel was nominated for the 1968 Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Cassavetes’ “Faces,” for which he also participated as one of seven crew members. Spanning more than 40 years and over one hundred films, Cassel’s ...

The 2008 Tallgrass Film Festival lineup and event details were announced at the festival’s press conference at the Warren Old Town theater this afternoon. The Tallgrass Film Festival will feature more than 100 films from all over Kansas, the country and the world.The Opening Night Gala sponsored by Naked City will feature a Work-In-Progress screening of the documentary WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS? inspired by the best-selling book by native Kansan Thomas Frank. The film, by Chicago filmmak...

Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Kansas Congressman and Wichita native, will be honored with the Ad Astra Award at the 2008 Tallgrass Film Festival. The MPAA serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries. The Ad Astra award, named for the State motto, “Ad Astra Per Aspera”, or “To the stars through difficulty” is presented each year to an indivi...