BENTONVILLE (KFSM)- Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis announced the launch of the inaugural Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) Tuesday (Jan. 6).
According to a news release from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the festival is designed to champion women and diversity in film and will take place from May 5 to 9 in Bentonville. It is also the first and only film competition in the world to offer guaranteed theatrical, television, digital and retail home entertainment distribution for its winners, the release states.
The festival, which will screen 75 films ranging from studio premieres to independent features and documentaries, is being hosted by ARC Entertainment, Walmart, Coca-Cola and AMC Theaters and will be chaired by Davis. The Festival’s Advisory Board is made up of entertainment industry leaders, celebrities, and artists, who include Samuel L. Jackson, Randy Jackson, Eva Longoria, Julianne Moore, and Natalie Portman, according to the release.
Films that receive the Audience, Jury Selection and Best Family Films awards at the Bentonville Film Festival will get a distribution agreement with a guaranteed theatrical release on a minimum of 25 screens from AMC Theaters, the release states.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will include an award show hosted by Davis, multiple panel discussions with celebrities and industry leaders, and family film night events that will be free to the public, according to the release.
Film submissions for the festival will open on January 15 and films accepted into the competition will be announced in March.
