Tunes + Tallgrass returns with free, outdoor showing of “The Wizard of Oz” on Friday

The Wichita Art Museum and the Tallgrass Film Association are teaming up again for their annual Tunes + Tallgrass event, which will be held outside on the Paula and Barry Downing Amphitheater lawn at the museum, 1400 Museum Blvd., from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 15.

The free event features food trucks, live music, a cash bar and an outside screening of “The Wizard of Oz.” All ages are welcome.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Live music by Sass Monkey begins at 7.

At 8:30, there will be a costume contest for adults, kids and dogs. Prizes include swag from WAM, Music Theatre Wichita and Tallgrass Film Festival. Following that will be a musical performance by Cami Abraham, who stars as Dorothy in MTW’s stage production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

The screening of “The Wizard of Oz” will start at 9 p.m. The 1939 family classic stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale from Kansas who, along with her little dog, Toto, is whisked away by a tornado and lands in the magical world of Oz, where she meets the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley) and the Lion (Bert Lahr). Together they embark on a journey to find the Wizard, who could get Dorothy back home and grant wishes for the others.

Lawn chairs or picnic blankets are welcome.

The indoor restrooms and cash bar will close at 10 p.m. You can’t bring in your own alcohol.

For more information, go to https://wichitaartmuseum.org/event/tunes-tallgrass-the-wizard-of-oz/.

Wichitan featured in Filmmaker magazine

The Sundance Institute’s Native Lab, which supports and nurtures budding Indigenous writers and filmmakers, returned to a hybrid in-person model in 2022 for the first time in two years.

The lab was held virtually and in-person in Santa Fe, N.M., in May. Wichitan Daniel Pewewardy was selected as one of the fellows this year. It’s no small feat, believe me (I went through the labs in 2001), but it’s a beautifully rewarding, life-changing experience.

Pewewardy, who is Comanche, attended the lab with his script “Residential,” about a young professional Native man who is plagued by a paranormal threat in his new apartment. To stop the threat he must uncover the mysteries of the apartment building, which is a former Native American Boarding School.

National publication Filmmaker magazine asked the 2022 fellows to reflect on their recent experiences through short diary entries on its online outlet.

“Filmmaking was a lifelong passion of mine,” Pewewardy said. “But something I had put aside and didn’t pick up again until a few years ago. To think I would go from writing my first feature-length screenplay to becoming a 2022 Sundance Native Lab Fellow in under a year has been hard to wrap my head around. . . . I honestly never thought I would be here, but if Sundance has shown me anything, it’s a feeling of belongingness — and that despite my humble Midwestern background, my stories are worth telling.“

Congratulations Daniel!

You can find the entire interview at Filmmakermagazine.com.

Reach Rod Pocowatchit at rodrick@rawdzilla.com.