Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS: The 2019 Bentonville Film Festival announces Gala selections and Competition Titles
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) today announced its film lineup of gala selections and competition films with Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS, and Haroula Rose’s ONCE UPON A RIVER making their world premieres as Centerpiece Screening Selections.
BFF will kick off with a screening of Tom Donahue’s documentary THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING and a special presentation of the festival’s signature event, Geena and Friends.
Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS: The 2019 Bentonville Film Festival announces Gala selections
Taking place May 7-11 in Bentonville, Arkansas, BFF is a one of a kind annual event that will celebrate 5-years of elevating diverse voices in all facets entertainment and media in partnership with founding sponsor Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola.
BFF co-founder Geena Davis, said, “This year’s lineup of films truly exemplifies our mission and we are thrilled to highlight the work of female filmmakers, people of color, LGBTQ+, filmmakers, talent with disabilities and more — in other words, everyone. Connecting those filmmakers with audiences, providing a platform for them to tell their stories, and offering opportunities for each one of us to see a reflection of ourselves onscreen is such an essential step to help them build their careers and ensure that we can all see entertainment options that match the diversity we see in our day-to-day lives.”
Based on the best-selling novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell, Rose’s ONCE UPON A RIVER was described as “one of the most anticipated films of 2019” by Filmmaker Magazine.
The film is a tale of redemption involving love and loss for a young woman who embarks on a life-changing personal odyssey along the Stark River. Cast members attending the world premiere screening with Haroula Rose, will include Kenadi DelaCerna, John Ashton, Tatanka Means, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Coburn Goss, Sam Straley, Arie Thompson, and Evan Linder.
Joining Rose’s ONCE UPON A RIVER in the Narrative Feature Competition will be Cold Iron Pictures’ Miranda Bailey’s BEING FRANK. The producer behind notable films like THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, SWISS ARMY MAN, and DON’T THINK TWICE takes the director’s reins on this one. Emily Ting’s sophomore narrative directorial effort GO BACK TO CHINA, following her successful debut ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG (2015); and two films that recently debuted at SXSW – festival alum Jeremy Teicher’s OLYMPIC DREAMS (Teicher previously attended BFF with his film TRACKDOWN in 2015), and Alex Johnson’s SAINT FRANCES also are in the mix.
Screenings in addition to Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival
Additional films in the narrative feature competition this year include: Tom Quinn’s COLEWELL; Flavio Alves’s THE GARDEN LEFT BEHIND; Miranda de Pencier’s THE GRIZZLIES; Amber McGinnis’s INTERNATIONAL FALLS; Gregory Dixon’s OLYMPIA; Ani Simon-Kennedy’s THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD; Sara Zandieh’s SIMPLE WEDDING; Tchaiko Omawale’s SOLACE; Jose Daniel Freixas’s VANDAL; and Diane Paragas’ YELLOW ROSE.
The Documentary Feature Competition is led by Jaqueline Olive’s ALWAYS IN SEASON, and Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan’s PAHOKEE – both of which won critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance FF, Rebecca Stern’s WELL GROOMED, which premiered at SXSW, as well as the world premiere of Katen Day’s BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE, featuring narration by George Takai.
Rounding out the Documentary Competition are; Fernando Villena’s ANY ONE OF US; Julie Getz’s CARE TO LAUGH; Amy Goldstein’s KATE NASH: UNDERESTIMATE THE GIRL; Fanny Veliz’s OUR QUINCEANERA; Katie Galloway and Dawn Valdez’s THE PUSHOUTS; Carl Lindstrom’s QUEEN OF PARADIS; Linda Midgett’s SAME GOD; April Wright’s STUNTWOMEN; Leana Hosea’s THIRST FOR JUSTICE; and Linda Goldstein Knowlton’s WE ARE RADICAL MONARCHS.
Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS will screen at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival
Once again, BFF will offer guaranteed distribution to its narrative feature film winner. BFF’s distribution partners include AMC Theatres, Lifetime, Starz, ACI-Inspires and others.
The winner of the Documentary Film Competition will receive a mentorship prize package sponsored by ITVS, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that has, for over 25 years, funded and partnered with a diverse range of documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories.
Co-founded by Oscar® winner Geena Davis and Inclusion Companies CEO Trevor Drinkwater, with support from founding sponsor Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, BFF and its partners champion inclusion across all forms of media. Major Unilever, Universal, AMC Theaters, Sony, MARS and Cox Communications.
For additional programming and talent updates, ticketing information, or general information about the Bentonville Film Festival, please visit http://bentonvillefilmfestival.com.
The 2019 Bentonville Film Festival official competition selections:
OPENING NIGHT SPECIAL SCREENING
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Director: Tom Donahue
Country: USA, Running Time: 97 min
In this timely follow-up to his documentary CASTING BY, Tom Donahue explores the insidious and systemic sexism in Hollywood through the voices of marquee celebrities, including Geena Davis, Meryl Streep, Sandra Oh, Jessica Chastain, and many other ambassadors of the #TimesUp movement.
CENTERPIECE SCREENING SELECTION
CAROL OF THE BELLS WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Joey Travolta
Country: USA, Running Time:
A young man with a troubled past seeks out his biological mother. However, his world is turned upside down upon discovering that she is developmentally disabled. Unable to work through this new discovery on his own, the man’s wife takes matters into his own hands forcing her husband to face the truth and heal the past.
CENTERPIECE SCREENING SELECTION
ONCE UPON A RIVER WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Haroula Rose
Country: USA, Running Time: 95 min
In 1978 rural Michigan, Native American teen Margo Crane’s actions tragically result in her father’s murder, sending her on the run.
SPOTLIGHT SELECTIONS
BRIAN BANKS
Director: Tom Shadyac
Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min
An All-American football player’s dreams to play in the NFL are halted when he is falsely accused of rape and sent to prison.
FREAK SHOW
Director: Trudie Styler
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
Film follows the story of teenager Billy Bloom who, despite attending an ultra conservative high school, makes the decision to run for homecoming queen.
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE
Director: Stacie Passon
Country; USA, Running Time: 90 min
Merricat, Constance and their Uncle Julian live in isolation after experiencing a family tragedy six years earlier. When cousin Charles arrives to steal the family fortune, he also threatens a dark secret they’ve been hiding.
WILD ROSE
Director: Tom Harper
Countries: UK/USA, Running Time: 100 min
A musician from Glasgow dreams of becoming a Nashville star.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
BEING FRANK
Director: Miranda Bailey
Country: USA, Running Time: 110 min
A seventeen-year-old boy blackmails his father after discovering his secret second family.
COLEWELL
Director: Tom Quinn
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
For thirty-five years, Nora has been the postmaster of Colewell, Penn. When Nora receives word that her office will be closed, she must decide whether to relocate and take a new job or face retirement in Colewell.
THE GARDEN LEFT BEHIND
Director: Flavio Alves
Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min
Tina, a young transwoman, and Eliana, her grandmother, as they navigate Tina’s transition and struggle to build a life for themselves as undocumented immigrants in New York City.
GO BACK TO CHINA
Director: Emily Ting
Countries: USA/China, Running Time: 95 min
After a spoiled rich girl blows through half of her trust fund, she is cut off by her father and forced to go back to China and work for the family toy business.
THE GRIZZLIES
Director: Miranda de Pencier
Country: Canada, Running Time: 104 min
In this inspiring true story, a group of Inuit students in a small, struggling Arctic community are changed forever through the transformative power of sport.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS
Director: Amber McGinnis
Country: USA, Running Time: 92 min
A burned out touring comedian and a local mom who dreams of a career in stand up, become unlikely friends.
OLYMPIA
Director: Gregory Dixon
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
Black artist turning 30 is dealing with her relationship, her ailing mother, and her career aspirations.
OLYMPIC DREAMS
Director: Jeremy Teichner
Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min
In the Olympic Athlete Village, a young cross-country skier bonds with a volunteer doctor after a disappointing finish in her competition.
SAINT FRANCES
Director: Alex Johnson
Country: USA, Running Time: 102 min
A coming-of-age dramedy about a young girl and her thirty-something nanny over the course of an eventful summer.
THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD
Director: Ani Simon-Kennedy
Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min
Teenage Nola grew up living out of a van with her beloved father Clint, two nomads against the world. When tragedy strikes, Nola is confronted by the reality that life as an outsider may not be her only choice.
SIMPLE WEDDING
Director: Sara Zandieh
Country: USA, Running Time: 86 min
A young Iranian-American woman goes to great lengths to appease her parents and their need to see her settled down.
SOLACE
Director: Tchaiko Omawale
Country: USA, Running time: 87 min
A black teenage girl moves in with her grandmother and works to get an art fellowship so she can move home, while also dealing with her eating disorder.
VANDAL
Director: Jose Daniel Freixas
Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min
The young leader of a legendary Miami graffiti crew comes of age while battling a longtime rival.
YELLOW ROSE
Director: Diane Paragas
Country: USA, Running Time: 107 min
A headstrong undocumented Filipino girl’s secret dreams of being a country musician are shattered when she witnesses her mother getting picked up by Immigration Authorities in their small Texas town.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
ALWAYS IN SEASON
Director: Jaqueline Olive
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins while the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.
ANY ONE OF US
Director: Fernando Villena
Country: USA, Running Time: 86 min
Through the inspiring journey of a recovering athlete, ANY ONE OF US offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world of spinal cord injuries.
BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Katen Day
Countries: USA/Japan, Running Time: 91 min
BAMBOO AND BARBED WIRE focuses on stories of Japanese-Americans interned at MINIDOKA, interviewing remaining survivors, their families and bringing to life their personal sacrifices, losses and grace under pressure.
CARE TO LAUGH
Director: Julie Getz
Country: USA, Running Time: 77 min
The film profiles stand up comic, Jesus Trejo, who balances his comedy career while taking care of his parents. However, dual medical crises forces a major change in his approach to both his career and life in general. Like all comics, he uses adversity and his life experience as material for his routine.
KATE NASH: UNDERESTIMATE THE GIRL
Director: Amy Goldstein
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
Kate Nash, punk renegade, TV wrestling queen, and DIY leader of an all-girl band forgoes money and fame to speak out about gender inequality in the music business and to embolden other young women to find their voice.
OUR QUINCEANERA
Director: Fanny Veliz
Country: USA, Running time: 75 min
Through the power of community, young Latinas discover that any dream or aspiration is achievable.
PAHOKEE
Directors: Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan
Country: USA, Running Time: 112 min
Following four youth at a small Florida high school who are ascending heartbreak and relishing in the joyous senior year rituals and rites of passage that serve as their send-off from home.
THE PUSHOUTS
Directors: Katie Galloway, Dawn Valdez
Country: USA, Running Time: 55 min
Following a former gang member (now teacher), THE PUSHOUTS asks crucial questions of race, class, and power – exploring the promise and perils of education – at a particularly urgent time.
QUEEN OF PARADIS
Director: Carl Lindstrom
Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min
After the success of artist Reine Paradis’ breakout photo series ‘Jungle’, filmmaker Carl Lindstrom follows her on a surreal journey across the United States as she works to complete her highly anticipated second series ‘Midnight’.
SAME GOD
Director: Linda Midgett
Country: USA, Running Time: 95 min
A Christian professor at an evangelical college’s social media support of Muslim women sets off controversy.
STUNTWOMEN
Director: April Wright
Country: USA, Running time: 85 min
An action-documentary about the evolution of stunt women from THE PERILS OF PAULINE (1914) and beyond.
THIRST FOR JUSTICE
Director: Leana Hosea
Country: USA, Running Time: 65 min
In the Spring of 2015, residents in Flint, Michigan and Sanders, Arizona proved, despite official denial, that their water was dangerously contaminated. Now, Janene from the Navajo, African-American Flint activist Nayyirah, and blue-collar stay-at-home mom Christina are leading the fight for clean water. When they meet in Standing Rock at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, it sparks a realization that not only are the stakes nationwide, but the very future of democracy is threatened.
WE ARE RADICAL MONARCHS
Director: Linda Goldstein Knowlton
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
WE ARE RADICAL MONARCHS focuses on Oakland-based alternative to the Girl Scouts – specifically for girls of color, ages 8-13. The girls earn badges for units on social justice, such as Black Lives Matter, Radical Beauty, Disability Justice, and being an LGBTQ ally.
Joey Travolta CAROL OF THE BELLS at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival
WELL GROOMED
Director: Rebecca Stern
Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min
A year immersed in the visually stunning and humorous world of competitive creative dog groomers reveals that, no matter where or how, an innate passion for creative expression is universal.
FAMILY FILMS COMPETITION
EMMETT
Director: Bridget Stokes
Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min
Emmett, a 12-year-old black child prodigy, teams up with his eccentric SAT tutor to solve a crime and keep his family from splitting up.
REVIVAL!
Director: Danny Green
Country: USA, Running Time: 102 min
REVIVAL is hybrid of every film idiom: Broadway musical, Hollywood musical, animation, green screen technology, and sound stage. Revival is the hippest experience of The Gospel the world has yet seen.
Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival
SWEET INSPIRATIONS
Director: Brittany Yost
Country: USA, Running Time: 100 min
Four middle-aged ladies discover purpose when they launch a unique fundraising effort to save a local women’s shelter from imminent foreclosure.
THE WORLD WE MAKE
Director: Brian Baugh
Country: USA, Running Time: 109 min
18-year-old Lee (a spirited equestrian) and Jordan (an academic and football standout) are at the threshold of building a life together. But their character is tested when racial bias surfaces in their otherwise progressive small town.
Joey Travolta’s CAROL OF THE BELLS: The 2019 Bentonville Film Festival announces Gala selections and Competition Titles