Bentonville Film Festival reveals lineup and stars
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Bentonville Film Festival founder Geena Davis and Visit Bentonville president and CEO Kalene Griffith pose before the lineup announcement. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios
The Bentonville Film Festival will bring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Bobby Flay, Ree Drummond and a Netflix preview of "Little House on the Prairie" to NWA next month.
Why it matters: The festival, now in its 12th year, has become one of the region's most visible entertainment events, drawing filmmakers, actors and industry leaders while elevating underrepresented voices in film and media.
- Last year's festival generated about $4.5 million in local economic impact, Visit Bentonville president and CEO Kalene Griffith said.
Driving the news: The festival, founded by Geena Davis, announced its 2026 lineup Thursday, including 34 feature competition films and five world premieres. The festival runs June 15-21.
The big picture: BFFoundation says the festival focuses on work by women, nonbinary people, people of color, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities and diverse body types.
- This year, more than 80% of selected competition films are from creators who identify as female or gender non-conforming, while 53% identify as people of color.
What's new: The opening film screens on June 16 with "Family Movie," a comedic thriller directed by, produced by and starring Bacon and Sedgwick. The two are expected to attend and take part in a conversation after the screening.
Netflix's new "Little House on the Prairie" will close the festival June 21 with a preview of its first episode.
- Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Crosby Fitzgerald and Alyssa Wapanatâhk are expected to join a Q&A after the screening. Sonnenshine will receive the festival's Rising to the Challenge Award.
The world premiere of "Street Smart," directed by Catherine Hardwicke of "Twilight" fame, is set for June 18. Hardwicke is expected to attend.
Zoom in: The festival's Homegrown Competition features movies made by Arkansas filmmakers or filmed in Arkansas.
- This year's lineup includes "Baby/Girls," a documentary about a maternity home for teenagers in Arkansas, and the world premiere of "Welcome to the Fishbowl."
Between the lines: Festival leaders are leaning into kids programming. Davis announced a new Crayola Studios kids content development award, where five creators will make live pitches for original children's content ideas to studio executives and industry decision-makers.
What they're saying: "When we launched this festival 12 years ago, it began with an idea that entertainment has the power not only to move us, but can shape the world around us," Davis said during the announcement.
Also on deck: The festival will host "Coffee Talk" sessions with Drummond, Flay and chef JJ Johnson, plus a free Festival Village at The Momentary with studio screenings, kids activities and community programming.
The bottom line: Passes for the entire festival start at $250. Prices for tickets to individual events vary.