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ATTENTION ALL FILMMAKERS, SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!

Entering its 11th year, the Bentonville Film Festival is an annual event chaired by Academy Award® winner Geena Davis in partnership with founding sponsor Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola. This year, our festival dates will be June 16 – June 22, 2025 in Bentonville. In 2024, we had over 10K+ viewers watching films, panels and Q&A’s on our virtual platform and over 15,000 attendees in-person screenings of competition and spotlight films, outdoor family films, panels and discussions, private filmmaker events and BFF community events, around Bentonville and the Northwest Arkansas region.
In the BFF 2024 juried competition program, 75% was from content creators who identify as female or gender non-confirming; 51% who identify as BIPOC, Asian, or Pacific Islander; 30% who identify as LGBTQIA+; 7% over 50 years of age; and 6% who identify as a person with disability. Additionally, onscreen leads were 56% women/gender non conforming, 45% BIPOC, and 11% representing talent with disabilities. More than 60% of all selected films had background cast and crews made up of majority of people who identify as female or gender-nonconforming and BIPOC, AAPI or Indigenous.
We want to continue this important work, so filmmakers, if you have a project that fits our mission to champion inclusion on and off screen and accurately reflect the gender balance and diversity of our world, please submit your shorts, episodics, and feature films to the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival, produced by the BFFoundation (501c3).
Nov 22 ~ Early Deadline
Jan 31 ~ Regular Deadline
March 7 ~ Late Deadline
March 21 ~ Final Deadline
May 2 ~ Notification Date
June 16 – 22 ~ Event Date

BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2024

A DECADE OF CINEMATIC EXCELLENCE: BFF 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY JUNE 10 – 16, 2024

We celebrated a decade of extraordinary storytelling, breathtaking visuals and unforgettable moments in cinema. Our 10 year anniversary was a tribute to the screen and the incredible journey we’ve embarked upon over the past 10 years. BFF remains passionate about championing independent voices, nurturing and connecting diverse artists, as well as spotlighting work that can challenge us but also entertain and move us. We continue to reflect on the history of this great festival and appreciate the work and dedication from our partners to help shape a vision for the future that embraces audiences from all walks of life. Our BFF audiences, moviegoers, industry, press, curators, journalists, partners, volunteers, other artists, and our alumni shared memorable moments in Bentonville. We are truly honored to have the support of our community and sponsors, and we sincerely hope that you will continue to be a part of our mission in the future.

OUR 2024 SPONSORS

We extend our sincere gratitude to our 2024 sponsors for supporting inclusion in all forms of media. We are honored to have partners who believe that if they can see it, they can be it.

About BFFoundation

BFFoundation is a non-profit organization focused on promoting underrepresented voices of diverse storytellers. We amplify storytellers who identify as female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities in entertainment and media. We do this through research, education, and supporting the production and distribution of inclusive content. BFFoundation is focused on working with its partners to foster inclusivity in media and entertainment to be a positive influence in the community at large. BFFoundation produces the annual Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), led by Academy Award winner, Geena Davis.

About the Bentonville Film Festival

Chaired by Academy Award® winner Geena Davis, the Bentonville Film Festival is an annual event produced by the BFFoundation (501c3) that champions inclusion in all media in partnership with the founding partner, Walmart, and presenting partner, Coca-Cola. The Bentonville Film Festival is held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas and online.