Bentonville Film Festival, Led by Geena Davis, Announces Winners of 11th Annual Festival

(Bentonville, AR) (June 21, 2025) Today, the Bentonville Film Foundation, in collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, announced the winners of their narrative, documentary, homegrown, short film, and episodic categories from the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival’s competition program. The 11^th anniversary of the festival ran from June 16-22 in Bentonville, AR. The annual Festival is a globally recognized platform that champions the transformative power of storytelling—creating space for a world where every voice matters and every story is seen, heard, and valued.

“Rosemead” from Eric Lin won the award for Best Narrative Award and “The Librarians” directed by Kim A. Snyder took home the prize for Best Documentary Award. Additionally, the Rising to the Challenge Award, was presented to Lucy Liu, producer and star of “Rosemead”. The Rising to the Challenge Award has been given to a select few artists in the history of Bentonville Film Festival and honoring those who represent the true impact of supporting independent film both in front of and behind the camera. The Rising to the Challenge Award celebrates artists who put their talent, passion and experience on the line in the service of empowering stories that are otherwise underrepresented.

“These awards reflect the passion and drive of storytellers, whose work will continue to broaden perspectives and engage audiences throughout the year,” said Bentonville Film Festival Chair Geena Davis. “We congratulate our BFF award winners and we’re so thankful to every filmmaker here for their contributions to the success of this year’s BFF!”

Additional winners are as follows:

Best Narrative

Jury: Marie Jamora (Director; Guest Artistic Director of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women), Bomani J. Story (Director, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster)

Best Narrative: ROSEMEAD

(Director, Eric Lin; Writer, Marilyn Fu; Producers, Mynette Louie, Andrew Corkin, Lucy Liu)

Jury Statement: “Rosemead” captures the terrifying realities of motherhood in our contemporary era.  When culture, society, and healthcare break down, how can a mother protect her own child? With a powerhouse performance from the often underused Lucy Liu, you understand every choice she makes. Director Eric Lin sparks real world conversations about the society we’re living in through an intimate, unflinching film based on true events in the San Gabriel Valley. The very essence of what great cinema can do.

Special Jury Mention for Directorial Vision: COLOR BOOK

(Director/Writer, David Fortune; Producers, Kiah Clingman, Kristen Uno, Autumn Bailey-Ford)

Jury Statement: David Fortune’s “Color Book” makes daring choices through form and subject matter.  In a stripped down tale of a father just trying to get his son to a baseball game, the film unearths profound themes about the world we live in with a consistent command of beautiful visuals, performances, and crisp storytelling. Fortune’s vision speaks through a confident hand like he’s done this many times before.

Special Jury Mention for Ensemble Cast: ADULT CHILDREN

(Director/Producer, Rich Newey; Writer/Producer, Annika Marks; Producers, Angie Gaffney, Thomas Sadoski)

Jury Statement: In these times, the world needs to laugh, and “Adult Children” dispenses the chuckles effortlessly through its superb ensemble playing a maladjusted family colliding back together. The film speaks to a generational stuntedness that makes us realize that we’re all faking it as grown-ups.

Best Documentary

Jury: Kathryn Everett (Director/Producer; Founder of 5D Studios), James Faust (Artistic Director, Dallas International Film Festival), Pallavi Sastry (Producer/Actor; Co-Director of Programming, iSAFF)

Best Documentary: THE LIBRARIANS

(Director/Producer, Kim A. Snyder; Producers, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum)

Jury Statement: This extraordinary film is powerful, timely and needed. It enrages and saddens, with not a second missed. The storytelling does not discriminate in its coverage, making its points thoroughly, in a scary, chilling and necessary exploration. These librarians are heroes.

Special Jury Mention (Documentary): HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY

(Director/Producer, Sam Feder; Producers, Amy Scholder, Paula Mendoza)

Jury Statement: “Heightened Scrutiny” is a film that humanizes an issue that’s become increasingly political, making it a story about people. A quintessential example of journalistic storytelling, the Jury found it uplifting, heart centered, factual, human and necessary. It beautifully contextualizes the war on trans people and the undue stress and scrutiny they face just to be themselves.

Best Homegrown

Jury: Joshua Dahlman (Program Director of Shorts & MN Features, Twin Cities Film Festival), Nicole Shipley (Producer; Co-founder and CEO of Safe Space Pictures Foundation), Claire Taylor (Chief Program Officer, SeriesFest)

Best Homegrown: SOVEREIGN

(Director/Writer, Christian Swegal; Producer, Nick Moceri)

Jury Statement: Under the visionary direction of Christian Swegal, this bold story is elevated by a cast whose performances bring depth and authenticity to every scene. “Sovereign“ bravely opens a window into a side of American culture that is often difficult to discuss. The film invites viewers to confront complex realities with honesty and compassion, sparking important conversations that linger long after the credits roll.

Special Jury Mention (Homegrown): BEYOND THE ASHES: AN ADAPTIVE TRAIL STORY

(Directors/Producers, Brock Wagner, Tim Johnson; Producers, Jason Williams, Uriah Nazario, Bianca Montoya, Brian Carlson, John Hunter)

Jury Statement: For its powerful storytelling that uplifts under-recognized voices and celebrates resilience. The film also shines a light on Northwest Arkansas as a growing hub for inclusion and accessibility.

Best Episodic

Jury: Joshua Dahlman (Program Director of Shorts & MN Features, Twin Cities Film Festival), Nicole Shipley (Producer; Co-founder and CEO of Safe Space Pictures Foundation), Claire Taylor (Chief Program Officer, SeriesFest) (same as Homegrown)

Best Episodic: BORN 2 LOSE (Director, Carlos Cardona)

Jury Statement: This pilot excels in capturing intimate moments with authenticity and nuance, showcasing exceptional filmmaking craft. It creates a world that is dramatic, compelling, and rock and roll to the core—a universe we want to see more of. “Born 2 Lose” is clearly just the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable journey for this talented team. We eagerly look forward to what’s next, both on screen and behind the camera.

Best Short Film

Jury: Anne Alvergue (Editor/Director, The Martha Mitchell Effect), Michelle Krusiec (Writer/Director/Actor; Nian), Toks Olagundoye (Actor, Frasier)

Best Short Film: LOVIN’ HER (Director, day)

Jury Statement: A haunting short with deeply felt performances that achieved excellence in interweaving singular moments into a narrative that stayed with us all after the film was over.

Special Jury Mention (Short Film): VIEW FROM THE FLOOR (Directors, Megan Griffiths, Mindie Lind)

Special Jury Mention (Short Film): TENDER THOUGHTS (Director, Anndi Jinelle Liggett)

ABOUT BFFOUNDATION:

BFFoundation is a non-profit organization focused on promoting underrepresented voices of diverse storytellers. The core mission is to champion female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, API, and persons with disabilities’ voices in entertainment and media, through research, education, and supporting the production and distribution of inclusive content.

The foundation believes that by taking real action with content creators, talent, influencers, advertisers, and content distributors, we can accurately reflect the gender balance and diversity of our country. Our goal is to create a seismic change in how media inspires young minds to do great things.

Along with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the foundation also partners with schools and community institutions to educate the challenging effects of stereotyping, unconscious bias, and representation imbalance of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and persons with disabilities. We also utilize media-based tools and content to build positive association and equality-based learning models.

BFFoundation is focused on working with its partners to foster inclusivity in media and entertainment to produce a positive influence in the community at large.

For more information, visit bentonvillefilm.org.

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