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. WATCH ON DEADLINE

“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