This Year’s Bentonville Film Festival Lineup Is a Family Affair, from Bacon and Sedgwick to a New ‘Little House’
The BFFoundation (BFF), in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting partner Coca-Cola, had today announced the narrative, documentary, homegrown, short film, and episodic selections premiering at the 2026 Bentonville Film Festival (BFF). This year’s festival, the twelfth annual, will take place June 15-21 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The fest’s lineup includes 34 feature competition films, with five world premieres among their ranks.
The Geena Davis-founded festival, which has long been devoted to diversity and inclusion, also applies that thinking to its programming. Many events are designed to appeal to all sorts of film fans, TV lovers, and entertainment nuts, so it’s fitting that this year’s lineup feels a bit tilted toward family matters of all kinds. (That’s no knock: I love this festival and am always happy to sing its praises.)
No, really, of all kinds. Consider the opening night pick: “Family Movie,” which will see directors, producers, stars, and long-time Hollywood power couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in attendance, with a moderated conversation following the film. The film “follows a filmmaking family who finds themselves in a real-life horror movie when a body turns up on the set of their low-budget slasher and chaos ensues to keep the production on track.”
The festival will close with another beloved family, as it will feature special screening of the first episode of Netflix’s “Little House on the Prairie,” with showrunner/executive Producer/writer Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Crosby Fitzgerald and Alyssa Wapanatâhk in attendance and set to participate in a Q&A following the screening. The series is billed as a “fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical ‘Little House’ books” that “offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”
Sonnenshine will also be honored with the Rising to the Challenge Award at BFF’s annual Festival Award Ceremony on Saturday, June 20. The award “recognizes visionary artists whose work expands opportunity, challenges convention, and helps shape a more dynamic and inclusive future for storytelling.”
“Rebecca Sonnenshine’s work reflects the very spirit of the Rising to the Challenge Award,” said Academy Award winner and Bentonville Film Festival Chair Davis in an official statement. “She creates stories with emotional depth, strength, and imagination while opening doors for broader perspectives to be seen and celebrated on screen. We’re honored to recognize her contributions to storytelling and her commitment to creating work that resonates across generations.”
The festival will also screen the world Premiere of “Street Smart” on Thursday, June 18 as its Centerpiece film with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance for a Q&A following the film. The film “follows a lively group of street kids in Venice Beach help each other chase their dreams — with humor, street-smarts, and Robin Hood larceny.” It stars Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, and Marcia Gay Harden.
Other standout picks with the IndieWire seal of approval: John Early’s “Maddie’s Secret,” Liz Sargent’s “Take Me Home,” Ayden Mayeri’s “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story,” and many more.
This year’s competition programming reflects the festival’s ongoing commitment to inclusion and authentic representation across all communities. Of this creators behind this year’s selected competition films, more than 80 percent identify as female or gender non-conforming; 53 percent identify as BIPOC, Asian, or Pacific Islander; 40 percent identify as LGBTQIA+; 21 percent are filmmakers over the age of 50; and 15 percent identify as a person with a disability.
Take a look at the full lineup below, with all language provided by the festival.
Opening Film: “Family Movie”
(Directors/Producers: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick; Writer: Dan Beers, Producers: Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Vince Jolivette, Casey Durant, Greg Lauritano, Russell Wayne Groves)
A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track. After all – the show must go on!
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, Scoot McNairy
Closing Event: “Little House on the Prairie”
(Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer: Rebecca Sonnenshine; Executive Producers: Joy Gorman Wettels for Joy Coalition, Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Dana Fox; Director: Sarah Adina Smith (101)
Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.
Centerpiece Film: “Street Smart” – WORLD PREMIERE
A lively group of street kids in Venice Beach help each other chase their dreams – with humor, street-smarts, and Robin Hood larceny. When our crew finds out their camp will shut down and a new girl pressures them into bending (or breaking) their moral code, it threatens to tear apart this makeshift family. The group forges unbreakable bonds and redefines what it means to be a family.
Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, Daniel Zovatto, Kaitlyn Kemp, Miles McKenna, Isaiah Hilt, Skeet Ulrich, Marcia Gay Harden, Sally Struthers, Tyson Ritter, Skylar Astin, Paris Jackson, Harvey Guillen
Coffee Talks
A conversation with Ree Drummond exploring how storytelling lives at the intersection of food, family, and community. From building “The Pioneer Woman” into a beloved brand to sharing everyday moments that resonate far beyond the ranch, Ree reflects on creating connection through authenticity, humor, and heart — and why the simplest stories are often the ones that stay with us.
Bobby Flay has never been satisfied with a single lane. From Iron Chef to entrepreneur, restaurateur to brand builder, he has spent three decades following his curiosity wherever it leads — most recently to the pet food aisle with his beloved cat food brand Nacho. This conversation explores how a commitment to creative instinct has driven Bobby’s evolution as a storyteller and lifestyle entrepreneur.
Chef JJ Johnson explores how cuisine becomes a living narrative, connecting communities across continents and generations. From his work championing rice as a global heritage grain to building spaces that celebrate culture through food, JJ shares how storytelling can exist far beyond the screen — on the plate, in the kitchen, and within the community. Drawing from his acclaimed cookbook “The Simple Art of Rice” and his journey through kitchens from New York to Ghana and beyond, JJ reflects on the power of food to preserve culture, inspire creativity, and bring people together.
Book Event
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat will be in attendance, celebrating the launch of a newly discovered book by Dr. Seuss, “SING THE 50 UNITED STATES!” Come sing and read along with us and get a special picture with the Cat in the Hat!
Spotlight Films
A fresh spin on the ancient and mysterious art of opera, following four young, diverse singers striving to find their place on the world’s greatest stages despite racism and prejudice in the industry created by dead, white European males in the 17th century. Loss, sacrifice, discrimination, and failure test their personal commitment. Despite challenges, each singer finds solace and strength by literally lifting their voice.
(Director: Emmai Alaquiva; Producer: Ya Momz House, Inc.)
A cinematic poem examining the HERstoric portal between the disparities of infant mortality and the current state of maternal health orbiting Black and Brown women. With collaborative insight of Former VP, Kamala Harris, Lamman Rucker, Kimberly Seal Allers, Charles Johnson and some of the top experts, we reveal the hurt, healing and hope of this voyage. Despite the undercurrents, the mission aims to foster a new wave of solution-driven practices.
The powerful story of a group of passionate mothers who unite to create the first public dyslexic school in New York City, the largest school district in the country.
(Director/Writer/Producer: John Early; Producers: Harris Mayersohn, Luca Intili)
Comedian, writer, and actor John Early’s directorial debut starring himself as Maddie, a plucky dishwasher who leaps to viral superstardom at a trendy food content creation company. While her life seems picturesque — complete with an adoring husband, ride-or-die best friend and a cupboard full of woman-owned ethically-sourced chili crisp to boot — mounting professional pressures threaten to reawaken a hidden secret from her troubled past.
Cast: Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, John Early, Claudia O’Doherty, Conner O’Malley,Vanessa Bayer, Chris Bauer, Kristen Johnston
The intimate story of Army veteran Jeffrey Derma and his wife, Rebecca Cristina. Beginning in the final days of Jeff’s military service and continuing through the next two and a half years, the film captures their relationship as they work to reestablish what it means to live life together, as a family.
Homegrown Competition
Films created by filmmakers from Arkansas and/or filmed in Arkansas.
Teen birth rates in America’s Heartland are among the highest in the nation. Against this backdrop, a maternity home for teenagers becomes a crossroads in the lives of Olivia, Grace, and Ariana. Filmed over two years with intimate vérité access, Baby/Girls follows them as they give birth and fight to break the generational cycles that marked their own childhoods.
With 40 receding in the rearview mirror, Elizabeth Ford, a Denver mother of two and an aspiring writer, gets a sudden career-making opportunity. All she has to do is chaperone a narcissistic, literary legend by the name of Storm Grandquist across the Rocky Mountains to an awards ceremony in Telluride. What could possibly go wrong?
Homegrown Short Films
“We Are Cyclists: The All Bodies on Bikes Story,” USA (Director, Robin Sansom)
Narrative Competition
Set in the era of dial-up and AIM away messages, a love-sick teenage girl and her older sister embark on a road trip to meet her online boyfriend, but what begins as a fun, sisterly quest quickly devolves into chaos as each girls’ ulterior motives are revealed and the lies pile up faster than the miles.
A team of high school slam poets and their English teacher prepare for a national poetry competition one year after a tragedy changed their lives forever.
Twelve-year-old Lil Ant transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology, where family members become gods and the sky is crowded with endless departures. As he searches for connection with his god-like yet conflicted father, he finds support in his close-knit community that helps him reconcile myth and reality.
Shattered by a family tragedy in the wake of 9/11, a young Sikh boy struggles to hold onto love, family, and identity as he grows up in a country feeling like he doesn’t belong.
Manila, 1979. Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down. Commencing an investigation, Bernal unwittingly assigns Dahlia and his nephew Charlie, an ex-cop and Dahlia’s ex-lover, leading to a fraught reunion.
When a frustrated playwright/middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school’s principal, he decides to ruin the principal’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence.
Growing up in their tight-knit Modern Orthodox community, Sheva, Sarah, and Tali were best friends in an inseparable girl gang until Sheva and Sarah stopped talking to each other. Now, a decade later, they’re estranged, living lives both within and outside of the community. When a devastating cancer diagnosis forces them back together, all three gather in Sheva’s childhood home, where they are confronted — quite literally — by their younger selves.
Max is slowly losing her memory. When she reunites with an old friend, Diana, a long-buried part of herself is reawakened and she’s forced to choose between spending the precious time she has left with the woman she’s always loved or remaining faithful to her husband.
(Director/Writer/Producer: Liz Sargent; Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas)
Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting each others’ needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive.
Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper
Documentary Competition
Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.
Cast: Luis Valdez, Lupe Trujillo-Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dolores Huerta, Linda Ronstadt, Jorge A. Huerta, Luis C. Garza, Taylor Hackford, Rose Portillo, Sal Lopez, Phil Esparza, Socorro Valdez, Daniel Valdez
In the remote village of Bella Coola, where a milky-green river winds beneath towering mountains, the ooligan run has not returned in 26 years. Through crackling airwaves, watercolour-animated ancestral lore, rare archives, and collective testimony, we are immersed in the luminous world of the Nuxalk, an Indigenous Nation who believes they must become the current that calls the fish home.
A coming-of-age story about the joys, pressures, and pain points woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season. Captivating, candid, and full of heart, the film follows four girls ages five to twelve and their families as they navigate the annual whirlwind of selling, striving, and succeeding.
As anti-trans legislation and hostility escalate in the United States, a group of dads, building a nascent movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids, are forced to make an impossible choice: stay and fight or flee the country.
A gripping and urgently relevant investigative documentary that exposes the buried history of artificial intelligence, not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched structures of power long before it entered everyday life.
A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.
Meet Oliver, a 12-year-old murder-mystery buff with a boundless imagination, who is growing up with a rare genetic condition. Together with his family, they reframe what it means to live with disabilities and embark on an exciting adventure to create a murder-mystery caper.
A gripping, stranger-than-fiction investigative thriller that plunges audiences inside the troubling police raid on the Marion County Record. What begins as a shocking small-town incident quickly spirals into a national story, exposing how corruption, politics, and decades-long tensions turned a quaint Kansas community into a battleground over the First and Fourth Amendments.
When an Alabama court jeopardizes access to IVF and her own embryos, artist Abbey Crain refuses to surrender her creative power. In this triumphant tour de force, Crain and a group of fertility patients reckon with the threats to their family future, unearthing hope from an unsettled legal landscape.
(Director/Writer/Producer: Ayden Mayeri; Writer/Producer: Barry Rothbart; Producer: Rachael Fung)
In the summer of 2000, four tween friends formed a band called X-Cetra and burned an album onto a few CDs. Consumed by adolescent concerns, their labor of love was quickly forgotten… Until 20 years later, when someone uploaded it online. With their dreams of pop-stardom coming true, X-Cetra reunites to see if they can rekindle the unselfconscious girlhood they’d captured in the album those many years ago.
Cast: Ayden Mayeri, Jessica Hall, Janet Kariuki, Mary Washburn, Robin O’Brien
In 1983, noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates remembers learning that a 14-year old boy was murdered in the corridor of his Baltimore middle school. Revisiting the case as an adult, he learns the truth about the three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment.
Episodics Competition
Short Film Competition
“Irish Farmers: A Love Story,” Ireland (Director, Haven Worley)
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