The Bentonville Film Festival on Thursday announced the narrative, documentary, homegrown, short film and episodic selections premiering in person at the 2026 Bentonville Film Festival set for June 15-21.
This year’s festival, the 12th annual, will showcase 34 feature competition films, including five world premieres.
BFF 2026 will open on Tuesday, June 16, with Family Movie, with directors, producers and stars Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in attendance for a moderated conversation following the film. The film follows a filmmaking family who finds themselves in a real-life horror movie when a body turns up on the set of their low-budget slasher, and chaos ensues to keep the production on track.
The closing event on Sunday, June 21, will feature a special screening of the first episode of Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie with showrunner/executive producer/writer Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Crosby Fitzgerald and Alyssa Wapanatâhk participating in a Q&A following the screening.
Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie is part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale and part origin story of the American West. This fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.
In addition to the screening, Sonnenshine will be honored with the Rising to the Challenge Award at BFF’s annual Festival Award Ceremony on Saturday, June 20. The award recognizes visionary artists whose work expands opportunity, challenges convention, and helps shape a more dynamic and inclusive future for storytelling.
“Rebecca Sonnenshine’s work reflects the very spirit of the Rising to the Challenge Award,” said Academy Award winner and Bentonville Film Festival Chair Geena Davis. “She creates stories with emotional depth, strength, and imagination while opening doors for broader perspectives to be seen and celebrated on screen. We’re honored to recognize her contributions to storytelling and her commitment to creating work that resonates across generations. As we enter our twelfth year, I’m incredibly proud of how Bentonville continues to grow as a place where artists, audiences, and industry leaders come together to champion bold creativity, meaningful connection, and stories that reflect the richness of the world around us.”
Street Smart
The Festival will also screen the world premiere of Street Smart on Thursday, June 18, as the centerpiece film with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance for a Q&A following the film. Street Smart follows a lively group of street kids in Venice Beach who help each other chase their dreams with humor, street-smarts and Robin-Hood larceny. It stars Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino and Marcia Gay Harden.
Show Me the Line
This year’s Spotlight and Competition programs feature a lineup of industry icons, including the world premieres of the IVF rights documentary Show Me the Line and the road-trip comedy Welcome to the Fishbowl. Audiences will be treated to personal narratives from global figures in The Brittney Griner Story and the Billie Jean King documentary, Give Me the Ball!, produced by Liz Garbus. Combined with the “Coffee Talk” sessions with Bobby Flay, Ree Drummond and Chef JJ Johnson, the narrative and documentary slates showcase appearances and contributions from Jessica Alba, Danielle Brooks, Hillary Clinton, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Frances Fisher, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe, Isbael Sandoval, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Tony Shalhoub, Lily Tomlin and more.
Welcome to the Fishbowl
For more information about the festival, click here.
Feature image top: Kevin Bacon in Family Movie. Photos provided by Bentonville Film Festival.
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