Geena Davis Launches Film Festival to Champion Women and Diversity

Oscar winner Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment have teamed to launch the Bentonville Film Festival, which is designed to champion women and diversity in film. The festival, which will take place from May 5-9 in Bentonville, Arkansas, will be the first and only film competition in the world to offer guaranteed theatrical, television, digital and retail home entertainment distribution for its winners.

BFF, which is being hosted by ARC Entertainment, Walmart, Coca-Cola and AMC Theatres, will be chaired by Davis and will screen approximately 75 films in competition, ranging from studio premieres to independent features and documentaries.

“It’s all coming together which is very exciting,” Davis told TheWrap. “I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

See photos: 40 Actresses Over 40 Who Are Still Conquering Hollywood (Photos)

The festival’s advisory board is comprised of entertainment industry leaders and artists including Angela Bassett, Bruce Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, Randy Jackson, Eva Longoria, Julianne Moore, Paula Patton, Natalie Portman, Nina Tassler and Shailene Woodley.

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While individual activities for each advisory board member will vary, they will include garnering support within the entertainment industry, leading mentorship activities, film selection input, festival jury participation, defining success metrics and measuring effectiveness of programs, and offering broad strategic counsel.

“It all started when my daughter was a toddler,” Davis said. “I didn’t intend to take it this far. At first, I was just going to bring it up in industry meetings. When I told people, ‘have you ever noticed how few female characters there are in TV and movies?’ it surprised me how nobody noticed. And that’s what made me decide to do some research. I discovered, for example, that only 17 percent of crowd scenes in film, live action and animation, are female. Also, no one realizes the ratio of male to female characters has been exactly the same since 1946.”

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Films that receive the Audience, Jury Selection and Best Family Film awards at the Bentonville Film Festival will receive a distribution agreement with a guaranteed traditional theatrical release on a minimum of 25 screens from AMC Theatres, which will also participate in the film submission and jury selection process.

Davis herself broke ground with her portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s hit show “Commander in Chief.”

“Studies showed that people who were familiar with the show were 68 percent more likely to vote for a female candidate for president which is very significant. It just proves the point that when people see something, it becomes normal. They get used to it,” she said.

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In addition to the film screenings, the Bentonville Film Festival will include a star-studded award show hosted by Davis and presented by Kraft Foods Group, multiple panel discussions with celebrities and industry leaders, and family film night events that will be free to the public and held in exciting non-traditional venues.

Following the debut of the event, the Bentonville Film Foundation will launch a year-round event calendar to promote women and minority filmmakers, artists, directors, and producers at colleges and universities around the country in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which is the official non-profit partner of the festival.

Film submissions for the festival will open on Jan. 15, 2015, with films accepted into competition being announced in March 2015.

A long-time advocate for women, Davis is the founder and chair of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount St. Mary’s College, the only research-based organization working with media and entertainment companies to engage, educate and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a diverse and inclusive range of female characters for entertainment targeting children 11-and-under.

“Kid’s television shows have the worst ratio of male to female characters on TV,” Davis said. “It’s shocking.”

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Davis was recently appointed Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT for the UN’s International Telecommunication Union. Davis is the chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women, and she’s also an official partner of UN Women, working toward their goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women worldwide.

“We are proud to be associated with this meaningful and groundbreaking initiative. Filmmaking has a measureable impact on society and culture as a whole. The Bentonville Film Festival’s goal is to build a research based, commercially viable platform which will support a full offering of creative endeavors for female and minority content creators representing their perspectives which can often be crowded out in larger, franchise film projects. The BFF is differentiated from other festivals in that it will benefit from the support of the world’s largest retailer and blue chip sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods and AMC Theatres. This support enables the BFF to offer groundbreaking, meaningful, and commercially viable prizes and capital to support film making that celebrate women and diversity,” said ARC Entertainment CEO Trevor Drinkwater.

“I am so very proud of our Global Initiatives supporting Women and Diversity. This Festival will give Walmart an opportunity to advance that initiative through our support of the film industry. We are also very proud of the town of Bentonville and look forward to ‘showing it off’ to the world,” added Stephen Quinn, CMO of Walmart.

40 Actresses in Their 40s Who Are Still Conquering Hollywood (Photos)

Celebrate the leading ladies of Hollywood who are still killing it in their 40s.
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Amy Adams (1974) Academy Award-nominated Amy Adams is best known for roles in Disney's "Enchanted" and "Arrival."
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Kerry Washington (1977) Kerry Washington broke out in films like "Ray" and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," but really came into her own on the small screen, picking up Emmy nominations for her work in Shonda Rhimes' "Scandal" and for playing Anita Hill in the HBO film "Confirmation." In 2020, she starred with Reese Witherspoon in "Little Fires Everywhere."
Zoe Saldana (1978) Zoe Saldana is best known for starring in the science fiction franchises "Avatar," "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Star Trek."
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Reese Witherspoon (1976) A star since her teenage years, Witherspoon has expanded her profile with the Draper James fashion and home line as well as producing projects (that she often also acts in) such as "Wild" and HBO's "Big Little Lies."
Jennifer Hudson (1981)
The "Dreamgirls" star became the 17th entertainer to earn the rare EGOT honor — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — in 2022 for producing the play "A Strange Loop."
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Rose Byrne (1979) The Australian actress can do drama (the series "Damages") or comedy ("Bridesmaids," "Neighbors" and "Physical"). In 2020, she even played Gloria Steinem in the limited series "Mrs. America."
Angelina Jolie (1975) Academy Award-winning Angelina Jolie has starred in "Girl, Interrupted," "Maleficent" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." She has also written and directed several films, including "Unbroken" and "First They Killed My Father."
Eva Longoria (1975) Besides starring on "The Young and the Restless" and "Desperate Housewives," Eva Longoria launched her own production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, in 2016.
Penélope Cruz (1974) The Oscar-winning actress has graced screens in films such as "Belle Époque," "Sahara," and "Murder on the Orient Express." She received her fourth Oscar nomination for her role in 2021's "Parallel Mothers."
Jessica Alba (1981) As a Golden Globe nominated actress, Alba has tackled everything from "Fantastic Four" to "Sin City" to "LA's Finest."
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Jessica Chastain (1977) Jessica Chastain, who won the Best Actress Oscar for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (and nabbed previous nominations for "Help" and "Zero Dark Thirty," made her film debut in 2008's "Jolene" and has gone on to star in "Miss Sloane," "Molly's Game" and "IT: Chapter Two."
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Stephanie Beatriz (1981) Her debut as Detective Rosa Diaz in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" earned Beatriz the role of Carla in the hit musical film "In the Heights."
Charlize Theron (1975) From "Mad Max: Fury Road" to "Long Shot," this Academy Award-winning actress can do it all.
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Natalie Portman (1981) The "V for Vendetta" star received an Academy Award for her performance in "Black Swan." She also starred as Jane Foster in "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World," and hoists the hammer herself in "Thor: Love and Thunder."
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Sutton Foster (1975) After winning two Tony awards for her work on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster broke into Hollywood through her leading debut in "Younger."
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Kate Hudson (1979) After her Golden Globe winning performance in "Almost Famous," the actress and Fabletics founder has starred in "Bride Wars," "Music" and Rian Johnson's "Glass Onion."
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Alicia Silverstone (1976) The "Clueless" star has also starred in "Batman & Robin" and "Miss Match," along with publishing two vegan cookbooks.
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Michelle Williams (1980) The "Dawson's Creek" actress has starred in "Brokeback Mountain," "The Greatest Showman" and "My Week with Marilyn." She's been nominated for four Oscars and won an Emmy for playing dancer Gwen Verdon in "Fosse/Verdon."
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Bryce Dallas Howard (1981) Besides costarring in the massive "Jurassic World" films, she has also directed episodes of "The Manadalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." She is also making her directorial feature film debut with "The Flight of the Navigator."
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Amy Schumer (1980) Comedian Amy Schumer is best known for her roles in "Trainwreck," "I Feel Pretty," and "Snatched," and co-hosting the 2022 Oscars.
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Uzo Aduba (1981) Best known for her Emmy-winning role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on "Orange Is the New Black," Aduba also won an Emmy for playing Shirley Chisholm in "Mrs. America." SHe currently stars in the HBO drama "In Treatment."
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Chrissy Metz (1980) For her role as Kate in "This Is Us," Chrissy Metz has earned nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy.
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Carrie Coon (1981) Carrie Coon is best known for "Gone Girl," "The Leftovers," "The Gilded Age," and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
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Isla Fisher (1976) The Australian actress, who broke out in "The Wedding Crashers," stars in and executive produces the Peacock series "Wolf Like Me."
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Kirsten Dunst (1982) The star of "Bring It On," "Spider-Man" and several Sofia Coppola films was finally nominated for an Oscar for her performance in "The Power of the Dog." In 2016, she received an Emmy nomination for her role on "Fargo."
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Kate Winslet (1975) The Oscar-winning "Titanic" star earned two Emmys (for the HBO mini-series "Mildred Pierece" and, more recently, for her her role as a dogged smalltown detective in 2021's "Mare of Easttown"). She's been nominated for seven Oscars.
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Rebel Wilson (1980) The Australian actress is best known for "Pitch Perfect," "How to Be Single," and her leading roles in "Isn't It Romantic" and "Senior Year."
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Constance Wu (1982) The star of "Crazy Rich Asians" and ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers."
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Tiffany Haddish (1979) The comedic star of "Girls Trip," "Tuca & Bertie" and "The Afterparty" has also proven herself adept at drama in films like Paul Schrader's "The Card Counter."
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Christina Ricci (1980) The former child star who made her mark in the '90s with "The Addams Family" and "Now and Then" went on to costar in "Monster," "The Matrix Resurrections" and earned an Emmy nomination for her 2006 guest turn on "Grey's Anatomy." And she terrifies us, in the best way possible, as Misty on "Yellowjackets."
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Melanie Lynskey (1977) Between "Yellowjackets" and "Candy," this New Zealand actress is killing it. It's about time the "Heavenly Creatures" star got the acclaim she deserves.
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Rebecca Hall (1982) This British actress, who we loved in "The Town" and "The Night House" and topped critics' lists with her harrowing performance in 2016's "Christine," made her directorial debut in 2021 with the acclaimed period drama "Passing."
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Ruth Negga (1982) The Ethiopian-born Irish actress was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and won an Independent Spirit Award for her role in "Loving," and received universal praise — and a BAFTA nomination — for her performance opposite Tessa Thompson in 2021's "Passing."
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Keri Russell (1976) The former "Felicity" star made a very convincing spy on "The Americans," which earned her three Emmy nominations. She also costarred in the films "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
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Jenny Slate (1982) The actress co-created, wrote and produced the children's short film and book series "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On," which became an A24 feature film. She also charmed us in "Gifted" with Chris Evans and "I Want You Back," and won numerous critics awards for her lead role in 2014's "Obvious Child."
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Natasha Lyonne (1979) The "American Pie" star scored a hit with the Netflix series "Russian Doll," which she co-created with Amy Poehler. She is also the showrunner.
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Maggie Gyllenhaal (1977) After receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the 2009 film "Crazy Heart, in 2021 she made her directorial film debut with "The Lost Daughter," which earned Oscar nominations for her screenplay, as well as acting nods for stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
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Rosario Dawson (1979) The actress who made her acting debut in the 1995 indie drama "Kids" has gone on to star in "Sin City" and five Marvel/Netflix series including "Daredevil." She's also set to star as Ahsoka Tano in the live-action Disney+ series, “Ahsoka.”
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Natsha Rothwell (1980)

The actress, who plays Kelli on HBO's "Insecure" was also nominated as a supervising producer on the series. Her other TV shows include "The White Lotus" and "Archer."
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