The Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts and Tallgrass Film Festival present a fundraising screening of Greensburg, an hour-long documentary film by Wichita native Brian Schodorf, following a reception at 6 p.m., Sunday, May 4 at Oscar’s Sports Bar in the Warren Old Town Theatre. A question and answer session with the filmmaker will follow the screening. A suggested donation of $10 will be accepted at the door, with proceeds going to Greensburg through the South Central Community Foundation.
“When I heard of the tornado in Greensburg last year, I thought it would be an interesting story to tell,” said Schodorf who produced and directed the film. “Then when I began to tell it, I learned how strong the people of this small town have become and what a success story they are writing.”
The documentary offers footage before, during, and after the EF-5 tornado that destroyed 95% of the small western Kansas town and includes interviews with residents, disaster relief officials, and weather experts.
“Greensburg’s tenacious efforts to rebuild are an inspiration,” said Ann Keefer, president of WAMPA. “This fundraiser provides an opportunity for Wichitans to participate in the events surrounding Bush’s visit on the anniversary of the tornado and to help fellow Kansans.”
Greensburg will be broadcast in Wichita and the surrounding area on public television station KPTS at 7 p.m. and will be simulcast at the fundraising event on the one-year anniversary of the natural disaster.
Founded in 2003 by the late Timothy Gruver, the Tallgrass Film Festival is a program of the Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts (WAMPA), a non-profit 501©3 arts organization dedicated to entertaining and enlightening audiences from America’s Heartland. Through the festival, the Cinema Al Fresco Series, WAMPA Filmmaker Academy and Special Screenings, WAMPA spotlights the city’s venues, cultural attractions and artistic communities. WAMPA strives to foster the ever-growing, local filmmaking community, sparking a dialogue among filmmakers and enhancing artistic expression.