ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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bentonville film festival

Spotlight 

SPOTLIGHT July 2022: Geena Davis, Actor and Activist for Diversity in Cinema

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , , , ,

Geena Davis seeks challenges in the roles she plays—and challenges others to view women’s roles differently. She’s used her fame to draw attention to disparities in representation, especially in family entertainment, and she’s passionate about recognizing unconscious biases and breaking boundaries around gender, race, body image, and abilities. By measuring evidence of what we see on screen, her institute provides evidence of how well media represents us and the inspiration to do better.

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Reviews 

BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE – Review by April Neale

April Neale , , , , , ,

The internment of Japanese Americans in Idaho and other states during World War II is a dark part of our American history. Bamboo and Barbed Wire, a 2019 documentary by Karen Day, is having a renaissance of interest at the 2021 Bentonville Film Festival in large part due to the concern over the spiking Asian hate crimes and the afterburner legacy of the Trump Muslim ban.

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Interviews 

Karen Day on BAMBOO & BARBED WIRE, Idaho and Social Justice – April Neale interviews

April Neale , , , , , , , ,

Karen Day’s Bamboo and Barbed Wire is an all-American horror story. During World War II, the Minidoka internment camp, located just outside of Twin Falls, Idaho, became home to Japanese-American families ripped from their real homes on the West coast. Their story of sacrifice and this chronicling of the injustices they suffered is a solid call to action for concerned Americans who never want the past to repeat itself.

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Festivals 

Bentonville Film Fest and Coca-Cola Fund Female Filmmakers – Betsy Bozdech reports

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , , , ,

Bentonville Film Festival and the Coca-Cola Foundation are partnering to support female filmmakers with the brand-new “See It, Be It Filmmaker Fellowship.” The program is specifically intended to support filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities and is fully aligned with the BFF’s “Include” approach to diversifying film from the ground up.

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Festivals Interviews 

Bentonville FF: Karen Day on BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE -Betsy Bozdech interviews

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , , ,

Karen Day has done everything from war-zone reporting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, and more to co-authoring a book (Seal: The Unspoken Sacrifice) to raising four children. She turned her attention to feature filmmaking with 2014’s Girl from God’s Country — a documentary about pioneering female filmmaker Nell Shipman. Now, with Bamboo and Barbed Wire, she explores the parallels between Japanese American internment during World War II and our current political climate and attitude toward refugees

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Festivals Interviews 

Bentonville FF – Ani Simon-Kennedy and Kishori Rajan on THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD – Betsy Bozdech interviews

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , , , , , ,

Director Ani Simon-Kennedy — a veteran of commercial shoots and socially conscious projects — screened her second narrative feature, The Short History of the Long Road, at this year’s Bentonville Film Festival after premiering it at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. She has received support from the Sundance Institute, The Tribeca Film Institute, IFP, Film Independent, Chanel and AT&T. Accompanied by producer Kishori Rajan, Simon-Kennedy — who’s based in New York, where she and her producing partner Caitlin Yatsko run Bicephaly Pictures — talked to AWFJ about her film, a road movie starring Sabrina Carpenter and Danny Trejo, and female filmmakers.

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Festivals Interviews 

Bentonville FF: Dawn Valadez on THE PUSHOUTS – Betsy Bozdech interviews

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , , ,

As both a filmmaker and a social worker, Dawn Valadez has spent her career focusing on the experiences of young people of color. Those experiences are front and center in The Pushouts, which looks at how the system fails so many at-risk kids — but celebrates the mentors and decisions that can help disrupt the cycle. Valadez, who co-directed and produced the film was at the 5th annual Bentonville Film Festival to screen The Pushouts and talk about its mission of social justice.

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Festivals Interviews 

Bentonville FF: Amber McGinnis on INTERNATIONAL FALLS – Betsy Bozdech interviews

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , ,

Amber McGinnis’ feature film directing debut is International Falls, which stars Rachael Harris as a dissatisfied Minnesota woman who finds her way to stand-up comedy. The film is part of the line-up at this year’s Bentonville Film Festival, which McGinnis is attending with her 3-month-old daughter.

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Festivals Interviews 

Bentonville FF: Rebecca Stern on WELL GROOMED – Betsy Bozdech interviews

Betsy Bozdech 0 Comments , , ,

Rebecca Stern makes her feature directing debut with Well Groomed at the 5th annual Bentonville Film Festival. Chronicling a year in the life of competitive dog groomers, the upbeat film is a joyous romp through a world you might have not seen before. And it’s really about dogs and passion and art and enjoying oneself in hobbies and your environment. It’s sure to appeal to both canine lovers and fans of quirky subcultures.

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Festivals News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Bentonville Film Fest Honors Jamie Brewer – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell 0 Comments , ,

The Bentonville Film Festival will honor actor Jamie Brewer with the “See It, Be It” Award, which highlights a rising and influential voice in the landscape of diversity and inclusion in media. The American Horror Story actor will be honored for her unwavering commitment to representing and championing those with intellectual disabilities both on screen and off, ensuring media accurately reflects the real world.

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