Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Big Movies, Intimate Event
Fayetteville festival wants to welcome fans and filmmakers
Ijust want to watch some movies and eat some popcorn,” says Morgan Hicks, executive director of the Fayetteville Film Festival. “A film festival like ours is this incredible opportunity to see some great feature films and documentaries, but what I personally love the most are the blocks of short films — perfect for those days when you have a short attention span!”
While Hicks might be taking a lighter approach to the upcoming event — now in its 11th year — the mission of the film festival is deep and wide: “The Fayetteville Film Fest is a cultural leader in our region, bringing world class film to our state, developing meaningful relationships with filmmakers, and nurturing the art of filmmaking by uniting a community of creators and supporters.”
“The mission hasn’t really changed since the inception of the festival, but I think the festival grows every year in its ability to truly make those connections,” says Hicks, now in her fourth year on the FFF
board. “I can also absolutely see how the quality of films created in the state has improved, as well as the overall quality of the submissions. We have incredible films that were made in Arkansas, and films that were made all over the world. We have films that have screened at prestigious film festivals like Sundance and Berlin, and films that are making their world premieres. I think the quality of films and the quality of connections are truly improving every single year.”
Hicks knows that even though the Fayetteville Film Festival is older, there’s a bigger one up the road that gets a lot of press. That’s fine by her.
“The Bentonville Film Festival is a huge event that has such an incredible impact in the film industry,” she says. “Our festival is a much more grassroots event, created by Arkansas filmmakers for filmmakers. We are focused on connecting filmmakers to industry professionals that can help them get their films made and distributed. We also focus on connectivity to our region — awarding prizes such as the Fayetteville Film Prize (to promote filmmaking in Northwest Arkansas) and the Arkansas Connection Award (to honor a film that highlights the state).”
This year, the festival will celebrate a winner of one of the 2018 awards.
“Last year we rolled out the Fayetteville Film Prize, an opportunity for a filmmaker to pitch an idea for a short film and receive a $2,000 cash award to support them in making
their film,” Hicks explains. “This year, the first winner of the Film Prize will be screening in the festival. Austin Dean Ashford has created a film version of his one-man stage show ‘(I) land T(rap),’ which will be screening for free at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5.”
And, she adds, “this year, the pitch contest has been reorganized so that the public is able to attend the finals round. We think this will get people really excited and looking forward to seeing the winning pitch realized as a complete film at the 2020 fest.”
“I feel honored because I had a lifelong dream supported by my local community,” says Ashford. “I consider the $2,000 cash prize for the budget of the film was a seed of faith that I know will prove a positive harvest. Essentially, the Fayetteville Film Fest has adjusted my trajectory as an artist and granted me a community of filmmakers I hope to continue collaborating with in the future.”
Hicks says while the focus is on filmmakers, she wants everyone to feel welcome at the festival.
“I’ve attended festivals all over the country, and I think ours is one of the easiest to navigate and most enjoyable,” she concludes. “We hope that anyone who loves movies — even those who have never attended a film festival — will come and check it out.”