This year's Doc Sunback Film Festival includes a strong lineup from Kansas filmmakers, whose contributions include both surreal horror and loving tributes to Kansas artists.

In its 12th year, the festival will show 25 (mostly) short films over two days, kicking off at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19 and continuing all day Saturday, June 20. Films linked by theme or subject matter are grouped together in eight different programs. The festival concludes Saturday evening with a round-table discussion and awards ceremony.

All screenings will take place at the Pix Community Center, 101 E. Main St. in Mulvane, Kansas. Admission is free, though donations are encouraged. Find the full schedule on the Doc Sunback Film Festival website. Please note that all times are approximate.

Read on for capsule reviews of six Doc Sunback selections, all by Kansas filmmakers.

'Puzzles,' written & directed by Brett Eitzen

“Stop putting together my puzzle,” a man tells his daughter near the end of Brett Eitzen's short "Puzzles." They're sitting together on a hill, overlooking the family farm that he tells her he never wanted her to take over; she's come to ask his advice about an unexpected pregnancy. This is a quiet film, with Kansas vistas beautifully captured by Alex Schneider's photography. John Potthast as the father and Nora Graham as the daughter turn in solid, natural performances even when the script veers portentous or schmaltzy. James Issac's score seemed too high in the mix for me, competing with the dialogue at times, but otherwise a well-made drama. — Anna Andersen

The Details: "Puzzles" is the first film of the 2026 Doc Sunback Film Festival, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19. The runtime is 8:50.

"Puzzles" is part of the "Grounded Spirits" program, which concludes with the horror feature "The Harvest Broadcast."

'Hungerstruck,' written & directed by Alicia Santos

Alicia Santos' debut short film “Hungerstruck” wears its influences in the open: YouTube vlogger culture, cannibal exploitation cheapies, and Coralie Fargeat's feminist body horror film "The Substance." But while "The Substance" was about Hollywood's fetishization of youth and ability, "Hungerstruck"'s horror comes from the way the media industry turns actors, particularly women, against each other. Santos stars as a wannabe influencer who gets the chance to audition for the role of a femme fatale cannibal killer and decides that “like the great method actors of our time, Jared Leto or Austin Butler,” she'll have to live the role offscreen, too — and why not start with her blonde rival? Slickly produced, funny, and confident, "Hungerstruck" packs an impressive amount of gore into its runtime thanks to Jack Bayless' SFX, and the open-ended narrative left me wanting more. — Anna Andersen

The Details: "Hungerstruck" opens the "Unapologetic: Films for the Mature Viewer" program, which begins at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Friday, June 19. The runtime is 5:43.

'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: The Sussex Vampires,' written & directed by Samuel Tady

In “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: The Sussex Vampires,” Samuel Tady reinterprets an Arthur Conan Doyle story about the preternaturally observant detective and his medically trained sidekick Dr. Watson. It’s Watson who kicks off this tale: An acquaintance worries that his Peruvian wife may be a vampire who sustains herself on the blood of their newborn child. Naturally, the truth is not quite that culturally offensive.

It may seem anachronistic for a young Midwestern actor to inhabit the world of the most celebrated detective in all of British literature. But Tady, who also stars as Holmes, does a credible — if not entirely convincing — job of it, and on a micro budget. The small cast delivers strong performances, notably Ailia Ford as the young stepdaughter of the presumed vampire. This episode of an ongoing series reminded me of the compelling, adaptable nature of Dolye's detective stories. — Emily Christensen

The Details: “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: The Sussex Vampires” is part of the “Body Count” program, which begins at approximately 11:05 a.m. Saturday, June 20. “The Sussex Vampires” screens at approximately 11:21 a.m. The runtime is 21:20.

'Like Lazarus: The Wayne Gottstine Story,' directed by Kevin Rabas

The new black-and-white short “Like Lazarus: The Wayne Gottstine Story” by filmmaker and professor Kevin Rabas is a single-note serenade to a great songwriter. Based on footage and interview material from a performance at the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, it focuses on the guitarist, mandolinist and raconteur Wayne Gottstine of the band Split Lip Rayfield and other groups. Gottstine has indeed been through the wringer — he lost a beloved bandmate to cancer before being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer himself. 

Given the provocative title, which refers to the raising of the biblical Lazarus, I wish Rabas more thoroughly established how close to the brink his subject was or plumbed the loss and fear he felt before finding the strength to move forward. Instead, there’s a matter-of-fact mention of a surgery that removed part of Gottstine’s lungs before giving him space for some unconnected “music matters above everything else”-style musings. Many of those quips land, however, and as Gottstine notes in the six-minute film, “Rock star is a terrible job, but playing music is beautiful.” It is beautiful, and it may have brought Gottstine back from the dead. — Kevin Kinder 

The Details: "Like Lazarus: The Wayne Gottstine Story" screens as part of the "Slice of Life" program, which begins at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20. "Like Lazarus" screens at approximately 3:35 p.m. Its runtime is 5:59.

"Color Me Wichita: Steampunk Village," ddirected by Charity Harmon and Sara Harmon

Sara Harmon and Charity Harmon are best known for their local history documentaries, most recently “Let’s Talk Shop.” In their short documentary series “Color Me Wichita,” the filmmaking sisters interview and emulate artists in their community.

After he retired, Gary Pendergrass began building fanciful, kooky sculptures made from scrap metal and other cast-off objects. His Steampunk Village blossomed into a full-scale roadside attraction, albeit one located in a quiet residential neighborhood in west Wichita. The film alternates between the Harmons’ visit with Pendergrass and talking-head-style reactions from the sisters, who explain why they feel inspired by the creative encounter.

Guided by their experience with Steampunk Village, the pair create a sculpture from thrift-store finds and spray paint, which they later present to the artist himself. Perhaps the Harmons spend a bit too much time introducing themselves and “Color Me Wichita.” But they make up for any deficits with their infectious, joyful, and experimental approach. Given that Steampunk Village was disassembled and sold off last year, the film serves as an important record of one of Kansas’ largest art environments. — Emily Christensen

The Details: The “Color Me Wichita: Steampunk Village” is part of the “Slice of Life” program block, which begins at approximately 3:10 p.m. Saturday, June 20. “Color Me Wichita: Steampunk Village” will screen at approximately 3:45 p.m. Its runtime is 19:46.

'The Table We Share,' directed by Brock Edwards

“As Christians, that’s what we expect people to do. You help people,” says Robin Marsh, the director of Emmaus House in Garden City, Kansas. “You don’t know what situation they’re in, so what right do you have to judge? Period.” Marsh is a compelling central character in Brock Edwards’ short documentary about the faith-based nonprofit homeless shelter, soup kitchen, and food pantry that serves 140-240 families and is the only food distribution center in the area.

Marsh’s full-throated commitment to serving the community is in sharp contrast to her careful language when speaking about government funding, which enabled Emmaus House to renovate a crumbling old building and expand its services. The organization no longer has access to government grants, she says. “Good, bad, indifferent,” every decision made by politicians in Washington affects the lives of people living in places like Garden City. She’s not pointing fingers, though, Marsh hastens to add. She is, after all, a nonprofit worker in conservative western Kansas.

I could quibble about the decision to prominently feature an elderly Spanish-speaking client of the nonprofit's food box distribution program, and the B-roll footage is a bit repetitive. But in a succinct 7ish minutes, “The Table We Share” illuminates the complicated job of fighting hunger in the U.S. — Emily Christensen

The Details: “The Table We Share” is the final film in the "Slice of Life" program, which begins at approximately 3:10 p.m. Friday, June 20. "The Table We Share" will screen at approximately 5 p.m. Its runtime is 6:49.

Anna Andersen co-hosts Your Favorite Bad Movie Podcast with their husband. They have four cats named Brains, Hamburger, Twinkle, and Zazzle.

Emily Christensen is one of the co-founders of The SHOUT. She is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a recipient of an Arts Writing Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation. Send her a message: emily@shoutwichita.com. 

Kevin Kinder never learned to play an instrument but has written about music for more than two decades just the same. He’s a freelance writer and journalism educator. 

Support Kansas arts writing

The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.