Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival to Open With Anna Gunn’s ‘Equity’
The second edition of Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival will open May 3 with Wall Street drama “Equity,” starring Anna Gunn, Alysia Reiner and Sarah Megan Thomas.
Directed by Meera Menon, “Equity” debuted at Sundance in January. Worldwide rights sold to Sony Classics shortly before its premiere.
The festival’s closing film on May 7 will be “Maggie’s Plan,” directed by Rebecca Miller and starring Greta Gerwig, Julianne Moore and Ethan Hawke. Sony Classics bought domestic rights following its premiere in September at the Toronto Film Festival.
Davis launched the Bentonville Film Festival last year as a way to champion women and diverse voices in media. The festival announced Wednesday that it will feature approximately 34 films in competition, including 16 documentaries and 18 narrative films along with a new short film competition.
The festival is sponsored by Walmart, Coca-Cola and distribution partners AMC Theatres, Lifetime and Starz. It offers guaranteed distribution to the winning festival films for audience, best family film and jury awards.
In its inaugural year, the festival saw more than 37,000 attendees and was able to grant distribution to 87% of its competition films through Walmart and other distribution partners.
The films selected for the narrative competition are the world premiere of “Albion: The Enchanted Stallion”; “American Fable”; “Comfort”; “Embers”; real estate drama “Fair Market Value”; “Five Nights in Maine,” starring David Oyelowo; “Good Enough,” starring AnnaRose King; “It Had to Be You”; Civil War drama “Josephine”; “Kid Witness,” starring Susan Sarandon and “Lost & Found,” starring Justin Kelly.
Also selected: “Operator,” starring Martin Starr and Mae Whitman; “Running Wild,” starring Sharon Stone; “Saved by Grace,” starring Joey Lawrence; “Swing Away,” starring Shannon Elizabeth; “Te Ata,” starring Q’orianka Kilcher and Graham Greene; the world premiere of “The Mad Ones”; and romance “Wild Prairie Rose,” starring Tara Samuel.
