‘The Seven Faces of Jane’ Premiere Headlines Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival Lineup

variety.com:

Carson Burton The lineup of films premiering in the narrative, documentary, short film and episodic selections at the 2022 Bentonville Film Festival’s competition program have been released today, the Bentonville Film Foundation announced.

The annual festival is set to run in-person from June 22-26 in Bentonville, Ark, with a virtual component having an extended run from June 22 to July 3.Led by “Thelma and Louise” star and vocal feminist Geena Davis, the festival aims to amplify female, non-binary, LGBTQ, BIPOC and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment.

In collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, this year’s programming includes a wide array of storytelling with more than 82% of the competition program from creators who identify as female or gender non-conforming.

Additionally, 65% of the creators identify as BIPOC, Asian, or Pacific Islander and 62% identify as LGBTQ. The vast majority of onscreen leads — 90%, to be exact — are women or gender non-conforming. “We are proud to be back for the eighth year to bring audiences, both in-person and virtually, an inspiring selection of films celebrating diversity and inclusion on screen and behind the camera,” Davis said. “We’re thrilled to spotlight storytelling that is transformative, which demonstrates the power of intersectional equity in entertainment media.”The festival is set to begin with the world premiere of “The Seven Faces of Jane,” co-directed by Julian Acosta, Xan Cassavetes, Gia Coppola, Ryan Heffington, Boma Lluma, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong and Alex Takacs.