Heat, humidity make for great day inside watching movies at Bentonville Film Festival

The Geena Davis Outdoor Theater, which opened yesterday, was empty in the midafternoon heat, but set for lots of activity tonight with a 10th anniversary screening of the Hunger Games, which was planned to begin with a Q&A with Geena Davis and Nina Jacobson, producer of the popular film.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace)
The Geena Davis Outdoor Theater, which opened yesterday, was empty in the midafternoon heat, but set for lots of activity tonight with a 10th anniversary screening of the Hunger Games, which was planned to begin with a Q&A with Geena Davis and Nina Jacobson, producer of the popular film. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace)

The mid-way point of the Bentonville Film Festival was a typical summer day in Arkansas — hot and humid with highs in the 90s — making it a good one for staying inside and watching movies.

Festival events of the day began with “From Bronx to Bentonville,” the final Reel Magic Morning coffee chat of the week with Sonia Manzano, formerly Maria on Sesame Street, and the other creators of Alma’s Way.

Manzano, Ellen Doherty and Olubunmi Mia Olufemi crafted the new PBS KIDS series to be centered on giving children confidence in their own brain power, as well as the importance of inclusiveness and authentic representation in kids’ media. It features Alma, a Puerto Rican girl growing up in the Bronx who goes about problem solving and thinking things through herself.

Manzano told the NWA Democrat-Gazette earlier this week that if she had seen Alma’s Way or another show like it as a child, her perspective might have been entirely different. As it was, dreaming of being the same things that white children did seemed taboo at the time because she didn’t see herself represented on screen.

“I hadn’t seen a brown ballerina,” Manzano said. “My friend and I used to say that we’ll be the first ones, but we would whisper it. We knew on some level that no one could hear this, like how dare we speak of it.”

Now that Alma’s Way is airing and resonating with audiences, she hears the reverse from people who look nothing like Alma. That’s how she knows it’s touching people on a real level, she said.

Manzano also spoke at “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” panel with Geena Davis, filmmaker Nancy Svendsen, filmmaker Jahmil Eady and Madelin Di Nonno, president and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute, which took place at Thaden School.

“Team Fempower: Empowering Women in Web3” a panel and an interactive discussion on NFTs (nonfungible tokens) took place at Meteor Guitar Gallery in the afternoon.

Jordan Bayne, founder of NFT Film Squad and filmmaker of Red Flags, largely led the talk that focused on NFTs being far more than kickstarter funds for filmmaking and lend more ownership and connection to the community throughout the creative making process. Other panelists pointed out that using NFTs as a reminder of the value you’re bringing to others through your art is a helpful perspective, rather than thinking primarily of what NFTs can do for you. Nonfungible tokens are one of the nontraditional fundraising means that are more accessible to female filmmakers, BFF president Wendy Guerrero said in a previous interview.

The Bentonville Film Festival originally planned to unveil its first ever NFT following Team Fempower’s takeover event, but volunteers say that was postponed to the end of the festival.

The Geena Davis Outdoor Theater, which opened yesterday, was empty in the midafternoon heat but set for lots of activity tonight with a 10th anniversary screening of “The Hunger Games,” which was planned to begin with a Q&A with Geena Davis and Nina Jacobson, producer of the popular film.

  photo  "Team Fempower: Empowering Women in Web3" a panel, interactive discussion and workshop on NFTs (non-fungible tokens) took place at Meteor Guitar Gallery this afternoon. The Bentonville Film Festival originally planned to unveil their first ever NFT following Team Fempower's takeover event, but volunteers say that was postponed to the end of the festival. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/April Wallace)
 
 

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