It was the scent of coffee, not popcorn, that pervaded the opening of the eighth Bentonville Film Festival Wednesday.
Events began with Reel Magic Mornings, a 9 a.m. discussion with Dave and Jenny Marrs of HGTV’s “Fixer to Fabulous” — hosted by KUAF’s Kyle Kellams — at Thaden School in Bentonville. Audience members were invited to grab a cup of coffee and sit for a chat with the local celebrities.
The couple, who help restore historic homes suited to the homeowners’ taste and personal stories, talked about what makes their show resonate with other families around the country and the behind-the-scenes work, as well as what it’s like to raise a big family and live in Arkansas.
Dave Marrs said they take time to learn what’s important with each family that they work with since a home is such an integral part of life.
“We’ve had so many incredible stories to be a part of,” Jenny Marrs said. “We spend so much time honoring whatever story that is in their home. This is their biggest investment; where they are going to make memories. If a kitchen is beautiful but has no heart in it, it doesn’t matter.”
Telling other families’ stories through the show is what makes it unique, she said.
The couple is often working on four to six houses at a time, and while they hire some local workers, the majority of their staff is from Knoxville, Tenn. That means they have a week to 10 day stretches with enough people on site for the show. While shooting episodes, they change clothes between work sites to make it look like they’re visiting on different days. That means keeping track of outfits, hats and hair styles based on which location they wore them to, since they have to replicate it later and keep continuity of each episode in mind.
On average the 43 minute show stems from 120 hours of footage, so their film crew does a lot of editing, but the couple feel strongly about keeping it from seeming all too perfect.
“We always want it to be authentic,” Dave Marrs said. “We’re a family; we have issues. In construction, you have all these things you never accounted for and you problem solve. I want to show that.”
The most talked-about moment of Season 1 was when Dave was building shutters and nailed them to the table by accident. Marrs said he had to fight to keep that segment in. The team wanted to show that the builders do the work right; Marrs said the reality is that mistakes get made, but they laugh about it and move on.
A “Purpose Driven Progress” panel discussion took place later Wednesday morning at Thaden School featuring female executives at the top of their industries. The brand leaders from M&M, Walmart, Coca-Cola and others spoke about how they amplify social issues and make changes in the workplace to retain talent of all backgrounds.
Several films were shown throughout the day including two spotlight films, a few competition narrative features, three documentary features and a variety of episodics and shorts.
The day ended with the world premiere of “The Seven Faces of Jane” shown in Fermentation Hall at the Momentary. The contemporary, experimental film was created by seven directors — Gillian Jacobs, who also starred in the film; Gia Coppola; Boma Lluma; Ryan Heffington; Xan Cassavetes; Julian Acosta; Ken Jeong; and Alex Takacs — none of whom knew what the other was doing.
The premiere began with a brief, introductory video message from producer Roman Coppola, who described the creative process as being inspired by the children’s game of taking turns drawing parts of a body, the paper folded over so you can’t see what anyone else drew. The directors were able to choose the placement of their segment and were given a very basic “story kernel,” or bit of crucial plot to center their piece around so that the segments would fit together in the end.
Four of the seven directors attended the world premiere for a discussion about the making of the film and their part in it following the screening.
A “Purpose Driven Progress” panel discussion took place later Wednesday morning at Thaden School featuring female executives at the top of their industries. The brand leaders from M&M, Walmart, Coca-Cola and others spoke about how they amplify social issues and make changes in the workplace to retain talent of all backgrounds. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace)
The first day of the Bentonville Film Festival ended with the world premiere of “The Seven Faces of Jane,” shown in Fermentation Hall at the Momentary. The contemporary, experimental film was created by seven directors. Four of them engaged in a public discussion of the making of the film and their part in it following the screening. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace)