About Us

A Letter from the President

Greetings Film Fans!

When I look back over the past years, I am amazed at what has occurred with the Kansas International Film Festival. Before founding the festival, I had been working with another local festival when the idea came up to expand to serve the greater metropolitan area. The Mossman brothers and I decided to start another festival in under-served Johnson County with an emphasis on filmmakers, offering something for everyone. When film critic Bob Butler announced the formation of the festival in the Kansas City Star, he stated "There is a new festival brewing and it could be a whopper." Well it was and still is, thanks to the support of the community, the partnerships with local businesses, the films, the filmmakers, our volunteers, and the patrons of the festival.

Who would have ever thought that Kansas City would support another film festival that brought in 20-30 filmmakers each year, as well as several "anchor" events such as retrospectives with heavies like Ray Harryhausen, Richard Schickel, George Romero, and Guy Maddin, or silent films with new musical scores by the Alloy Orchestra? And who would have imagined sellout crowds at screenings of "socially conscious documentaries"? Going into this, we probably underestimated what Kansas City wanted.

Well, hang in there with us as KIFF 2010 comes to life. We will keep you well informed and continue to give you what you want. And as always, thank you for your support.

Dr. Benjamin Meade
President