From a Triumph-ant opening on the Library lawn to a joyous closing of Hairspray anointed by queens, this year’s Free State Festival brought audiences back together in new ways in front of the silver screen and under the Kansas sky. We appreciate every single person who carried a lawn chair to unique environments, cheered on our pre-show performers or donned a reflective vest to guide people to their places. From supportive audiences to generous partners, dedicated staff and enthusiastic volunteers, this year’s festival was especially meaningful as we resumed the experience of sharing cinematic stories with our community. None of that would have been possible without the time, humor and energy from so many here in Lawrence. Thank you for being you. We’re so glad to have you back at the movies!
Thank you to the following partners and sponsoring organizations:
The National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Lawrence; Explore Lawrence; Haskell Indian Nations University’s Hiawatha Center for Justice; Lied Center of Kansas; Theatre Lawrence; Lawrence Public Library; Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics; the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas; Mainline Printing; KU Film and Media Studies; KU Department of French, Francophone and Italian Studies; Lawrence College and Career Center; Douglas County Fairgrounds; the Cider Gallery; Kansas Public Radio; Audio-Reader; Transformations Charity Gala; the Spencer Museum of Art; Breakout Lawrence; Game Nut; KJHK; Pedestrian Cheese; KU Department of African and African-American Studies; the Watkins Museum of History; Downtown Lawrence Inc.
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Relive festival moments in this photo gallery by Ann Dean!