Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Supportive Spotlight
New BFF category highlights regional voices
Those unfamiliar with the way a festival operates, or with the film festival circuit, might not realize the difference in competition films and Spotlight films, Ashley Edwards supposes. Edwards is the programming manager for the Bentonville Film Festival, as well as a theater professor at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.
The Spotlight category, Edwards explains, allows a festival — specifically BFF — to showcase films that may not meet competition qualifications for any number of reasons, but organizers want to highlight them because they are mission-aligned, an example of up-andcoming talent, or even a student film.
For the sixth year of BFF, Edwards and President of Programming Wendy Guerrero agreed they wanted to arrange a way to feature regional voices in a festival that is lauded for its mission of advocating for inclusion of marginalized perspectives in all areas of filmmaking.
“We are in an urgent time period and an urgent situation as an entertainment representative,” Edwards asserts. “All the things that are changing with organizations with their inclusion is new to some people. This is not new to us. But we need to make sure that, this is our mission, let’s make sure that we are standing by it.”
That dedication to diversity has resulted in what Edwards feels is likely the festival’s most “radically inclusive program” of films ever showcased. And though it’s not a new idea for film festivals, this will be the first year BFF has a Regional Shorts Spotlight category — a space for regional storytellers that is important in its own way.
“If you think about what has been on film about Arkansas — really think about that — is that the true representation of Arkansas?” she posits. “Maybe some. Maybe a couple of things. But [mostly] it’s very hyper-stereotyped, and that is not what makes our region. So I think it doubly meets that criteria, and then these filmmakers are also underrepresented.”
The other crucial side of including a category for regional voices is in service of helping local audiences understand the impact of the festival — particularly in a year where BFF has had to move almost entirely to the virtual sphere. BFF is not just an event, Edwards reveals. The festival is a program of the Bentonville Film Festival Foundation, which some may not realize is a year-round Arkansas nonprofit.
“So, if we can highlight these regional stories, it shows there are filmmakers here. They’re making great films, they’re putting great stories on screen, and the more that we can highlight that, I think that’ll grow the industry,” she shares.
“We do have a very grassroots, growing film industry here,” Edwards continues, mentioning Kickstart Entertainment in Bentonville and Farm Studios in Hiwasse. “They are really engaged in trying to develop the talent here, because we want to bring big studio productions here. So it’s all this bigger plan. And the Spotlight Regional Shorts is kind of a small way to start that. I wanted to develop our education component.”