Director Jenna Laurenzo’s Lez Bomb won the juried Best Narrative Film Award while Miss Arizona from director Autumn McAlpin scored top Narrative distinction in the Audience Award competition at the fourth annual Bentonville Film Festival. Winners were announced during an awards gala on Saturday (5/5) at the Crystal Bridges American Museum of Art. Co-founded by Oscar winner Gennea Davis and Inclusion Companies CEO Trevor Drinkwater, The Bentonville Fest champions inclusion across all forms of media is is an advocate for women filmmakers.
The Audience Award for Best of the Fest went to director Sean Olson’s F.R.E.D.I. Actor and filmmaker Natalie Morales was presented with BFF’s first SEE IT, BE IT award, recognizing her rising and influential voice in the landscape of diversity and inclusion in media.
Here’s a rundown of award winners:
Jury Awards:
- Best Narrative Film: LEZ BOMB, (World Premiere), Director: Jenna Laurenzo, includes guaranteed distribution offer from a BFF distribution partner
- Best Documentary Film: EMANUEL (World Premiere), Director Brian Ivie, includes a mentorship prize package from ITVS
- Best Short Film: THE BROWNLIST, Directors: Kelly Walker and Ryan Garcia, includes a feature film directing job from MarVista Entertainment
- Best Episodic: BEAST, Director Ben Strang, includes a mentorship prize package from SeriesFest
Audience Awards:
- Best Narrative Film: MISS ARIZONA (World Premiere), Director Autumn McAlpin
- Best Documentary Film: LOVE ALWAYS MOM (World Premiere), Directors Tricia Russo, Craig E. Shapiro
- Best Short Film: LABORATORY CONDITIONS, Director Jocelyn Stamat
- Best Episodic: BROOKLYNIFCATION, Director Keith Miller
- Best of the Fest: F.R.E.D.I. (World Premiere) Director Sean Olson
Additional awards included:
- Big Vision Empty Wallet Fellowship Award: Molly McGlynn, Writer/Director, MARY GOES ROUND. Big Vision’s focus is on fostering inclusion and developing unexpected content with women, people of color and LGBTQ creators.
- Samsung Create Award: Olivia Stumbaugh, Chris Perea & Melanie Teoh, HarBer High School, Springdale, Arkansas
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More