COMMUNITY
By Kara Isham | Photos courtesy of BFFoundation
Bentonville Film Festival Celebrates 12th Anniversary
Since its inception more than a decade ago, the Bentonville Film Festival has pursued its mission of championing inclusion and diversity in media, ensuring all voices are seen and heard through storytelling.
For its 12th anniversary, the festival is striving to meet its goal of being “a place for everyone” by not only showcasing the work of amazing filmmakers and creatives but also by expanding the weeklong event to include the entire community even more than in previous years.
This year’s festival will be held June 15-21 in downtown Bentonville and will feature a combination of spotlight films, documentaries, short films, special events and family-friendly offerings.
Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis, who serves as chair for the BFF, said organizers are excited about this year’s festival offerings and the future of the festival.
“As we return for our 12th year, we’re proud to continue building a space where audiences, artists and industry voices can come together in celebration of authenticity, creativity and progress,” Davis said.
This year’s festival will include multiple free community events as well as highlight the 250th anniversary of the United States, according to Twilla Brooks, BFF head of communications and public relations.
The festival’s outdoor theater will be the epicenter of family-friendly offerings such as outdoor movies, a variety of food choices, an expanded Walmart Toy Corner, giveaways, pet activation stations and other entertainment. Branded as Community Impact Day, June 20 will feature various community events that will culminate in a fireworks show that evening.
The opening film for this year’s festival will be the meta horror-comedy Family Movie, directed by and starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. Also featuring Sosie Bacon and Travis Bacon, the movie follows a filmmaking family that finds its members in a real-life horror movie when a body turns up on the set of their low-budget slasher, forcing them to cover up the murder to keep filming.
This year’s festival centerpiece film will be the world premiere of the drama Street Smart, directed by Catherine Hardwicke. The movie tells the story of a lively group of street kids in California’s Venice Beach who help each other chase their dreams.
The closing event of the 2026 BFF will be the screening of the world premiere of Little House on the Prairie, a fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books.
Among the spotlight films for the 2026 BFF will be ARIA: Opera on the Edge, a documentary film presented in partnership with Opera in the Ozarks. The film, which documents the lives and lifestyles of four opera singers striving to land leading roles in premier operas, will be shown at the Opera in the Ozarks new theater in Eureka Springs on June 18.
Other spotlight films in this year’s festival include The Brittney Griner Story about the WNBA star’s wrongful detention and eventual release from Russian prison; Give Me the Ball!, about tennis icon Billie Jean King; and Miss Representation: Rise Up, a documentary examining the cultural backlash against women’s mental health, agency and political power among other topics related to sexism and misogyny.
Festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to see many more films throughout the week as well as attend panels and conversations with filmmakers and creatives. The festival will also include offerings such as expanded STEAM sessions, a tribute to Juneteenth, a new book-to-screen panel, coffee talks and conversations with celebrities such as chef Bobby Flay and Food Network star Ree Drummond. As always, the week’s activities will include the fan-favorite panel Geena and Friends as well as the annual awards gala, which will include the homegrown competition recognizing Arkansas-born filmmakers or films shot in the Natural State.
Last year’s festival included screenings for more than 75 films, and more than 70 filmmakers were on hand throughout the week. Since 2015, more than 500,000 people have attended the annual festival, resulting in millions of dollars going into the local economy.
The success of the BFF over the years, its continued evolution and the success of the BFFoundation’s year-round mission to focus on promoting underrepresented voices can all be traced back to Davis, the festival and foundation’s founder.
“Geena’s influence is at the heart of everything we do,” said Wendy Guerrero, president and CEO of the festival. “This year is an opportunity to celebrate not just her presence, but the powerful ripple effect of her work — through the filmmakers, stories and audiences who continue to carry that forward.”