Online and in person, Kansas City will turn into a film fest mecca over next 10 days
The Kansas City FilmFest International, which bills itself as the largest and longest-held curated film festival in Kansas City, will celebrate its 25th year virtually April 12-18.
Audiences can view and vote for their favorites among 165 films in five categories: narrative feature, documentary feature, narrative short, documentary short and heartland student. Most films will be available to stream online, with a few feature films scheduled for one-time slots only.
The opening-night offering will be the North American premiere of the documentary “From Hell to Hollywood” at 6:30 p.m. April 12. The world premiere of the documentary “Bobbi Jo: Under the Influence” will take place at 6:30 p.m. April 14. (Look for a story about that film on Sunday.) And the coming-of-age drama “Holler,” set to hit theaters in June, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. April 15.
The festival offers several pass options, ranging from $15 to $35. For passes and the lineup, go to kcfilmfest.org.
Meanwhile, the annual Panic Film Fest will be a hybrid event April 8-18, with screenings of more than 60 horror, thriller and sci-fi movies online and in person at the Screenland Armour in North Kansas City. The lineup includes feature films and short-film showcases.
Single showings cost $13, with a virtual pass going for $135 and a hybrid pass for both online and in-person for $150. More information, panicfilmfest.com.
Here are five more in-person activities this coming week:
▪ Children’s Mercy Park will be the venue for Sporting Club Special Events’ “Movies at the Park” featuring “Trolls World Tour,” 7 p.m. April 9-10 (free; tickets required). sportingkc.com.
▪ Kadesh Flow and The Deshtet will bring their blend of hip-hop, funk, brass band and jazz to the Alley Cat Picnic outside The Ship, 8 p.m. April 9 (free). eventbrite.com.
▪ The first Summit Art Plein Air Festival will take place on Crestview Dairy’s 31-acre property in Lee’s Summit, April 10-11 (free); includes Wet Paint Sale and a performance by the Lee’s Summit Symphony at 1 p.m. April 10. summitart.org.
▪ Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by Kevin Wood) will discuss the events leading up to his famous speech in May 1856 in a program called “The ‘Lost Speech’: Lincoln’s Greatest Ever?” at Olathe Public Library-Indian Creek Branch, 6 p.m. April 13 (free). olathelibrary.
▪ The Grinter Place State Historical Site in Kansas City, Kansas, will reopen for the season, April 14 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; $3-$6). kshs.org.
Here are five more online ways you and your family can spend your coronavirus-induced stay-at-home time:
▪ Author and wine consultant/aficionado Doug Frost will play host to a wine and cocktail tasting series called “Ooh! Outpouring of Hope: At Home With Doug Frost,” 7 p.m. April 13, 16 and 22 ($150). oohparty.org.
▪ In celebration of Missouri’s Bicentennial Year, Joan Stack, art curator at the State Historical Society of Missouri, will explore artworks at institutions around Missouri that reflect aspects of the state’s history from 1820 until the 1960s, 7 p.m. April 8 (free). mymcpl.org.
▪ “Fiddler in Concert,” a virtual cabaret from the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre featuring songs from “Fiddler on the Roof,” will be available on-demand, April 11-May 9 ($15 per household). thejkc.org.
▪ A jazz concert by the Michael Pagán Big Band, recorded in the Polsky Theatre, can be streamed April 12-May 12 (free). jccc.edu.
▪ Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, will lead “A Conversation on Race, Part III – Baseball: The Color Barrier,” 7 p.m. April 14 (free). doleinstitute.org.
