Fort Smith’s film festival kicking off

Event runs today through Saturday with more than 130 submissions to be shown

FORT SMITH — The city’s first film festival is slated to kick off today, bringing with it a host of films from all over the world.

Starting this evening and running through Saturday, the inaugural Fort Smith International Film Festival is showing more than 130 shorts, music videos, documentaries and features from 33 countries. It’s purpose is to bring film culture to the area “through transformative cinematic experiences and educational film opportunities,” according to the website.

“We wanted to bring stuff to Fort Smith and to this whole region that you won’t see anywhere else,” said festival executive director Brandon Goldsmith.

The festival started as a “wild idea” from Goldsmith, according to Jennifer Burchett, film festival marketing director and treasurer. The pair began organizing the festival in mid-2020 after Goldsmith formed the River Valley Film Society to highlight filmmakers in the area, he said. He formally announced its launch in January 2021.

“We’ve got a lot of visionaries, smart people, and they can latch onto an idea and make these things come to life, and that’s kind of what happened with the film festival,” said Mayor George McGill.

The festival drew 396 submissions from filmmakers in 43 countries. It’s also drawn 11 sponsors that have given the festival a budget of more than $30,000, Goldsmith said.

The festival is giving away more than $15,000 in prizes and scholarships including more than $ 7,000 for high school students, he said.

“That’s the part that makes me happy,” Goldsmith said.

The festival’s opening reception is 5-11 p.m. today at The Majestic. It will show films all day Saturday at 5 Star Productions and the Bakery District and The Majestic and that afternoon and evening at 906 Cigar Lounge, according to the schedule.

Because of covid-19, the film festival has dropped its capacity from 800 to fewer than 500. It will also provide masks for the filmmakers and will have socially distanced seating, Goldsmith said.

On the other hand, festival organizers have increased VIP passes from 50 because they sold out four days before the show, Goldsmith said. VIP tickets are $30; general admission tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

“We want to make this as accessible as possible, because this is a new thing for the town, and I don’t want to put up any barriers with ticket prices,” Goldsmith said.

The films will fall into the categories of narrative feature, people of color, indigenous peoples, student film, documentary, short film, music video and animation. The panel of judges will include members of the Cisterna Film Festival, held in Fort Smith’s sister city, Cisterna, Italy.

Goldsmith said the film festival is a great opportunity for people to see local talent. But the festival also includes films from countries including India, Iraq and the United Kingdom, he said.

Filmmakers from Chile are also traveling to Fort Smith for the screening of their film, he said.

“A lot comes from an appreciation for art forms from places you’re not from. That’s where culture grows, is being able to see and appreciate something from someone that you will never meet in your life and getting to see what their life is about, and that’s what film provides,” he said.

Conversely, the film festival provides attendees the chance to experience Fort Smith, said Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Timothy Jacobsen. McGill said he hopes they’ll experience the city’s murals, nightlife and river trails.

The festival also simultaneously adds to the city’s brand, Jacobsen said.

“You can’t just wake up one day and say, ‘I want my brand to be arts and entertainment.’ You have to push arts and entertainment and be a viable destination for that for the visitors,” he said. “As they become more familiar with it, that becomes part of your brand.”

Jacobsen said he plans to quantify how many visitors the film festival draws to the downtown area.

Goldsmith hopes his film efforts will kickstart a “creative economy” of film content producers in the area. He hopes to grow this presence through the Film Society, he said.

But in the meantime, Goldsmith hopes to grow a passion and appreciation for the arts.

“It’s not something that you can calculate in terms of economy or anything like that, and that’s the beautiful thing that the film festival will bring, is the growing of that in people,” he said.

The films will fall into the categories of narrative feature, people of color, indigenous peoples, student film, documentary, short film, music video and animation.