Bentonville, AR (June 8, 2026) The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) in collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, announced today their Geena & Friends participants, jurors and additional panels and events taking place at the 2026 Bentonville Film Festival, set for June 15-21 in Bentonville, AR. The annual Festival, celebrating its 12th anniversary, is a globally recognized platform amplifying female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment. Festival passes and individual tickets are on sale now.
Geena & Friends
Tuesday, June 16 at 4:00 p.m. / Fermentation Hall at The Momentary
Two-time Academy Award Winning Actor Geena Davis along with an all-star group of equally brilliant actors will re-imagine memorable dialogue from all-male movie scenes through an all-female/gender non-conforming 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: Geena Davis, Bevin Bru, Toks Olagundoye, Alysia Reiner, Alexandra Shipp
Variety Virtuoso Award presented to Katherine LaNasa
Saturday, June 20, at 3:00 p.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
The Variety Virtuoso Award recognizes artists who have made a significant impact in the entertainment industry through their work in film, television, and theater. It specifically honors actors who have delivered noteworthy performances, and BFF is proud to welcome recipient Katherine LaNasa to the festival for this presentation and conversation with Variety’s Carole Horst.
The Jury for this year’s festival awards will include Amber Benson (Writer/Actor; “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Mary Pat Bentel (Director, “The Cockroach”, Producer, “Who Invited Them”), Billy Ray Brewton (Producer; Director of Acquisitions, Antenna Releasing), Carlos Cardona (Director, “Born 2 Lose”), Sian Edwards-Beal (Producer, “Hacking Democracy”, “Left Behind”), Winnie Kemp (Producer; President, Wolf at the Door Studios), Kate Mason (Director; Programmer, New Orleans Film Society & Film Independent), Ron Najor (Director, “Adjunct”; Producer, “Lucky Lu”), Toks Olagundoye (Actor, “Frasier”), Sav Rodgers (Director, “Chasing Chasing Amy”; Founder, Transgender Film Center), Brittany Shyne (Director, “Seeds”) & Joi Tribble (Shorts Program Director, Sidewalk Film Festival).
PANELS / EVENTS
Stories We Share: Building Community Through Film with Left Behind
Thursday, June 18 at 1:30 p.m. / Bentonville Public Library
Bentonville Film Festival is honored to be partnering with Bentonville Public Library for the inaugural event of our new BFF program: Stories We Share: Building Community Through Film. This panel discussion will explore dyslexia in the classroom and the film Left Behind, the inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to found the first public school for students with dyslexia in New York City—the largest school district in America.
- Moderator: Erica Hill, CNN
- Panelists: Filmmaker Anna Toomey, Educational Justice Advocate Kareem Weaver
If She Can See It, She Can Be It Panel
Friday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. / Fermentation Hall at The Momentary
An engaging panel discussion featuring a diverse group who are shaping the landscape of women-led content. This annual event offers thoughtful insights into the creative and strategic efforts behind some of today’s most impactful projects and explores the ongoing work to advance gender representation in media.
- Moderator: Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO, GDI
- Panelists: actor Toks Olagundoye (Frasier), actor Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), actor Alexandra Shipp (Barbie) and actor Sally Struthers (All in the Family).
STEAM Symposium
Wednesday, June 17, 9:00 a.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
A dynamic program designed to explore the integration of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics in modern filmmaking. With an emphasis on education, innovation, and inclusion, the Symposium will bring together students, educators, creators, and technologists for a day of hands-on learning and meaningful discussion.
Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch Roundtable
Saturday, June 20, 12:30 p.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch program returns to the Bentonville Film Festival, who are proud to welcome the notable up-and-coming film producers recognized on the 2026 annual impact list to this roundtable discussion, moderated by Variety’s Carole Horst.
Pet Film Fest by WUF Word
Friday, June 19, 9:30 a.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
Bringing together filmmakers, creators, brands, nonprofits, and animal lovers for an unforgettable day of powerful storytelling, emotional films, inspiring conversations, community experiences, and joyful moments centered around the human-animal bond. From moving adoption stories and uplifting short films to live conversations, pet-friendly activations, and the outdoor WUF Pet Expo, the festival is designed to celebrate the profound role animals play in our lives, relationships, wellbeing, and communities.
The Interactive Era: Content Commerce and Innovation Converge Panel
Thursday, June 18, 9:00 a.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
The panel will examine how interactive technology, AI-powered commerce, and creative IP are redefining consumer engagement — and what it takes for brands and retailers to compete in the era where content and purchase happen in the same moment.
- Moderator: Whitney Cook, Walmart
- Panelists: Ben Kaufman, Eko; Kim Rompilla, Crayola; Rachele Harmuth, CrunchLabs; Travis Hockersmith, VIZIO; Jeff Jenkins, Sam’s Club
From Screen to Shelf: The Entertainment Flywheel Panel
Thursday, June 18, 10:00 a.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
Content is the new storefront. When a show lands, the brands that win are the ones already on shelf — and the ones that get there are the ones who treated licensing, product, and retail as part of the creative strategy from day one.
- Moderator: Madeline Di Nonno
- Panelists: Joel Silverman, KidsKnowBest; Sabrina Wiewel, Crayola Studios; Michelle Vicary, Crown Media/Hallmark
Purchase Happens in One Place Panel
Thursday, June 18, 11:00 a.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
The retail landscape has fundamentally shifted. Consumers no longer separate discovery from decision — they see, they trust, they buy. This panel brings together the creators, platform innovators, and retail leaders at the center of this transformation, exploring how trusted voices and smart platforms are collapsing the purchase funnel into a single, seamless moment.
- Moderator: Leah Collins, Host of OWN’s Network Maxxed Out
- Panelists: Jennifer Maune (Semi-Finalist, MasterChef), Mary & Jon Pierre (Hosts, Awkward Rooms), Kate & Adam Ritter (Creators, Homekynd App)
Leading Through Uncertain Times Panel
Thursday, June 18, 12:00 p.m.. / Røde House at The Momentary
As 2025 presented many challenges including corporate downsizing, industry consolidation, economic fluctuations, global conflicts and the aggressive rise of AI, company culture is more important than ever! During these times, how do we keep employees engaged, motivated and most importantly minimize turnover.
- Moderator: Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President, Chief Inclusion Officer, NBCUniversal
- Panelists: Natalie Hite, Sam’s Club; Lela Davidson, Crystal Bridges
Beyond the Film: Marketing Your Way to the Big Screen
Wednesday, June 17, 1:30 p.m. / Røde House at The Momentary
Presented by Coca-Cola Refreshing Film in partnership with AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres
You’ve made the film – now how do you get people in seats? A dynamic conversation around independent distribution and key marketing essentials for building real momentum. From shaping campaigns that appeal to distributors to building your own voice and visibility as a filmmaker, this panel explores how storytelling off-screen can be just as powerful as what’s on it – opening doors, creating momentum, and moving your career forward.
- Panelist: Scott Landes, Director of Special Content at AMC
- Panelist: David Haywood, Senior VP of Food & Beverage, Cinemark Theatres
- 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films filmmakers
SPECIAL SCREENING
In Search of Love
(Director/Producer: Scott Steindorff; Producer: Dylan Russell)
Investigating the complexities of love, exploring the neuroscience behind the emotion, the enchantment of love, and the commitment necessary to maintain relationships.
Subjects: Shania Twain, Don Miguel Ruiz, Matthew Hussey
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.
