Free State Festival 2026 Brings Headliners Boots Riley and Robyn Hitchcock and a Slate of Revolutionary Films to Lawrence This June
The Lawrence Arts Center is proud to announce the selected films and headliners for Free State Festival 2026 slated for June 22-28. This signature community event celebrates the free spirit of Kansas through independent films, music, art, and ideas in the city of Lawrence. This year’s theme is The Revolution is at the Movies connecting the America250 anniversary to change-making movements in history and trailblazing artists working in freedom of thought.
Highlights include:
Acclaimed filmmaker/musician/writer Boots Riley returns to the festival with his latest comedy fresh from the festival circuit, I Love Boosters, about a crew of professional shoplifters taking aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. This special event is presented in partnership with KU Film and Media Studies, KU Department of African and African-American Studies and the Hall Center for the Humanities.
A conversation and live band performance by Robyn Hitchcock in collaboration with the Lawrence Public Library’s 780 Series, Love Garden Sounds, and Eighth Street Taproom. A deeply individualistic songwriter and stylist, Robyn Hitchcock has traversed many genres with humor, intelligence, and originality with over 30 albums and memorable live performances.
Two films celebrating Algerian history and culture paired with panel discussions and unique film and music experiences: The sweeping epic, Chronicle of the Years of Fire, winner of the Palme d’Or prize at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, and The Battle of Algiers, the 1966 film about Algerian independence, often considered one of the best films of all time. In collaboration with the Kansas African Studies Center and the Department of French, Francophone and Italian Studies.
Aaron Brookner returns to Lawrence with Nova ’78, featuring never-before-seen footage of the legendary Nova Convention, where William Burroughs, Patti Smith, Zappa, Ginsberg, and more collided in an explosion of ideas, art, and rebellion. Get ready for some fun throwbacks to Burroughs’ Lawrence event in the 1990s.
The Kansas premiere of Seized, the new documentary by Sharon Liese about the police raid on the Marion County Record and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner that ignited a fierce debate about power, journalism, and the U.S. Constitution.
Nine Little Indians, Executive Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Shannon Kring’s vital documentary about a family’s decades-long fight for acknowledgement, justice, and healing after the abuses they suffered in the American Indian boarding school system.
Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait, a visceral film by David Gordon and Philippe Parreno capturing the 2005 soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal from the perspective of superstar Zinédine Zidane (father of Luca Zidane, the goalie of the current Algerian soccer tame home-based in Lawrence for the World Cup). With a seventeen camera set up and an atmospheric soundtrack by Mogwai, this film synergizes sport and art in a truly immersive way.
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez accompanied by a Zoot Suit fashion show. Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushed Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.
Paint Me a Road Out of Here, a documentary following the 50-year journey of Faith Ringgold’s masterpiece “For the Women’s House” from Rikers Island to the Brooklyn Museum in a heartbreaking, funny and true parable for a world without mass incarceration. Presented in partnership with the Spencer Museum of Art.
The Return of the Sacred Red Rock, the recent film about how the Kaw (Kanza) Nation reunited 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.
Other highlights include a short film pairing event, a Liber-TEA tasting of teas around the world featuring artwork by Lawrence Arts Center Artist-in-Residence Jason Wang, collaborations with soccer tournament viewing parties by the Busker Festival and The Granada, and food and film connections with the Lawrence Farmer’s Market.
The Free State Festival is produced by the Lawrence Arts Center and made possible through support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Lawrence, Explore Lawrence, Lawrence Business Magazine and Kansas Public Radio and community partners: the Lawrence Public Library, KU Film and Media Studies, KU Department of African and African-American Studies, the Hall Center for the Humanities, Love Garden Sounds, Eighth Street Taproom, the Spencer Museum of Art, the Busker Festival, and The Granada
This year’s poster will be designed by artist Matthew Lord and graphic design by Amy Albright.
All access passes are now available at freestatefestival.org
A complete schedule of events and individual tickets will be available on May 1.
For additional information, please contact Free State Festival Director Marlo Angell: Marlo@lawrenceartscenter.org / 785.843.2787 ext. 132.
