Bentonville Film Festival Sets Lineup For Hybrid In-Person/Online Event; ‘Misbehaviour’, ‘Parkland Rising’ Among Spotlight Titles
The Bentonville Film Festival set the lineup for its sixth edition Tuesday, with the festival co-founded by Geena Davis unveiling its spotlight and competition program of indie feature films, shorts and episodic titles.
The fest is set to run August 10-16 in the Arkansas city and is being engineered as a hybrid event because of coronavirus concerns, with digital screenings, panels and events to run alongside some on-the-ground premieres and conversations.
This year’s lineup includes four Spotlight pics including the U.S. premiere of Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which tells the true story of protest and controversy at 1970 Miss World contest, and Parkland Rising, a documentary that looks at the students of Parkland, FL, who started an international movement to call attention to the need for better gun laws.
As per usual, this year’s lineup focuses on underrepresented voices in film. Of the 68 titles, more than 80% were directed by women (including three of the four Spotlight selections), with 65% from BIPOC and 45% from LGBTQIA+ filmmakers.
“BFF’s mission to foster diversity and inclusion across the media landscape stands more important now than ever before as we continue to support filmmakers in a new and creative way,” said Davis, organizer Bentonville Film Foundation’s co-founder and chair. “Within the context of a pandemic, and the continued fight for social justice, we renew our deep commitment to underrepresented storytellers around the world. This year’s virtual structure presents a unique opportunity that is not lost on us as we use the power of the digital world to share BFF’s messaging to far-reaching global audiences, arguably more than we ever have.”
More programming and plans are still to be announced, but below is the main lineup, which includes the world premiere of Sujata Day’s Definition Please in the Narrative Competition. The pic stars Katrina Bowden, LeVar Burton, Eugene Byrd and Lalaine.
Spotlight Features
(IN)VISIBLE PORTRAITS (USA)
Director: Oge Egbuonu
Oge Egbuonu’s feature documentary directorial debut, shatters the too-often invisible otherizing of Black women in America and reclaims the true narrative as told in their own words. The film illuminates the history of how we got here, dismantles the false framework of the present-day reality, celebrates the extraordinary heritage of exceptional Black women, and ignites hope for the next generation. This is a festival premiere.
MISBEHAVIOUR (UK)
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe; Writer: Rebecca Frayn
In 1970, the Miss World competition took place in London, hosted by US comedy legend, Bob Hope. At the time, Miss World was the most-watched TV show on the planet with over 100 million viewers. Claiming that beauty competitions demeaned women, the newly formed Women’s Liberation Movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. Not only that, when the show resumed, the result caused uproar: the winner was not the Swedish favorite but Miss Grenada, the first Black woman to be crowned Miss World. In a matter of hours, a global audience had witnessed the patriarchy driven from the stage and the Western ideal of beauty turned on its head. This is a US premiere. Cast: Greg Kinnear, Keira Knightley, Kajsa Mohammar, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Tiplady
PARKLAND RISING (USA)
Director: Cheryl Horner McDonough
An inspiring look at the students of Parkland who started an international movement to call attention to the need for better gun safety laws. The film encourages everyone to stand up and get involved. From Executive Producers Katie Couric and will.i.am, with music provided by Bob Dylan, Black Eyed Peas, AJR, Sammy Brue, Michael Franti, and Pearl Jam. Cast: Jaclyn Corin, Matt & Ryan Deitsch, Emma Gonzalez, Fred Guttenberg, Lauren and David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Jammal Lemy, Patricia and Manuel Oliver, Ronit Reoven, Aly Sheehy, Sam Zeif
PIER KIDS (USA)
Director-Writer: Elegance Bratton
A verité documentary that’s inspired by Marlon Riggs’s Black is Black Ain’t and the Maysles brothers’ Grey Gardens, and Field Niggas by Khalik Allah, highlighting the value of public space for brown and black queer bodies to become their most realized versions of themselves.
Narrative Competition
A SHOT THROUGH THE WALL (USA)
Director/Writer: Aimee Long
BREAKING FAST (USA)
Director-Writer: Mike Mosallam)
DEFINITION PLEASE (USA)
Director-Writer: Sujata Day
World Premiere
FAREWELL (USA)
Director-Writer: Chris Chalk
FREELAND (USA)
Directors-Writers: Kate McLean, Mario Furloni
GOSSAMER FOLDS (USA)
Director: Lisa Donato, Writer: Bridget Flanery
I’LL MEET YOU THERE (USA)
Director-Writer: Iram Parveen Bilal, Co-Writer: Rajeev Dassani
LINGUA FRANCA (USA/Philippines)
Director-Writer: Isobel Sandoval)
SENECA (USA/Puerto Rico
Director: Jason Chaet, Writer: Armando Riesco
TAKE OUT GIRL (USA)
Director-Writer: Hisonni Johnson, Writer: Hedy Wong
THE PLANTERS (USA)
Directors-Writers: Alexandra Kotcheff, Hannah Leder
THE SUBJECT (USA)
Director: Lanie Zipoy, Writer: Chisa Hutchinson
Documentary Competition
AHEAD OF THE CURVE (USA)
Director: Jen Rainin
AMAZING GRACE (USA)
Director: Lynn Montgomery
BLACK BOYS (USA)
Director: Sonia Lowman
COMING CLEAN (USA)
Director: Ondi Timoner)
THE DONUT KING, (USA)
Director-Writer: Alice Gu, Co-Writer: Carol Martori
HUNGRY TO LEARN (USA)
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY (USA)
Director: Susan Sandler
MAVERICKS (USA)
Director: Michael Michele
MY DARLING VIVIAN (USA)
Director: Matt Riddlehoover
THE NEW BAUHAUS (USA)
Director: Alysa Nahmias
PERSONHOOD (USA)
Director: Jo Ardinger
TRANSHOOD (USA)
Director: Sharon Liese
Shorts Competition
ADULLAM (USA)
Director-Writer: Regina Hoyles
AN OCCURRENCE AT ARVERNE (USA)
Director: Robert Broadhurst
AVA & BIANCA (USA)
Director: Rachel Fleit
BECOMING EDDIE (USA)
Director: Lilan Bowden, Writer: Ed Lee
THE BLESSING (USA)
Director-Writer: Liann Kaye
BROKEN BIRD (USA)
Director-Writer: Rachel Harrison Gordon
CITY OF WIDOWS (USA)
Director: Lacey Uhlemeyer, Writer: Carly Hebert
DADDY’S GIRL (New Zealand)
Director-Writer: Cian Elyse White
DANCING ON MY OWN (USA)
Director-Writer: Alexandra Cuerdo
GRACELAND (USA)
Director: Bonnie Discepolo, Writer: Trevor Munson
HARANA (USA)
Director/Writer: Marie Jamor
HUMAN TERRAIN (USA/Iraq)
Director-Writer: Parisa Barani, Co-Writer: Jennifer Blackmer
IN HOLLYWOODLAND (USA)
Director: Jessica Sherif, Writer: Yetide Badaki
LA GLORIA (USA)
Director: Mary Evangelista, Writer: Stephanie Adams-Santos
LONG RIDE HOME (USA)
Director: Dame Pierre, Writer: Charles Andrew Gardner
LONG TIME LISTENER, FIRST TIME CALLER (USA)
Director-Writer: Nora Kirkpatrick
MARIE CELESTE (USA)
Director-Writer: Tori Larsen
POSTMARKED (USA)
Director: Malakai Writer: Angela Carbone
RUTH MUSKRAT BRONSON (USA)
Director: Jennifer Loren
SINGLE (USA)
Director/Writer: Ashley Eakin
SKY WEST & CROOKED (USA)
Director/Writer: Heather Edwards
STUCCO (USA)
Directors-Writers: Janina Gavankar, Russo Schelling
THEY WON’T LAST (USA)
Director-Writer: Portlynn Tagavi, Co-Writer: Brandon Gale
TO BE WITH YOU (USA)
Director-Writer: Elliott Feliciano
TREE #3 (USA)
Director-Writer: Omer Ben-Shacher, Co-Writer:Sydney Meadow
VELVET (USA)
Director: Coz Greenop, Writer: Victoria DeBlauss
Episodic Competition
THE DREAM (USA)
Director-Writer: Ron Najor, Co-Writer: Trevor Fernando
I FRIGGIN LOVE YOU (USA)
Director-Writer: Fanny Grande)
IMMIGRANT VOICES OF AMERICA (USA)
Director: Miguel Angel Duran
LADY LIBERTY (USA)
Director-Writer: Taylor Lee Nagel
MY FRIEND FRIDA (USA)
Director-Writer: Juan Rodriguez
PINEAPPLE (USA)
Director: Jane Chow, Writer: Peter Rafe
SWIPED (USA)
Director: Derek Evans, Writer: Sailor Larocque
THESE THEMS (USA)
Director: Jeff Garrison, Writer: Gretchen Wylder
UNLADYLIKE2020 (USA)
Director: Charlotte Mangin
WERE YOU GAY IN HIGH SCHOOL? (USA)
Director-Writer: Niki Ang
Spotlight: Short Regional Reels
ALL ON A MARDIS GRAS DAY (USA)
Director-Writer: Michal Pietrzyk)
DREAMING FROM THE SHADOWS (USA)
Director-Writer: Kelly Kim Miller
LOST KINGS (USA)
Director-Writer: Brian Lawes
WITH ONE STEP/THE ARKHAN LANGENBELIK STORY (USA)
Directors: Dustin Mapes, Seth Blazo, Trent Jones