BENTONVILLE -- Successful directors of Bentonville Film Festivals past are returning to Northwest Arkansas, and they're bringing their new movies with them.
The Bentonville Film Festival announced Tuesday the programming planned for its 10th annual events, set for June 10-16.
The competition program amplifies the voices of women, those who identify as nonbinary or LGBTQIA, people of color and people with disabilities in entertainment. Festival passes are on sale now.
"It's a milestone year for all of us," said Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, who founded the film festival, which reflects the mission of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media.
Davis, in an interview Tuesday at Skylight Cinema with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said the past 10 years have been amazing.
"We started with a unique situation when we decided to hold the film festival in Bentonville because we were in a town with no movie theaters. Out of that nontraditional beginning, we've really flourished. It's really grown and transformed through the years," Davis said.
She said she hopes to honor the decade well and senses a lot of enthusiasm from the community surrounding this year's events.
Popular elements of the film festival will return this year, including the Geena Davis Outdoor Theatre; Geena and Friends, in which Davis does a table read with other actors; and a 10th anniversary screening of "Hunger Games: Mockingjay."
New this year will be a toy element for families, a Barbie dress-up night June 14 and a screening of "Beetlejuice" -- the 1988 horror/comedy in which Davis starred -- on June 15.
There will be a fireworks display at the Momentary following the closing awards ceremony.
"I'm proud of what we've built and achieved," said Wendy Guerrero, president of the Bentonville Film Festival and the BFFoundation. The film festival represented opportunities for people like herself, she said. When it began, "I was an independent producer. I was here to champion my story and the stories I wanted to see out there in the world. It's a dream for me to be working on this festival and championing all the women filmmakers who have come through here in the last 10 years."
Artistic Director Drea Clark said the film festival team spent months compiling the programming, and they hope many people will come to enjoy it.
"When we talk about inclusion in storytelling you're not just getting the empathy of new perspective, but great films," Clark said.
The film to open Bentonville Film Festival's 10th year is "Out of My Mind" from Director Amber Sealey. The film will be released on Disney+ later this year. Based on the novel by Sharon M. Draper, it follows sixth-grader Melody Brooks, a nonverbal wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy.
"With the help of some assistive technology and her devoted, exuberant allies, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it," reads a description of the film in a recent press release.
A new category this year is the alumni showcase, in honor of the 10th year and all the filmmakers who have come through before and are moving on and advancing their careers.
Among the films in the alumni showcase are:
"All Happy Families," directed by Haroula Rose and starring Josh Radnor ("How I Met Your Mother"), Rob Huebel and Becky Ann Baker.
"Ghostlight" directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson and starring Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Tara Mallen.
"The Queen of My Dreams" written and directed by Fawzia Mirza and starring Amrit Kaur ("Sex Lives of College Girls"), Nimra Bucha and Hamza Haq.
All the alumni films played at renowned film festivals, including Sundance, Toronto and Cannes.
Clark said they'll be showing a few other films that played big festivals, such as Nicole Riegel's narrative film "Dandelion" that stars KiKi Layne playing a singer-songwriter.
Among the documentaries shown at Bentonville Film Festival this year is "Daughters," about four young girls preparing for a special daddy-daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers.
"Nuked," a grant recipient of the Bentonville Film Festival and NBC Universal's "See It, Be It," will be shown as a spotlight screening selection. The film was shot entirely in Bentonville and stars Anna Camp ("True Blood," "Pitch Perfect"), Justin Bartha, comedian Natasha Leggero and more.
A total of five world premieres will be included this year: "Adjunct," by Ron Najor, which looks at a Middle Eastern American writer turned adjunct professor; "If That Mockingbird Don't Sing" by Sadie Bones, who made the film as a 19-year-old director; narrative "Year One" by Lauren Loesberg, which Drea Clark said features an "incredible performance" by Elizabeth Yu, who festival fans may remember seeing in "May December" last year.
Two documentary premieres are "Carefully Taught" by Cynthia Kao and "Blind AF" by Shawn Cheshire, about a blind female Paralympic champion who became the first blind person to ride a single, nontandem bike across the U.S.
Short films, episodic shorts and animated shorts will also return, as well as the adventure shorts program, curated entirely by a class at Thaden School, a private school in Bentonville.
Of interest to families will be the showing of "Ryan's World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure." Ryan and his family will be in attendance.
Actor Geena Davis answers questions Tuesday during a preview and kickoff event for the 2024 Bentonville Film Festival, which is slated for June 10-16. Davis starred in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise" and said acting in the movie was a life-changing experience for her. Go to nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)
People file into the Skylight Cinema Tuesday in Bentonville for a preview and kickoff event for the 2024 Bentonville Film Festival, which is slated for June 10-16. Go to nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)
Actor Geena Davis answers questions Tuesday during a preview and kickoff event for the 2024 Bentonville Film Festival, which is slated for June 10-16. Davis starred in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise" and said acting in the movie was a life-changing experience for her. Go to nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)