2022 Mainstage Panels
and Reel Magic Mornings Discussions
Reel Magic Mornings with Dave and Jenny Marrs of FIXER TO FABULOUS
Kicking off the Coca-Cola Reel Magic Mornings Series in 2022, we hosted a discussion with home renovators Dave and Jenny Marrs, who bring old houses back to life in HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous. With a little love and a lot of talent, the husband-wife duo restore timeworn homes into contemporary living spaces in their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Speakers:
Kyle Kellams (Moderator) – News Director at KUAF
Dave Marrs, Builder and Craftsman
Jenny Marrs, Designer and Home Renovator
PURPOSE DRIVEN PROGRESS
True progress in changing minds, challenging traditions, and creating movements that stir and motivate audiences to take action can’t be made without a purpose. Join brand leaders on how they have implemented corporate initiatives to amplify social issues through their channels and the impact their campaigns have made in different communities.
Speakers:
Craig Robinson (Moderator) – EVP, Chief Diversity Officer, NBCUniversal
Jean Batthany, Chief Creative Officer at Walmart
Jane Hwang, Vice President of Global Marketing, M&M’S
Monica Gil – EVP, Chief Administrative and Marketing Officer for Telemundo Enterprises
Valerie Love, Senior Vice President Human Resources at The Coca-Cola Company
Reel Magic Mornings with Virgie Tovar, Author of THE BODY POSITIVE JOURNAL
Join in for a discussion with Author of THE BODY POSITIVE JOURNAL, Virgie Tovar, who is also an activist and one of the nation’s leading experts and lecturers on weight-based discrimination and body image.
Speakers:
Magdalena Arroyo (Moderator)
Virgie Tovar – Author, Activist
FAT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA: WHY IT MATTERS
Plus-size characters are often portrayed as immoral, insatiable, unlovable, and unidimensional. What needs to change about the way we as storytellers think about bodies? Join this panel for a lively discussion where you’ll learn what fatphobia is, innovations in representation since the advent of the Body Positivity and Fat Activism movements, and what’s possible for the future of plus-size representation on screen.
Speakers:
Elizabeth Kilpatrick (Moderator) – Senior Vice President, Development & Operations, GDIGM
Virgie Tovar – Author & Activist
Joy Nash – Actor, Dietland
Ashlie Atikinson – Actor, The Gilded Age
Jackie Schwartz – Film Producer
CHEROKEE NATION FILM HQ TAKEOVER PANEL
A casual conversation at Festival Headquarters celebrating the native films in the BFF 2022 Program line up. This conversation will be followed by a mixer. This takeover is in partnership with the Cherokee Film Office and Cherokee Casino.
Speakers:
Jennifer Loren – Executive Producer & Host of Osiyo.TV, Director of Cherokee Nation Film Office
Alejandro Miranda Cruz – Director, DECOLONIZING DINNER
Nardeep Khurmi – Director, Writer, Actor, LAND OF GOLD
Pallavi Sastry – Producer, Actor, LAND OF GOLD
GEENA AND FRIENDS
At this annual event, Academy Award Winning Actor Geena Davis along with an all-star group of equally brilliant actors will reimagine memorable dialogue from movie scenes with a cast of all men through a woman’s lens. A fun and poignant way to explore how refreshing it can be to expand our vision of who can be cast in roles originally written for men.
Cast:
Angela Sarafyan
Ashlie Atikinson
Brianne Howey
Chelsea Javier
Reel Magic Mornings – From the Bronx to Bentonville: A Conversation with the Team Behind Alma’s Way
Alma’s Way follows 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family as well as a diverse group of close-knit and loving friends, family, and community members. Alma models self-awareness, responsible decision-making, and empathy, while encouraging kids to generate and value their own ideas and questions. Join Sonia Manzano(Creator and Executive Producer), Ellen Doherty (Executive Producer), and Olubunmi Mia Olufemi (Supervising Producer) for a screening and panel discussion about the making of the critically acclaimed animated series from Fred Rogers Productions on PBS KIDS.
Speakers:
Patricia Rodriguez (Moderator) – Client Advocate
Sonia Manzano, Creator and Executive Producer of ALMA’S WAY
Ellen Doherty, Chief Creative Officer of Fred Rogers Productions
Olubunmi Mia Olufemi, Supervising Producer of ALMA’S WAY
IF SHE CAN SEE IT, SHE CAN BE IT
A showcase of actors, content creators, and entertainment executives who have successfully created or worked with female driven content. The annual panel is moderated by Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO of the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media, and has Academy Award winner and BFF Festival Chair, Geena Davis as a panelist.
Speakers:
Madeline Di Nonno (Moderator) – President and CEO, GDIGM
Geena Davis – Academy Award Winning Actor, Chair of BFF, Founder of GDIGM
Sonia Manzano – Actor, Writer and Speaker
Nancy Svendsen – Director, PASANG: IN THE SHADOW OF EVEREST
Jahmil Eady – Director, THE BOND
TEAM FEMPOWER: EMPOWERING WOMEN IN WEB3 PANEL
The entertainment industry has a growing interest in exploring new funding models with Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Let’s talk about it! Join filmmakers, content creators, NFT entrepreneurs, and celebrities who will bring a dynamic discussion about NFTs to the film industry at the 2022 Bentonville Film Festival, where its host region is the global headquarters of the nation’s largest retailer and one of the newest urban hotspots for entrepreneurs and professionals to live and work.
Speakers:
Manouschka Guerrier (Moderator) – Personal Chef/CEO at Single Serving
Jordan Baynes – Film Director
Diana Zollicoffer – Filmmaker & Actor
Brooke Lacey – Technologist, Advisor, Web3 Developer
Joe Payne – The Society of the Hourglass
CINEMA TALKS WITH SONY: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
We screened a preview of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING that was followed by a conversation with Author, Delia Owens, Director, Olivia Newman and Producer, Elizabeth Gabler.
Film Description:
A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with. a panelist.
Speakers:
Delia Owens, Author
Olivia Newman, Director
Elizabeth Gabler, Producer