Kevin Willmott’s objective was to get from Junction City to Hollywood. He made it there — and all around the world — through his filmmaking career.
A film festival slated for February will honor Kevin Willmott, Academy Award-winning KU film professor, as he has taken emeritus status.
The Lied Center has named Terence Blanchard, Grammy Award-winning composer and trumpeter, and Melissa Smith, assistant director of bands at Free State High School and West Middle School, as this season’s IMPACT Award winners.
When Kevin Willmott was in fifth grade, a comic book gave him his first lesson in Black history. Seeing those lessons entwined with entertainment that way helped the Oscar winner make the connection of sharing history with others through storytelling.
Free State Festival / Contributed Image
In-person appearances by filmmaker John Waters, comedian Cameron Esposito, musicians The Black Creatures and Oscar winner Kevin Willmott are among some of the highlights of Free State Festival’s Act 2.
Since 1973, a Buhler Mennonite Church pastor said, 186 people sentenced to death in the United States had been exonerated. “What if we had killed them?”
Courtesy of Free State Festival
The Free State Festival’s lineup of movies, comedy, live music and more — announced this week — will take place in safe, open-air environments.
