Filmland 2026 Announces Films, Special Guests, and Panels for August fest in Little Rock
The Arkansas Cinema Society announced the highly anticipated film selections and events for Filmland (August 12-16). The Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight selection is Josh Loeb’s In Spite of Ourselves, Josephine Decker’s coming-of-age drama Chasing Summer is the Closing Night Selection, Joe Swanberg comes to Little Rock with his latest, The Sun Never Sets, and Judge Reinhold will headline a special 40th Anniversary screening of the Zucker brothers’ comedy classic Ruthless People. The Arkansas Cinema Society is proud to partner with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), which hosts all screenings, workshops, and panels.
The Tyson Family Foundation returns this year as Filmland’s Headline Presenting Sponsor, reinforcing its continued commitment to supporting the creative economy in Arkansas. “ACS and the Tyson Family Foundation have shared values and missions in the domain of cultivating and advancing the arts in Arkansas,” said John R. Tyson. “ACS is doing an excellent job of nurturing and curating the film industry so our state can bring in more jobs and be a cultural touchstone in the region. We are proud to continue our support of Filmland, one of the preeminent film festivals in the South.”
Previously announced, Matthew McConaughey will receive the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award. McConaughey will participate in a Q&A following a Premiere Presentation screening of Andrew Patterson’s The Rivals of Amziah King, as well as “A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey and Jeff Nichols.”
“As a proud partner of the Arkansas Cinema Society and Variety, we’re thrilled to welcome Filmland: Arkansas and Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey back to Little Rock, as well as introduce many others to our city,” said Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO Gina Gemberling. “Hosting an event of this caliber each year is always an exciting opportunity to showcase Arkansas’ capital city on a national stage while highlighting the vibrant arts and culture scene that continues to grow here,” she added. “Beyond celebrating great storytelling, Filmland continues to shine a spotlight on Little Rock as a premier film destination and reinforces the significant economic impact the film industry has here by attracting productions, creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and inspiring future investment. Collaborations like this continue to elevate our profile, attract new visitors, and provide a true sense of place.”
Also previously announced, the Filmland: Arkansas lineup will put the spotlight on 3 feature-length films, and 20 short film selections (19 narrative, 1 documentary). All screenings are in partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and will take place in the Performing Arts Theater. Panavision returns to Filmland: Arkansas, with the winners of the Professional Shorts and Feature Film Audience Awards each receiving a Panavision New Filmmaker Program Equipment Grant – $60,000 for the feature film Audience Award winner, and $15,000 for the short film Audience Award winner. The feature winners the past two years have each gone on to make films in Arkansas, with the help of the Panavision equipment grant. Also new this year, Audience Award winners in the Student Shorts category will receive a $500 cash prize.
There will also be an Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight screening of Gabe Mayhan’s latest film, Josh Loeb’s romantic comedy In Spite of Ourselves. The film follows a woman who falls into a whirlwind romance with an up-and-coming stand-up comedian who has a habit of avoiding commitment. When life pulls them to different cities, they must find a way to keep their relationship alive despite the distance, lingering doubts, and their own hilariously messy insecurities. Following the screening, composer Jim Fairchild, former lead guitarist of Modest Mouse, will join Loeb and Mayhan for a Q&A. Josephine Decker’s Chasing Summer closes the film festival on Sunday, August 16. The film stars Iliza Shlesinger as a woman who goes bac to her small Texas hometown after the double humiliation of being publicly dumped and losing her job. Once there, her friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. The film, which debuted at Sundance, also stars Tom Welling, Lola Tung, Garrett Wareing, Cassidy Freeman and Megan Mullally. Judge Reinhold will be the featured guest at a 40th Anniversary screening of the comedy classic Ruthless People. Reinhold will discuss behind-the-scenes stories of the making of the film as well as other beloved films from his career, like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Santa Clause.
Another Special Presentation feature film with Arkansas ties, is Mouse, Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s coming-of-age drama set in Little Rock. The film, which will be this year’s Hometown Heroine screening, follows an introverted high school senior named Minnie whose life is upended after her charismatic best friend Callie is suddenly removed from her life, leading Minnie into a complicated bond with Callie’s elegant and attentive mother, starting to distance her from her own working-class mom. The film stars Sophie Okonedo, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Chloe Coleman, Tara Mallen, Iman Vellani, and David Hyde Pierce. Joe Swanberg’s The Sun Never Sets marks indie-stalwart Swanberg’s return to the director’s chair after six years. The film stars Dakota Fanning as a woman whose relationship with her boyfriend hits a rough patch just as her ex reappears in her life leading to messy entanglements in the Alaskan wilderness. The film debuted at SXSW, and also stars Jake Johnson, and Cory Michael Smith. Swanberg will be in attendance. Michael Russell Gunn’s historical drama The Brink of War stars Jeff Daniels as Ronald Reagan and Jared Harris as Mikhail Gorbachev as it dramatizes the chess match negotiations between the two leaders. Reagan worked to salvage a deal with Gorbachev which would dismantle nuclear arsenals, or if it failed, would potentially invite a war between the two super powers.
Regarding the previously announced Filmland: Arkansas film selections and the film festival’s dynamic lineup of workshops and panels. ACS Executive Director Kathryn Tucker said, “We’re incredibly proud of this year’s Filmland lineup. Once again, we’re bringing together filmmakers whose films have premiered and won awards at festivals like Sundance and SXSW, while also celebrating outstanding Arkansas storytellers through our Filmland: Arkansas feature and short film selections. From special homecoming screenings like Mouse to a new cash prize for the Pitch Contest, continued partnership with Variety, and the return of Peter Debruge alongside Matthew McConaughey and so many other remarkable guests, this year’s festival is especially exciting. Just as important, our workshops, conversations, and legislative panel on expanding film incentives with Arkansas legislators reflect our commitment to growing the film industry here at home. We’re so grateful to our sponsors and partners for making it possible to bring all of this talent, inspiration, and opportunity together for our audience at AMFA.”
The three Filmland: Arkansas feature films include Princeton James’ high-tension drama Hoop Street about a hot-headed Memphis street baller who must battle his inner demons as he desperately pushes himself to earn a spot on a summer league team. Getting on that team and showing what he can do just might be his last shot at getting a college scholarship. Ben Harrison’s thriller The Robbery, developed from Harrison’s successful short, follows a trio of thieves and their videographer as they hide out in an antique store, following a botched robbery attempt. Unfortunately, they aren’t alone, and the demonic spirit they’ve inadvertently awakened is looking for a new body to wreak havoc with. E. Vincent Martinez’ documentary Iron Pearls explores the life and career of acclaimed blacksmith and sculptor Elizabeth Brim. Brim’s signature trademark of wearing a string of pearls while in her iron studio is front and center, as she uses compressed air to inflate steel, and confronts themes of Southern upbringing and gender identity in the film.
Filmland: Arkansas’ short film selections are offered in three themed programs. Professional Shorts: Mosaic shows the different ways in which people exist, celebrating cultures, languages, and perspectives, while also finding beauty in the day to day. Professional Shorts: Not of this World highlights fantasy, sci-fi, and horror elements in terms of genre. Student Shorts: New Voices features films from students ranging from 7th grade to college seniors.
Filmland’s impressive lineup of filmmaker panels and conversations on film include; “Composing for Cinema: A Deep Dive” with Josh Loeb (In Spite of Ourselves) and Jim Fairchild (Modest Mouse), “How to Shape Your Film with Sound Design” with Beso Kacharava & Tina Babakishvili, “Film History, Cold War” with Michael Gunn (The Brink of War) & Dr. Christian Ostermann, and “Film Incentive Roundtable”, with Sen. Clarke Tucker, Sen. Jonathan Dismang, & Rep. Tippi McCullough.
After a successful debut last summer, the Filmland: Arkansas Short Film Pitch Contest will return in 2026, offering Arkansas filmmakers a shot at bringing their short film to life. Selected contestants will have two minutes to pitch their short-film concepts to a panel of industry professionals. Winners will receive a generous Lighting and Grip Equipment Grant from Film Gear Rentals to produce their project, and a guaranteed premiere screening at Filmland 2027. Plus, this year’s winner will receive an additional $5,000 Cash Prize to help bring their pitch to life. This dynamic competition is another spotlight on Arkansas’s growing film community that Filmland provides while providing crucial resources to talented local storytellers. Applications are now open. Submissions are due by July 31, 2026.
Tickets for Filmland are on sale now. For more information on Filmland and the Arkansas Cinema Society, please go to: filmland.org.
Filmland is made possible by ACS Headline Presenting Sponsor: the Tyson Family Foundation; Premiere Presenting Sponsor: the Rahman Family Fund; Presenting Sponsor: Saracen Casino Resort; McKibbon Hospitality, Jeff & Tamra Davis, Mary Olive & John Stephens; Workshop Sponsor: the Windgate Foundation; Marketing Partner: Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; Industry Partner: Panavision; Media Partner: Variety; and Youth Education Partner: City of Little Rock.
2026 Filmland Official Selections
Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight
In Spite of Ourselves
Directed by: Josh Loeb
Country: USA, Running Time: 97 min
Love comes easy — relationships don’t. When Hannah, a warm and determined Portland, Oregon baker, crosses paths with Archie, an up-and-coming LA comedian with a habit of dodging commitment, their instant chemistry sparks a whirlwind romance neither expected. But after two blissful weeks together, real life pulls them back to separate cities, forcing them to confront distance, doubts, and their own hilariously messy insecurities. Heartfelt, funny, and deeply relatable, In Spite of Ourselves follows two imperfect people trying to figure out whether they can move past their fears — and give love a real chance.
Premiere Presentation
The Rivals of Amziah King
Directed by: Andrew Patterson
Country: USA, Running Time: 131 min
The Rivals of Amziah King follows a charismatic beekeeper in rural Oklahoma who reconnects with his estranged foster daughter, only to face ruthless sabotage and threats within the local honey-making business.
Special 40th Anniversary Presentation
Ruthless People (1986)
Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min
Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) hates his wife, Barbara (Bette Midler), so much that he wants her dead. He’s ecstatic when she’s taken by a duo of kidnappers who want $500,000 ransom in exchange for her life. Fully intending to ignore every one of the kidnappers’ demands in the hopes that they do him a favor and murder her for him, the two confused kidnappers (Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater) have to figure out how they’re going to get their money, and what they’re going to do with the overbearing Barbara.
Hometown Heroine Special Presentation
Mouse
Directed by: Alex Thompson, Kelly O’Sullivan
Country: USA, Running Time: 120 min
Set in 2002, Mouse follows an introverted high school senior named Minnie who navigates life, loss, and identity after her dynamic best friend Callie is suddenly removed from her life, leading Minnie into a complicated bond with Callie’s mother.
Closing Night Selection
Chasing Summer
Directed by: Josephine Decker
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
In Chasing Summer, a 40-something disaster relief worker named Jamie (Iliza Shlesinger) retreats to her small Texas hometown after being publicly dumped and losing her job. Staying with her parents, she is forced to confront unresolved high school trauma and past rumors while sparking an unexpected fling with a younger local man.
Additional Curated Screenings
The Brink of War
Directed by: Michael Russell Gunn
Country: USA, Running Time: 117 min
President Reagan races against time to salvage a deal with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that could dismantle nuclear arsenals – or ignite disaster. With pressure mounting on all sides, every word spoken brings the world closer to peace or destruction.
The Sun Never Sets
Directed by: Joe Swanberg
Country: USA, Running Time: 102 min
The Sun Never Sets follows Wendy (Dakota Fanning), an Alaskan construction manager whose stable relationship with her older, divorced boyfriend Jack (Jake Johnson) is upended when Jack suddenly asks for a break so she can evaluate what she wants. During this separation, Wendy unexpectedly reconnects with her volatile ex Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), triggering a messy and confusing romantic triangle that forces all three to confront hard truths about timing, commitment, and personal growth.
Filmland: Arkansas Selections
Features
Hoop Street
Directed by: Princeton James
Country: United States, Runtime: 1:30:56 min
Barred from his high school basketball team due to his temper, a hot-headed Memphis street baller battles demons from his past and present as he works to earn a spot on a summer league team and his last shot at a college scholarship.
Iron Pearls
Directed by: E. Vincent Martinez
Country: United States, Runtime: 55 min
A woman, a forge, and a string of pearls: Elizabeth Brim forges art that challenges tradition and redefines strength.
The Robbery
Directed by: Ben Harrison
Country: United States, Runtime: 1:10:55 min
After an armed robbery goes bad, three idiot thieves and their videographer attempt to hide out overnight in an antique store, only to accidentally awaken a demonic spirit that is desperate for a new body to wreak havoc with.
Professional Shorts: Mosaic
Anniversary Roulette
Directed by: Molly Wheat
Country: United States, Runtime: 12:10 min
After being betrayed by her partner, an indecisive small-town cop must fight to save her wife on their wedding anniversary.
Cracks & Light: An Open Door
Directed by: Naronica Shaw
Country: United States, Runtime: 14:03 min
A woman whose identity has been built around caring for others and people-pleasing is forced to focus on her own healing after a mental breakdown, uncovering generations of self-sacrifice and boundaryless living that nearly destroyed her.
I Love You This Much
Directed by: Raeden Greer
Country: United States, Runtime: 11:08 min
Suddenly thrust into the role of primary caregiver for her disabled father, a woman makes a life-altering decision to honor his wishes.
Last Clinic in Arkansas
Directed by: Phillip Davis
Country: United States, Runtime: 20:33 min
The Last Clinic in Arkansas is about more than a building – It’s about the staff and volunteers at the heart of the reproductive rights movement in Arkansas. Three years after Roe v Wade was overturned, the members of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network are undeterred. By offering free contraceptives, STI testing and funding out of state travel, they continue to offer services despite Arkansas’ ban.
Noriko
Directed by: CJ Mirch
Country: United States, Runtime: 14:38 min
A Japanese student is comforted by a bartender following news of a tragedy back home.
Old Man at the Bar
Directed by: Alexander Jeffery
Country: United States, Runtime: 11:30 min
Two French waiters closing up for the night have their routine upended by a mysterious old man who may have shown up for more than just a late night drink.
Will I Dance Again?
Directed by: Princella Smith
Country: United States, Runtime: 16:23 min
The Oklahoma City Bombing took her mother, her children, and her leg. It couldn’t take her fight.
Professional Shorts Block: Not of this World
Critical Hit
Directed by: Levi Smith
Country: United States, Runtime: 21 min
When a teen brings his younger brother to his first session of D&D, everyone is shocked by the boy’s ability to get natural 20’s every time he rolls the dice.
Eyes in the Dark
Directed by: Avrey Tyler Della Rosa
Country: United States, Runtime: 6:08 min
Burdened by guilt, Edmund is forced to decide his fate when confronted by a mysterious figure known as Red Eyes.
Hivemind Deluxe
Directed by: Chris Alan Evans
Country: United States, Runtime: 10:04 min
On her birthday, a disillusioned woman gets dragged to a cosmic meditation circle; where suddenly, she must resist an abductor that promises belonging… at the cost of her soul.
Intergalactic Ingenue
Directed by: Nathan Deshawn Bouie
Country: United States, Runtime: 19:33 min
On the night he’s supposed to integrate with his Hive-mind alien girlfriend, James, a man with deep commitment issues, discovers his ex is also dating the same Hivemind.
Roomer
Directed by: Emmanuel Joel Rodriguez
Country: United States, Runtime: 16:40 min
In the early 2000s, Jenny, a quiet child, is haunted by a malicious entity in her own home. Her parents’ constant arguing leaves them unaware of the growing danger.
Snug as a Bug
Directed by: Ally Minor
Country: United States, Runtime: 8:57 min
A lady of the night lures a man into her hotel room before strange events begin to unfold.
(OM)EN
Directed by: Mary McDade
Country: United States, Runtime: 6:17 min
While seeking peace through meditation, a woman is disrupted by eerie omens—only to have her stillness shattered by a call from her sister, confessing to one body of a problem.
Student Shorts: New Voices
Details Matter
Directed by: Theodore Richard Herold, Warren Alexander Herold
Country: United States, Runtime: 6:53 min
An extremely meticulous boy works hard to audition for a play, but misses one key detail.
Double Bogey
Directed by: Janie Gentry
Country: United States, Runtime: 12:55 min
In the fall of 2020, Hayden and Avery’s friendship is tested when a hot new e-boy comes to play on the mini-golf course where they work.
Finger Guns
Directed by: Levi Coppedge
Country: United States, Runtime: 8:59 min
After his mother tells him to clean his room, a young boy imagines himself as an outlaw in the wild west as he attempts to avoid his responsibility.
The Lizard Theory
Directed by: John D. Sullivan
Country: United States, Runtime: 5:5 min
A young conspiracist believes his science teacher is a lizard and will not rest until he proves it.
Mãe
Directed by: Laura Gaspar
Country: United States, Runtime: 16:48 min
When the uncertainty of the current immigration situation in America challenges Bruna, a young Brazilian mother, she struggles with feeling lost while trying to make the best choice for her daughter, Gaby, a Brazilian-American kid.
My Little Sunrise
Directed by: Caleb Ferguson
Country: United States, Runtime: 10:46 min
After leaving the Rohwer internment camp, a Japanese father and his young daughter hide in rural Arkansas, where survival depends on every choice that could lead to their freedom… or capture.