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DECEMBER 25-31, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 5 Still Growing Strong Bentonville Film Fest focuses on 'underrepresented' Editor's Note: As we do every year, the What's Up! staff looked back to see what arts stories we published in 2022 that we expect will have a lasting impact on the culture of our community in 2023. This one was co-written by April Wallace and Monica Hooper and published July 3. APRIL WALLACE and MONICA HOOPER NWA Democrat-Gazette T he eighth Bentonville Film Festival, which champions underrepresented storytellers on and off screen, was an epicenter of activity after two years of operating at understated levels due to the pandemic. This year its events and screenings were well attended, some even sold out. The first week of activity offered lots of in-person events and locations where audiences could see actors, filmmakers and industry experts face to face, while the second week had continued virtual programming. REEL MAGIC MORNINGS Each weekday of the festival began with a celebrity coffee chat in the morning at Thaden School in Bentonville. Audiences were invited to listen to Hollywood insiders talk about what they do best, what they care about and about being in the public eye. The first of these events began with a discussion among KUAF's Kyle Kellams and Dave and Jenny Marrs of HGTV's "Fixer to Fabulous." They talked about what makes their show resonate with other families around the country and the behind-the-scenes work, as well as what it's like to raise a big family and live in Arkansas. Author and activist Virgie Tovar, one of the nation's leading experts on weight-based discrimination and body image, spoke about fat phobia, activism and embracing one's body with joy in the June 23 event with Magdalena Arroyo of the University of Arkansas Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Tovar said that despite around 70% of women being considered higher weight people, they are often treated as a minority within American culture. That means overweight women face discrimination in employment due to negative stereotypes and they are less likely to experience comprehensive preventative medical care because doctors are fixated on their weight. "From Bronx to Bentonville," the final Reel Magic chat of the week, was with Sonia Manzano, who portrayed Maria on Sesame Street for 44 years, and the other creators of "Alma's Way." They crafted the new PBS Kids series to give children confidence in their own brain power, and to focus on inclusiveness and authentic representation in kids' media. Manzano told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette earlier that dreaming of being the same things that white children did seemed taboo at the time because she didn't see herself represented on screen. Some topical conversations among industry leaders also took place at the Meteor Guitar Gallery. GEENA AND FRIENDS Geena and Friends, perhaps the most popular of the Bentonville Film Festival events, took place at Thaden School Theater the evening of June 23 with a star-studded cast doing an hourlong variety of table reads from male-centric movies reimagined for an all-female cast. This year's event featured Geena Davis with Angela Sarafyan ("Westworld"), Brianne Howey ("The Exorcist"), Chelsea Javier ("Smile or Hug") and Ashlie Atkinson ("Gilded Age"). Together they re-created popular scenes from "The Godfather," "The Hangover," "Pets," "Stuber," "Spiderman" and "Central Intelligence." The five actresses performed after having worked together on them for only a day. Davis told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette shortly ahead of the event that she thought it would be "a really fun way to show people that most roles could be played by either men or women." The whole evening garnered laughs, both from the audience and the actresses. Davis concluded by saying that a lot of roles for TV and film could YEAR-END TOP 10 Bentonville Film Festival President Wendy Guerrero, "Where the Crawdads Sing" author Delia Owens, the film's producer Elizabeth Gabler, Academy Award winning actress Geena Davis and "Where the Crawdads Sing" film producer Olivia Newman pose for a picture before the film's extended preview screening during the Bentonville Film Festival. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace) See BFF Page 39