Willy Evans co-founded the Kansas City Underground Film Festival in 2020, in an effort to revive what he felt was a dying film scene after the closing of the Tivoli Cinemas.
The festival is inclusive to film makers with varying skillsets and budgets, and this year has received more than 800 submissions from around the globe.
"It gives people the opportunity to experiment and to find new ways of making films. And ultimately, it's all still storytelling," said Evans. "It's a little bit of inventive and unique, but it at the core, it's still the same idea."
The free festival runs from Sept. 7-16 at Charlotte Street.
Evans and Abby Olcese, film editor for The Pitch, shared some of the films they think are must-sees out of this years entries.
Willy Evans' recommendations:
Abby Olcese's recommendations: