We’re stoked to announce another World Premiere for Prairie Lights! This one is WHO WILL LISTEN BUT THE WIND by Jennifer A Hanisch. Here’s the synopsis:

Money is short and stress is high due to a child with TARS syndrome. Christopher quits his job of 10 years when his wife gets involved with another man. Things appear to go well for a short period when they decide to start an e-cigarette business. However, their relationship quickly spirals out of control as his wife plots his murder with a soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The film was shot in Nebraska and will be the debut of Jennifer A Hanisch. Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock see this first film from a brand new Nebraska filmmaker and to lock in all those great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

We are excited to announce that Nebraska native Christina Marie Leonard will be attending Prairie Lights for the screening of LOCH NESS: THE WEBSERIES! Here’s a bit about her:

Christina Marie Leonard is an actress and stand-up comedian originally from Omaha, Nebraska. She moved to Los Angeles in 2012, getting her start in the series “Riley Rewind“, which first gained over a million hits on YouTube and then was streamed on Netflix.  She continues to act in such features as “Non Stop To Comic Con”, “The Tarot”, and “It Snows All The Time”, starring Taryn Manning and Brett Cullen. She has taken improv at UCB, Groundlings, and Second City, and performs stand up at such venues as The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. Currently she hosts the Nebraska Coast Connection Hollywood Salon as well as a weekly podcast about Star Wars, “The Hidden Rebels”.

Not only will Christina be on hand to answer questions regarding her series, but the first episode of LOCH NESS: THE WEBSERIES will be included on the 2017 Prairie Lights Film Sampler DVD which comes free for all weekend passholders!

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to see LOCH NESS: THE WEB SERIES and to lock in great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

Prairie Lights is glad to announce the screening of Jonathan Kimbrell‘s ERRANT! Here’s a bit about the film:

Detective Gavin is forced to confront his obsession with a cold case with a personal connection.

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

We’re stoked to announce that Elijah Watson’s GROWING PAINS will screen at this year’s PLFF! Here’s a bit about the film:

When tragedy strikes in the middle of the night, a young boy is forced to pick up the pieces of his life and discover that everything is going to be alright.

The film was produced by two film students at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and who are both originally from the towns of Lincoln and Holdrege, NE.  GROWING PAINS was filmed in the town of Holdrege, NE using a small group of local actors to cast the film.

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

Prairie Lights is stoked to announce that local band BRINER will be playing at the Bonzai Blowout After party on Saturday, October 21st! You can check out their album, “Smile at How the Tail Wags” right here! Also check out their tumblr page for news and info about the band.

Just like last year, Bonzai will be holding a celebratory after party for Prairie Lights festivalgoers!  After the movies wrap up Saturday night, head over to Bonzai for food, music, and good times. Black Lanyard Weekend Attendee Passes will get 25% off their entire bill at either Wave Pizza or Sin City Grill (dine in only) throughout the weekend as well as no cover charge for the Saturday night after party!  Bonzai has some of the best pizza around, so don’t miss it!

So how do you lock in this awesomeness? Head over to the tickets page and order your weekend pass right now for the low price of $10.00!  Not only will you get all the great discounts at our sponsors all weekend, but you’ll get a free DVD of local films, free popcorn and soda vouchers, and more!

We are stoked to announce the World Premiere of RETURN OF THE ROBO-MUMMY FROM OUTER SPACE PART 7, directed by Mathew Kister as part of the Prairie Lights Science Fiction anthology project! Here’s a bit about the film:

It is 1953 and the United States basks in the glow of its power and dominance. Unfortunately, they must contend with the return of the Robo-Mummy, a half-robot, half-mummy monstrosity who has designs on using a human female as the vessel to bring back his long lost love. Only America’s finest scientist and Forest Ranger can stop him….or can they?!!!

RETURN OF THE ROBO-MUMMY FROM OUTER SPACE PART 7 is a lovingly cheesy homage to low budget 50’s science fiction films and stars Dailen Cowden, Will Griffey, Cara Rockwell, Eric Moyer, Leah Cardenas, and Nicholas Henandez with FX by Heather Waite. The film is currently in pre-production and will be shot in Lyons, Nebraska at Cosmic Film Studios

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

Prairie Lights is excited to announce that Director Tom Knoblauch, Producer Ben Matukewicz and star Leah Cardenas will be appearing at Prairie Lights for the World Premiere of Naomi Jones! Here’s a little about each:

Tom Knoblauch is the writer/director of Naomi Jones. He co-founded Fatherson Productions and has co-directed the feature films Almost a Weekend and Adoptation with Ben Matukewicz and has written two novels. He is currently directing his fourth feature, Green on Green.

Ben Matukewicz co-founded Fatherson Productions and serves as President and Creative Director. He has co-directed the feature films Almost a Weekend, Adoptation, and the music video for Bach Mai’s I Had a Home. He served as the producer and unit production manager on Naomi Jones as well as playing a supporting role. Matukewicz is currently producing Green on Green.

Leah Cardenas is a Colorado native who currently lives in Nebraska and has a degree in Theatrical Acting from Nebraska Wesleyan University. From a young age she knew she either wanted to be a spy or an actress, but the only reason she wanted to be a spy was so she could dress up like other people, so she chose acting! This is her first film project and she will next be seen in Green on Green

All three will participate in a Q&A session immediately following the World Premiere of the film!  Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

The Prairie Lights Film Festival is honored to help celebrate the life and art of Nebraska filmmaker Pete Lipins with a block of films! Pete’s contribution to the Nebraska filmmaking community is vast, not only as a creator but as a collaborator, mentor and friend.

Last year cancer took Pete from us, the same year his last film THE HYPNOTIST played on the Prairie Lights screen. This year Prairie Lights looks back on Pete’s early work including the DUDELING series and the rarely seen short film BIEZIE SATIEKAS along with it’s counterpart OVERSTOCK OF THE MAN-MACHINE by Andrew Johnson. Both shorts used the same script, written by Matt Cullinane, and Pete appears in both films playing the same role. Our  tribute concludes with Pete’s 2008 feature KILLER, a film shot, edited, re-shot and re-edited then edited again over six years, a testament to Pete’s love of the process. Check out the synopsis for KILLER:

The Killer is loose. The lunatic responsible for the deaths of Mary Shelly’s parents has not only escaped, but is on the blood path once again. Struggling with her loss, Mary seeks refuge in a mansion every bit as cold and distant as the woman who owns it – her aunt. Mary tries to make sense of her surroundings, but nothing is as it appears. Add to this mix some startling visuals and a menagerie of odd characters and the result is a horror movie that gets inside your head.

Experience the legacy left by one of the most beloved members of the Nebraska filmmaking community with his family in attendance. Pete Lipins the man will be missed, but his art lives on.

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

“Always forward, my friend. Always forward.” – Pete Lipins

We are stoked to announce that Kinkaider Brewing Company is joining Prairie Lights as an official sponsor this year!

Kinkaider Brewing Company has a new taproom near the Grand Theatre and is a featured brewer in Prairie Pints, a documentary covering the explosion of craft beer right here in Nebraska, and World Premiering at the festival!

Not only will Kinkaider be hosting an official After Party on Friday, October 20th but all weekend pass holders will receive half price beer and appetizers! That’s a helluva deal! See the world premiere of Prairie Pints, get some half priced beer, and enjoy good company at Kinkaider all weekend during the festival. Kinkaider joins our great group of yearly sponsors that includes the Necropolis Group (Bonzai, Sin City Grill) and The Chocolate Bar!

What are you waiting for? Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00  to lock in these great discounts! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the after parties at Bonzai and Kinkaider, and a free DVD sampler of local films!

We’re stoked to announce that DECADES from Bill Hedges will screen at this year’s PLFF! Here’s a little about the film:

Take a trip to downtown Lyons Nebraska, and 147 years into the past. Changes in a downtown happen so slowly over the decades that we never notice them until we look back over a long timeline. Follow those changes in Lyons, Nebraska to see how a small town grew and evolved to the changing times. The one thing that stayed constant were the generations who tried to make it a better hometown.

Even though filmmaker Bill Hedges was a long time Lyons Nebraska resident, his journey to research the history of his town resulted in new discoveries for him, and an appreciation of the town’s legacy, you just need to know where to look. His film, created with the cooperation of the whole local community, revealed that this current generation is still working hard to shape the town’s future.Using vintage photos of downtown Lyons, Nebraska and period recreations, follow host Lauren Kolojejchick-Kotch on a tour through time to see how Lyons grew from its first building to the present community. Written and Directed by Bill Hedges, Produced by Marilyn Tenney. Drone and additional cinematography by Eric Anderson.

Head over to the Tickets page and pre-order your Weekend Pass for the low price of $10.00 to see this and a ton of other awesome Nebraska films! All weekend passes come with free popcorn and soda vouchers, discounts to local restaurants, free access to the Bonzai After Party, and a free DVD sampler of local films!