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The 11th Bentonville Film Festival is underway in Arkansas, the annual event bringing together Oscar caliber talent and films, with an emphasis on inclusion in an industry not known for providing equal access to opportunity.

This year’s festival, running June 16-22, boasts nine world premieres, 28 feature films in competition, and a newly launched Homegrown Competition “highlighting powerful stories from filmmakers based in or filming in Arkansas” as part of a robust lineup of programming.

Deadline attended the opening night kickoff at Skylight Cinema, highlighted by a screening of East of Wall, the Sony Pictures Classics drama that presents “an authentic portrait of female resilience in the ‘New West’ inspired and played by the women and girls who live it.”

On the red carpet we spoke with Bff chair Geena Davis, asking about her excitement level as the festival began.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m 11,” she told us.

The Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas will kick off June 16 with the drama East of Wall, one of many highlights of the 11th edition of the cinematic showcase led by Oscar winner Geena Davis.

East of Wall, which premiered at Sundance, is written and directed by Kate Beecroft. “Inspired by the real lives of Tabatha and Porshia Zimiga, and with a cast of predominantly non-professional actors playing themselves, East of Wall is an authentic portrayal of the modern American West,” the festival said in a release. Beecroft and the Zimigas will be in attendance for a moderated conversation to follow the film.

“We are thrilled to open the festival with a film that speaks so genuinely to the power of female resilience,” said Bff president Wendy Guerrero. “The raw, gorgeous landscapes are matched by the vulnerability and passion of the women and girls at the heart of East of Wall.

A number of directors are pursuing litigation against the digital indie film distributor 1091 Pictures for failing to make promised revenue-sharing payments after selling their films to the platform, now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Helmers are scrambling to reclaim distribution rights to their work out of fear that 1091 Pictures’ parent company could declare bankruptcy.

Filmmakers say they are owed their share of distribution revenue from licensing deals with 1091 but Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has not come through with payments. Some have taken the company to court, including small-claims court, to press their cases.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acknowledges that the company, which also owns Redbox and Crackle, has faced “cash flow issues,” as CEO Bill Rouhana told Variety. The company already disclosed that it was unable to file its third-quarter earnings information on time.

“The company has been working to address cash...

1091 has secured worldwide rights Inez & Doug & Kira, the directorial debut feature from Julia Kots. Starring Michael Chernus, Tawny Cypress, and Talia Thiesfield, the film will be released across all digital platforms this fall. The indie, which premiered at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival, centers around the unexpected suicide of Inez, who leaves behind no clues as to why she takes her own life. Her twin sister, Kira, and Kira’s fiancé, Doug—both of whom shared their own complicated relationship with Inez—embark on a quest to solve the mystery behind their loved one’s death. The rights deal was handled by producers Caitlin Gold of Tanbark Pictures and Márcia Mayer of Tenacious Productions, with Carly Reicho on behalf of 1091.

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Cleopatra Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to the Marc Collin’-directed electronic music drama, Le...

Cast and crew of I Am

Onir’s I Am won the award for the Best Narrative Feature Film at the 2nd Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. The second edition of the queer film festival concluded with the award ceremony at Cinemax-Versova on Sunday.

According to the Jury, I Am was awarded for its “truly kaleidoscopic vision of the human condition”.

Sonal Gulati’s docu-feature I Am won the special jury award at the festival.

The Best Documentary Feature award went to David Weissman’s We Were Herefrom USA while The Best Documentary Short Film award went to Bill Brummel and Geoffrey Sharp from USA for their film Bullied.

The Best International Narrative Short Film was awarded to Let The World Know About Me by Marianna Giordano from Argentina.

The Best Indian Narrative Short Film award was won by Amen, for its directors Ranadeep Bhattacharya and Judhajit Bagchi. Kashish...

Steve Callahan, Matthew Montgomery in Rob Williams‘ Role/Play (top); Jake Yuzna‘s Open (upper middle); Joe Wilson‘s Out in Silence (lower middle); Julia Kots‘ Nothing Happened (bottom) Alicia Silverstone, The Evening Dress & 19th-Century Lesbian Romance: Outfest 2010 (July 11) More at Outfest 2010 on Saturday, July 11: Rob Williams‘ Role/Play, Jake Yuzna‘s Open, Joe Wilson‘s Out in Silence, and the shorts program "Cherchez la Femme." Starring real-life partners Steve Callahan and Matthew Montgomery, Role/Play chronicles the emotional ups and downs of a recently outed soap opera actor (Callahan) and a recently divorced gay marriage activist (Montgomery) who meet at a Palm Springs resort. Open is described as a movie that "blurs the borders of gender and sexuality." In the film, two transgender women "alter their bodies to become a single Pandrogynous being," while a young gay transman dates a "cisgender hipster." In the documentary Out in Silence:...

The national organization of Women in Film and General Motors announced the five women who have been selected as winners of the second annual acceleration grant for emerging filmmakers competition. The winners are Jamie Taucher of Sedona, Ariz.; Julia Kots of Manhattan; Connie Florez of Honolulu; Joyce Lee of San Francisco, and Mabel Valdiviez, also of San Francisco. The grant, awarded annually, is a program of the WIF/GM Alliance, the goal of which is to support talented filmmakers from under-represented communities. The grant provides recipients with a broad-based understanding of the business of filmmaking through a six-day, full-immersion mentoring program, shepherded by WIF members, including some of the industry's most successful female talent.