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Bentonville Film Festival 2026 Lineup Announced

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The BFFoundation (BFF), in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting partner Coca-Cola, had today announced the narrative, documentary, homegrown, short film, and episodic selections premiering at the 2026 Bentonville Film Festival (BFF). This year’s festival, the twelfth annual, will take place June 15-21 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The fest’s lineup includes 34 feature competition films, with five world premieres among their ranks.

The Geena Davis-founded festival, which has long been devoted to diversity and inclusion, also applies that thinking to its programming. Many events are designed to appeal to all sorts of film fans, TV lovers, and entertainment nuts, so it’s fitting that this year’s lineup feels a bit tilted toward family matters of all kinds. (That’s no knock: I love this festival and am always happy to sing its praises.)

No, really, of all kinds. Consider the opening night pick: “Family Movie,” which will see directors, producers, stars, and long-time Hollywood power couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in attendance, with a moderated conversation following the film. The film “follows a filmmaking family who finds themselves in a real-life horror movie when a body turns up on the set of their low-budget slasher and chaos ensues to keep the production on track.”

The festival will close with another beloved family, as it will feature special screening of the first episode of Netflix’s “Little House on the Prairie,” with showrunner/executive Producer/writer Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Crosby Fitzgerald and Alyssa Wapanatâhk in attendance and set to participate in a Q&A following the screening. The series is billed as a “fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical ‘Little House’ books” that “offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”

Sonnenshine will also be honored with the Rising to the Challenge Award at BFF’s annual Festival Award Ceremony on Saturday, June 20. The award “recognizes visionary artists whose work expands opportunity, challenges convention, and helps shape a more dynamic and inclusive future for storytelling.”

“Rebecca Sonnenshine’s work reflects the very spirit of the Rising to the Challenge Award,” said Academy Award winner and Bentonville Film Festival Chair Davis in an official statement. “She creates stories with emotional depth, strength, and imagination while opening doors for broader perspectives to be seen and celebrated on screen. We’re honored to recognize her contributions to storytelling and her commitment to creating work that resonates across generations.”

The festival will also screen the world Premiere of “Street Smart” on Thursday, June 18 as its Centerpiece film with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance for a Q&A following the film. The film “follows a lively group of street kids in Venice Beach help each other chase their dreams — with humor, street-smarts, and Robin Hood larceny.” It stars Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, and Marcia Gay Harden.

Other standout picks with the IndieWire seal of approval: John Early’s “Maddie’s Secret,” Liz Sargent’s “Take Me Home,” Ayden Mayeri’s “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story,” and many more.

This year’s competition programming reflects the festival’s ongoing commitment to inclusion and authentic representation across all communities. Of this creators behind this year’s selected competition films, more than 80 percent identify as female or gender non-conforming; 53 percent identify as BIPOC, Asian, or Pacific Islander; 40 percent identify as LGBTQIA+; 21 percent are filmmakers over the age of 50; and 15 percent identify as a person with a disability.

Take a look at the full lineup below, with all language provided by the festival.

Opening Film: “Family Movie”

(Directors/Producers: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick; Writer: Dan Beers, Producers: Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Vince Jolivette, Casey Durant, Greg Lauritano, Russell Wayne Groves)

A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track. After all – the show must go on!

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, Scoot McNairy

Closing Event: “Little House on the Prairie”

(Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer: Rebecca Sonnenshine; Executive Producers: Joy Gorman Wettels for Joy Coalition, Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Dana Fox; Director: Sarah Adina Smith (101)

Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.

Cast: Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Alice Halsey, Skywalker Hughes, Warren Christie, Jocko Sims, Meegwun Fairbrother, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Wren Zahewenim Gotts

Studio: Produced by CBS Studios and Anonymous Content

Centerpiece Film: “Street Smart” – WORLD PREMIERE

(Director/Writer/Producer: Catherine Hardwicke; Writer: Nic Sheff; Producers: Natalie Marciano, Jamie R Thompson)

A lively group of street kids in Venice Beach help each other chase their dreams – with humor, street-smarts, and Robin Hood larceny. When our crew finds out their camp will shut down and a new girl pressures them into bending (or breaking) their moral code, it threatens to tear apart this makeshift family. The group forges unbreakable bonds and redefines what it means to be a family.

Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, Daniel Zovatto, Kaitlyn Kemp, Miles McKenna, Isaiah Hilt, Skeet Ulrich, Marcia Gay Harden, Sally Struthers, Tyson Ritter, Skylar Astin, Paris Jackson, Harvey Guillen

Coffee Talks

The Best Stories are Homemade

A conversation with Ree Drummond exploring how storytelling lives at the intersection of food, family, and community. From building “The Pioneer Woman” into a beloved brand to sharing everyday moments that resonate far beyond the ranch, Ree reflects on creating connection through authenticity, humor, and heart — and why the simplest stories are often the ones that stay with us.

Curiosity Is the Secret Ingredient

Bobby Flay has never been satisfied with a single lane. From Iron Chef to entrepreneur, restaurateur to brand builder, he has spent three decades following his curiosity wherever it leads — most recently to the pet food aisle with his beloved cat food brand Nacho. This conversation explores how a commitment to creative instinct has driven Bobby’s evolution as a storyteller and lifestyle entrepreneur.

The Story is in the Rice

Chef JJ Johnson explores how cuisine becomes a living narrative, connecting communities across continents and generations. From his work championing rice as a global heritage grain to building spaces that celebrate culture through food, JJ shares how storytelling can exist far beyond the screen — on the plate, in the kitchen, and within the community. Drawing from his acclaimed cookbook “The Simple Art of Rice” and his journey through kitchens from New York to Ghana and beyond, JJ reflects on the power of food to preserve culture, inspire creativity, and bring people together.

Book Event

Read Along with The Cat in the Hat

Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat will be in attendance, celebrating the launch of a newly discovered book by Dr. Seuss, “SING THE 50 UNITED STATES!” Come sing and read along with us and get a special picture with the Cat in the Hat!

Spotlight Films

“ARIA: Opera on the Edge” – in partnership with Opera in the Ozarks

(Director/Writer/Producer: Karen Day)

A fresh spin on the ancient and mysterious art of opera, following four young, diverse singers striving to find their place on the world’s greatest stages despite racism and prejudice in the industry created by dead, white European males in the 17th century. Loss, sacrifice, discrimination, and failure test their personal commitment. Despite challenges, each singer finds solace and strength by literally lifting their voice.

Cast: Cecilia Violletta Lopez, Ben Gulley, Brain Major, Tahanee Aluwihare, David Miller IL DIVO, Will Liverman, King Rico

“The Brittney Griner Story”

(Director/Producer: Alexandria Stapleton; Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn)

This personal and profound odyssey follows basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career and harrowing imprisonment in Russia through the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom.

Cast: Brittney Griner, Cherelle Griner, Former U.S. President Joe Biden

“The Ebony Canal”

(Director: Emmai Alaquiva; Producer: Ya Momz House, Inc.)

A cinematic poem examining the HERstoric portal between the disparities of infant mortality and the current state of maternal health orbiting Black and Brown women. With collaborative insight of Former VP, Kamala Harris, Lamman Rucker, Kimberly Seal Allers, Charles Johnson and some of the top experts, we reveal the hurt, healing and hope of this voyage. Despite the undercurrents, the mission aims to foster a new wave of solution-driven practices.

Cast: Viola Davis (Narrator), Larissa Lane, Mariah Peoples, Alana Yzola-Daly, Rachel Strader

“Give Me the Ball!”

(Directors/Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff; Producers: Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby)

This uniquely intimate portrayal of tennis legend and trailblazer Billie Jean King reveals the inner turmoil behind the immense sacrifices she made to transform her sport and the world.

“Left Behind”

(Director/Producer: Anna Toomey; Writer: Karen K.H. Sim; Producers: David Beal, Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell, Larry Mullen Jr., Mari Keiko Gonzalez)

The powerful story of a group of passionate mothers who unite to create the first public dyslexic school in New York City, the largest school district in the country.

“Maddie’s Secret”

(Director/Writer/Producer: John Early; Producers: Harris Mayersohn, Luca Intili)

Comedian, writer, and actor John Early’s directorial debut starring himself as Maddie, a plucky dishwasher who leaps to viral superstardom at a trendy food content creation company. While her life seems picturesque — complete with an adoring husband, ride-or-die best friend and a cupboard full of woman-owned ethically-sourced chili crisp to boot — mounting professional pressures threaten to reawaken a hidden secret from her troubled past.

Cast: Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, John Early, Claudia O’Doherty, Conner O’Malley,Vanessa Bayer, Chris Bauer, Kristen Johnston

“Miss Representation: Rise Up”

(Director/Writer: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Writers/Producers: Camille Servan-Schreiber, Gretchen Miller)

A deep dive into the cultural backlash against women’s mental health, agency, and political power with technology exacerbating sexism and misogyny towards women and girls.

Cast: Hillary Clinton, Safiya Noble, Frances Haugen, Reshma Saujani, Jameela Jamil, Jim Steyer, Gretchen Carlson, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Klobuchar

“Personal Courage”

(Director: Lucian Read; Producer: Samuel Kahn)

The intimate story of Army veteran Jeffrey Derma and his wife, Rebecca Cristina. Beginning in the final days of Jeff’s military service and continuing through the next two and a half years, the film captures their relationship as they work to reestablish what it means to live life together, as a family.

Homegrown Competition

Films created by filmmakers from Arkansas and/or filmed in Arkansas.

“Baby/Girls”

(Directors: Jackie Jesko, Alyse Walsh; Producers: Melissa Leardi, Alex Waterfield, Kelly Rohrbach Walton)

Teen birth rates in America’s Heartland are among the highest in the nation. Against this backdrop, a maternity home for teenagers becomes a crossroads in the lives of Olivia, Grace, and Ariana. Filmed over two years with intimate vérité access, Baby/Girls follows them as they give birth and fight to break the generational cycles that marked their own childhoods.

Cast: Grace Dulaney, Olivia Malott, Ariana Green, Crystal Widger, Audra Dulaney, Brian Rivera

“Welcome to the Fishbowl” – WORLD PREMIERE

(Director/Writer/Producer: Cheryl Glubok; Writer: Donald Rae; Producer: Iana Dontcheva)

With 40 receding in the rearview mirror, Elizabeth Ford, a Denver mother of two and an aspiring writer, gets a sudden career-making opportunity. All she has to do is chaperone a narcissistic, literary legend by the name of Storm Grandquist across the Rocky Mountains to an awards ceremony in Telluride. What could possibly go wrong?

Cast: Natalie Gold, Jeremy Swift, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Marin Hinkle

Homegrown Short Films

“Cycling Without Age,” USA (Director, Isaac Seigel-Boettner)

“Filthy,” USA (Director, Lisa Cole) – WORLD PREMIERE

“IAKWE: Hello, Goodbye,” USA (Director, Nathan Fitch)

“Project NEO: Building a New Way to Work,” (Director, Allyson de la Houssaye)

“We Are Cyclists: The All Bodies on Bikes Story,” USA (Director, Robin Sansom)

Narrative Competition

“BRB”

(Director: Kate Cobb; Writers: Sydney Blackburn, Michael Waller; Producers: Kevin Bigley, Kelly Aisthorpe Waller, Mark Glassgow, Michele Girgis)

Set in the era of dial-up and AIM away messages, a love-sick teenage girl and her older sister embark on a road trip to meet her online boyfriend, but what begins as a fun, sisterly quest quickly devolves into chaos as each girls’ ulterior motives are revealed and the lies pile up faster than the miles.

Cast: Autumn Best, Zoe Coletti, Beth Lacke, Keith Kupferer, Richard David, Daniel Haller

“Dead Deer High”

(Director: Jo Rochelle; Writer/Producer: Joshua Roark; Producer: Scott Segal, Jim Bellinson, Randy Weiss, Michelle Segal, Carolyn Bellinson)

A team of high school slam poets and their English teacher prepare for a national poetry competition one year after a tragedy changed their lives forever.

Cast: Zack Kozlow, Holden Goyette, Kyla Brown, Christian Cruz, Ayanna Berkshire, Joseph Bertót

“Hot Water”

(Director/Writer: Ramzi Bashour; Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters)

In this unconventional and comedic road odyssey, a Lebanese mother and her American son drive across the United States, revealing the fractures and bonds between them.

Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri, Dale Dickey

“If I Go Will They Miss Me”

(Director/Writer: Walter Thompson-Hernández; Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman)

Twelve-year-old Lil Ant transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology, where family members become gods and the sky is crowded with endless departures. As he searches for connection with his god-like yet conflicted father, he finds support in his close-knit community that helps him reconcile myth and reality.

Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson

“Jersey Boy”

(Director/Writer/Producer: Jaskaran Singh; Producer: Pulkit Datta; Co-Producer: Eman Pathan)

Shattered by a family tragedy in the wake of 9/11, a young Sikh boy struggles to hold onto love, family, and identity as he grows up in a country feeling like he doesn’t belong.

Cast: Praneet Akilla, Sara Garcia, Grace Grewal, Surjun Lail, Rayaan Singh Sahni, Amit Aujila

“Moonglow”

(Director/Writer: Isabel Sandoval; Producer: Alemberg Ang)

Manila, 1979. Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down. Commencing an investigation, Bernal unwittingly assigns Dahlia and his nephew Charlie, an ex-cop and Dahlia’s ex-lover, leading to a fraught reunion.

Cast: Isabel Sandoval, Arjo Atayde, Janina Lorelei, Jhoanna San Juan

“The Musical”

(Director: Gisella Bonilla; Writer: Alexander Heller; Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Alexander Heller, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus)

When a frustrated playwright/middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school’s principal, he decides to ruin the principal’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence.

Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe

“Our Bodies & Other Shames”

(Director: Jenny Lester; Writer/Producer: Malka Wallick; Producers: Monica Arsenault, Alysia Reiner, Tony Castle, Roxy Hunt)

Growing up in their tight-knit Modern Orthodox community, Sheva, Sarah, and Tali were best friends in an inseparable girl gang until Sheva and Sarah stopped talking to each other. Now, a decade later, they’re estranged, living lives both within and outside of the community. When a devastating cancer diagnosis forces them back together, all three gather in Sheva’s childhood home, where they are confronted — quite literally — by their younger selves.

Cast: Gideon Adlon, Micaela Diamond, Malka Wallick, Pearl Scarlett Gold, Aria Kane, Josephine Bilmes

“Out of the Woods” – US PREMIERE

(Director/Writer/Producer: Sal Bardo; Producers: Tommy Anderson, Laura Maccabee)

Max is slowly losing her memory. When she reunites with an old friend, Diana, a long-buried part of herself is reawakened and she’s forced to choose between spending the precious time she has left with the woman she’s always loved or remaining faithful to her husband.

Cast: Frances Fisher, Mimi Kennedy, Bruce Davison, Stefanie Estes

“Road to L’Etape du Tour”

(Director/Writer: Julia Coulter; Producers: Julian Higgins, Luis Augusto Figueroa, Vickie Soulier, Daniel Zambrano, Andrew Koenigsberg)

Facing a turning point in her life, a woman with a congenital heart defect embarks on a journey to train for a stage of the Tour de France.

Cast: Julia Coulter, Brian Muller, Luis Augusto Figueroa, Reed Diamond, Gab Safa, Nico Greetham

“Take Me Home”

(Director/Writer/Producer: Liz Sargent; Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas)

Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting each others’ needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive.

Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper

“Valentina”

(Director/Writer: Tatti Ribeiro; Writer/Producer: Noelle Forougi; Producers: Jack Pearkes, Tracey Nyberg, Jessica Alba)

A series of bureaucratic mishaps plagues Valentina as she tries to tackle a simple to-do list at the El Paso-Juarez border.

Cast: Keyla Monterroso Mejia

Documentary Competition

“Acting Like Women”

(Director/Writer/Producer: Cheri Gaulke; Writer: Anne Gauldin; Producers: Cheryl Bookout, Anne Gauldin, Meg Linton, Liz Yale Marsh)

Revisiting the groundbreaking feminist performance art movement in 1970s Los Angeles, one artist spotlights the inspirational, transformational, radical community exploding the narrative and status quo.

Cast: Cheri Gaulke, Lily Tomlin, Barbara T. Smith, Suzanne Lacy, Senga Nengudi, Anne Gauldin, Phranc

“American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez”

(Director/Producer: David Alvarado; Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak)

Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.

Cast: Luis Valdez, Lupe Trujillo-Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dolores Huerta, Linda Ronstadt, Jorge A. Huerta, Luis C. Garza, Taylor Hackford, Rose Portillo, Sal Lopez, Phil Esparza, Socorro Valdez, Daniel Valdez

“Ceremony”

(Director/Producer: Banchi Hanuse)

In the remote village of Bella Coola, where a milky-green river winds beneath towering mountains, the ooligan run has not returned in 26 years. Through crackling airwaves, watercolour-animated ancestral lore, rare archives, and collective testimony, we are immersed in the luminous world of the Nuxalk, an Indigenous Nation who believes they must become the current that calls the fish home.

“Cookie Queens”

(Director/Writer/Producer: Alysa Nahmias; Producers: Gregory Kershaw, Michael Dweck, Jennifer Sims)

A coming-of-age story about the joys, pressures, and pain points woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season. Captivating, candid, and full of heart, the film follows four girls ages five to twelve and their families as they navigate the annual whirlwind of selling, striving, and succeeding.

Cast: Nikki B., Olive G., Shannon Elizabeth S., Ara E.

“The Dads”

(Director/Producer: Luchina Fisher; Producer: Stephen Chukumba)

As anti-trans legislation and hostility escalate in the United States, a group of dads, building a nascent movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids, are forced to make an impossible choice: stay and fight or flee the country.

Cast: Stephen Chukumba, Wayne Maines, David Parr, Frank Gonzales, Ed Diaz, Christoph Heinzer

“Ghost in the Machine”

(Director/Producer: Valerie Veatch)

A gripping and urgently relevant investigative documentary that exposes the buried history of artificial intelligence, not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched structures of power long before it entered everyday life.

“Jane Elliott Against the World”

(Director/Producer: Judd Ehrlich; Producers: Max Powers, Elena Gaby)

A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.

Cast: Jane Elliott, Killer Mike, Ibram X. Kendi

“Kids Like Me”

(Directors/Producers: Cynthia Lowen, Jon Cohrs)

Meet Oliver, a 12-year-old murder-mystery buff with a boundless imagination, who is growing up with a rare genetic condition. Together with his family, they reframe what it means to live with disabilities and embark on an exciting adventure to create a murder-mystery caper.

Cast: Tony Shalhoub, Oliver Odwazny-Beebe, Casey Beebe, Chad Odwazny

“Seized”

(Director/Producer: Sharon Liese; Producers: Sasha Alpert, Paul Matyasovsky)

A gripping, stranger-than-fiction investigative thriller that plunges audiences inside the troubling police raid on the Marion County Record. What begins as a shocking small-town incident quickly spirals into a national story, exposing how corruption, politics, and decades-long tensions turned a quaint Kansas community into a battleground over the First and Fourth Amendments.

“Show Me the Line” – WORLD PREMIERE

(Director/Writer/Producer: Kelsey Ianuzzi; Writer/Producer: Stacey Davis; Producer: Abbey Crain)

When an Alabama court jeopardizes access to IVF and her own embryos, artist Abbey Crain refuses to surrender her creative power. In this triumphant tour de force, Crain and a group of fertility patients reckon with the threats to their family future, unearthing hope from an unsettled legal landscape.

“Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story”

(Director/Writer/Producer: Ayden Mayeri; Writer/Producer: Barry Rothbart; Producer: Rachael Fung)

In the summer of 2000, four tween friends formed a band called X-Cetra and burned an album onto a few CDs. Consumed by adolescent concerns, their labor of love was quickly forgotten… Until 20 years later, when someone uploaded it online. With their dreams of pop-stardom coming true, X-Cetra reunites to see if they can rekindle the unselfconscious girlhood they’d captured in the album those many years ago.

Cast: Ayden Mayeri, Jessica Hall, Janet Kariuki, Mary Washburn, Robin O’Brien

“When a Witness Recants”

(Director/Producer: Dawn Porter; Producers: Jennifer Oko, Miriam Weintraub

In 1983, noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates remembers learning that a 14-year old boy was murdered in the corridor of his Baltimore middle school. Revisiting the case as an adult, he learns the truth about the three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment.

Episodics Competition

“Blood Sugar,” USA (Director, Marissa Diaz) – World Premiere

“Committed,” USA (Director, Monica Raymund)

“CVNT,” USA (Director, Nicole Higgins) – World Premiere

“The F*ckboy Diaries,” USA (Director, Misha Calvert) – World Premiere

“Too Romantic,” USA (Director, Talia Light Rake)

Short Film Competition

“Buried Under Years of Dust,” USA (Director, Sophie Sartain)

“Cecilia Is Only 8 Years Old,” USA (Director, Soojeong Son)

“Cindy Sherman: Picture This,” USA (Director, Sophie Chahinian)

“El Tiguere,” USA (Director, Andrew J. Rodriguez)

“Find The Boy,” France (Director, Paulin.e Goasmat)

“For Niko,” USA (Director, Alexandra Shipp)

“Hatchlings,” USA (Director, Jahmil Eady)

“Howl,” USA (Director, Sara Crow)

“I Hate Helen,” UK (Director, Katie Lambert)

“Into The Chutes,” USA (Director, Jenna Avriel Rice)

“Irish Farmers: A Love Story,” Ireland (Director, Haven Worley)

“Julie Takes A Walk,” USA (Directors, Frankie Pedersen, Shea Vassar)

“Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart,” USA (Director, Julian Doan)

“More Than Dust,” USA (Director, Julia Weisber-Cortes)

“Paper Daughter,” USA (Director, Cami Kwan)

“Peanut,” USA (Director, Sheila Sawhny)

“She Chose War,” USA (Director, Sarah Moshman)

“The Sisters of Scott County,” USA (Director, Courtney Hoffman)

“Smoked,” USA (Director, Alice Gu)

“Sorry I Missed Your Call,” USA (Director, Hae Ji Cho)

“Surprise,” USA (Director, Kendall Goldberg)

“TAGA,” USA (Director, Jill Sachs)

“Veronica,” USA (Director, Brett Dos Santos)

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Obama Relives Tan Suit Debacle In ‘Life, Larry & Pursuit of Unhappiness’

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As Larry David‘s comedic trip through U.S. history comes to an end, he took credit for one of the nation’s more recent presidential scandals.

On Friday’s season finale of the HBO sketch comedy miniseries Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance as himself in a sketch set in 2014, as David advised him to wear the now-infamous, outrage-inducing tan suit during his live press conference on military response to ISIS.

Following some banter on how the POTUS avoids stains, David accidentally spills juice on Obama’s suit jacket when he leaves the room. When the 44th president returns, the comedian recommends he wear the tan suit that Obama planned on taking it to Turin for NATO Summit, for “a daytime event, it’s outdoors, a little more casual.”

“First of all, it’s a gorgeous suit,” David declared. “And this is casual Friday!”

“It is a great suit,” admitted Obama, as David told him, “Oh boy, oh boy. I think this is the move. … Old lips won’t let you down. You’ll thank me!”

As Obama models the look, David gives him his signature, “Pretty good! Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.”

“You sure about this?” asks Obama, as David assures him, “Never been more sure about anything in my life. People are going to be talking about this for a long, long time.”

Obama’s cameo in the finale comes as David marks the United States Semiquencentennial with the seven-part sketch comedy limited series, which recounts major events in U.S. history through the comedian’s signature observational humor.

David’s longtime Curb Your Enthusiasm partner Jeff Schaffer, who serves as an executive producer on Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, previously told Deadline that Obama, who produced under his Higher Ground banner, reached out to his buddy David to ask if he’d be interested in making the show to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.

“When you’re doing a show about American history, you want to do it warts and right now we have this orange saggy wart that we wish would go away,” said Schaffer. “But the nice thing about having President Obama produce this and be a part of it is that this country’s had a lot of fuck ups, we’ve seemed to have learned very little, but we’re still moving forward sometimes, and then we move back a little bit, but we always move forward again. While Larry’s pointing out a lot of the steps back, the President is telling us we can still step forward.”

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Matthew McConaughey Performs “Quill” From ‘Rivals of Amziah King’ — Watch

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Matthew McConaughey shows off his vocal skills (and some hidden banjo talents) with his latest role in The Rivals of Amziah King.

On Friday, Lakeshore Records released the single and music video for “Quill” from the original motion picture soundtrack, performed by the Oscar-winning and co-star Ben Hardesty, also featuring Miranda Zickler, Angelina LookingGlass and Andrea Pister.

Set in the backwoods of Oklahoma, The Rivals of Amziah King follows the musically gifted Amaziah King (McConaughey) and his bluegrass-playing band of misfits while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. When Amaziah’s estranged foster daughter unexpectedly returns, he leaps at the chance to reconnect and create a family business. But the honey game is ruthless, and Amaziah’s rivals threaten to destroy everything he has built.

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Premiering Aug. 14 in theaters, the Andrew Patterson-written-and-directed drama also stars Angelina LookingGlass, Cole Sprouse, Jake Horowitz, Tony Revolori and Kurt Russell.

Producers are David Heyman, Teddy Schwarzman, Jeffrey Clifford, Michael Heimler, James Montague and Will Greenfield.

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Jane Schoenbrun On Tackling “Toxic Soup” Of Slasher Genre In ‘Camp Miasma’

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With their latest directorial outing, Jane Schoenbrun used subtle pieces of nostalgia to deconstruct the slasher genre.

The Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma writer/director explained to Deadline that they wanted to create “a mindset where you can really enjoy something scary,” noting the frequent symbolism of candy and junk food as providing an atmosphere “that’s actually safe” while diving into a horror movie or exploring sexuality after trauma.

“There is this idea that if it gets too real, you can turn it off, that you’re exploring something dangerous, doing it in a way that’s actually safe,” said Schoenbrun, who is non-binary. “Which in my experience of coming into my sexual identity post-transition, kind of required some gummy candy on hand. What I mean by that is, even if we’re going to be exploring scary and vulnerable and potentially embarrassing, triggering parts of ourselves, we trust each other well enough to know that at any moment, we can be like, ‘Let’s stop, we gotta just eat some fucking gummies.’”

In Schoenbrun’s latest film, Hannah Einbinder stars as queer director Kris, who is tapped to helm a new installment of the long-running Camp Miasma horror franchise. While courting Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the actress who played the “final girl” in the original film, to reprise her role, the pair spirals into a psychosexual frenzy as the slasher’s killer, Little Death (Jack Haven), comes to life.

Acknowledging the problematic trans representation of horror films like Psycho (1960), Sleepaway Camp (1983), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995), Schoenbrun admitted the genre has been “catnip to me since I was 10 years old,” and they jumped at the chance to direct their own.

Jane Schoenbrun at the
Jane Schoenbrun attends the ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ premiere on Aug. 5, 2026 in New York City.

“So many slashers do have this sense of humor, and even if they’re not overtly meta like the Scream movies are, they’re so aware of their own tropes and the sort of rituals … And I just loved that from a young age and loved all of the little rituals within it, and so, getting to make my own is just like play and joy,” they explained.

“But it also felt like the perfect way to talk about sex and to talk about my experience as a trans person post-transition, learning how to come into a sexual identity that I could feel comfortable within, because so many of these movies are obviously deeply engaged in gender and sexual roles, and these movies have so much to say for better or for worse about deviants,” said Schoenbrun. “It is there in the DNA of the slasher genre that these movies are talking about fear and desire, gender and sexuality, normativity and deviance. And that’s all swimming in the toxic soup of the genre, so I wanted to remake it in my own language.”

Read on about Jane Schoenbrun’s love letter to the slasher genre with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, now playing in theaters.

DEADLINE: It was really fun to see the slasher genre through your eyes. Tell me about finding inspiration in that genre and “final girls.” 

JANE SCHOENBRUN: I mean, it was the easiest thing in the world because it’s just one of those genres that has been catnip to me since I was 10 years old. I just raided the horror section of the video store as a kid from an age when I really shouldn’t have been doing that, like in 5th grade, I watched in the span of about one week, every Nightmare on Elm Street movie. I think that I was always drawn to movies and really anything entertainment where it felt forbidden in some way, like the thing on the tape, how is that even allowed? And that’s the thing that I love about a lot of my favorite slashers. Don’t get me wrong, I love like brutal ones, like I love Texas Chainsaw, that’s a nasty movie at its core, and that’s what’s so special about it. But so many slashers do have this sense of humor, and even if they’re not overtly meta like the Scream movies are, they’re so aware of their own tropes and the sort of rituals of, OK, what’s the most outrageous way that like these like dumb kids can get killed? But watching it, it’s not about fear a lot of the time, it’s about joy and celebration. And I just loved that from a young age and loved all of the little rituals within it, and so, getting to make my own is just like play and joy. But it also felt like the perfect way to talk about sex and to talk about my experience as a trans person post-transition, learning how to come into a sexual identity that I could feel comfortable within, because so many of these movies are obviously deeply engaged in gender and sexual roles, and these movies have so much to say for better or for worse about deviants, whether that be Norman Bates or Buffalo Bill or Sleepway Camp or Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface in drag. It is there in the DNA of the slasher genre that these movies are talking about fear and desire, gender and sexuality, normativity and deviance. And that’s all swimming in the toxic soup of the genre, so I wanted to remake it in my own language. 

‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ (2026)

DEADLINE: I’m curious about the symbolism of all the processed junk food and the chandelier of wrappers.

SCHOENBRUN: The junk food in the movie, I forget when it found its way in there. It’s like so much of the movie is about, like I said, ritual, about being in a mindset where you can really enjoy something scary, whether that be Kris [Hannah Einbinder] in bed, with, you know, with Raisinets and the popcorn, watching a schlocky horror movie, or the two characters learning how to be present and enjoy sex after a lot of trauma. There is this idea that if it gets too real, you can turn it off, that you’re exploring something dangerous, doing it in a way that’s actually safe. Which in my experience of coming into my sexual identity post-transition, kind of required some gummy candy on hand. What I mean by that is, even if we’re going to be exploring scary and vulnerable and potentially embarrassing, triggering parts of ourselves, we trust each other well enough to know that at any moment, we can be like, “Let’s stop, we gotta just eat some fucking gummies.”

DEADLINE: And one thing I really love—I just feel like it’s a theme in your work—is how it depicts the way media and entertainment influence us. Why does that inspire you? 

SCHOENBRUN: I think it comes from a fascination and sensitivity to the complex relationship between what we think of as fiction and what we think of as reality, which we tend to, as a society, think of as pointing in one direction. Like, reality dictates fiction, not vice-versa, but when you actually look at the way the world works, it’s like one echoes off the other. And I think a complicated, sometimes terrifying and sometimes beautiful way, where the fiction, the cultural norms, the things we grow up looking at on our screens, the roles that we’re told people play, they kind of inspire us to create reality. There’s something liberating when you start thinking in that way. I think it’s a way of thinking that we as a culture, could do a lot more of. To think about the idea of fiction inspiring reality just as much as reality is inspiring fiction, is a potential path to liberating us from this hellscape that they’re telling us is the only way the world can be. 

Gillian Anderson in ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ (2026)

DEADLINE: And I know you have the Secretary reading. Tell me what it’s been like prepping for that and why you all chose that movie. 

SCHOENBRUN: I mean, that was such a huge influence on on Miasma. There just aren’t that many fun and funny movies about deviant sex. And just the way that movie is like feather light while talking about really raw and taboo things, it is just really inspiring to me. And the dynamic between those two main characters is definitely one that had a lot of influence on on Kris and Billy’s [Gillian Anderson] relationship in Miasma. And it’s already to me a very queer movie in its way, but having Gillian reading the James Spader part and Hannah reading the Maggie Gyllenhaal part, I think it’s just gonna be like a very unique joy. Honestly, we’ve been prepping a little bit, but I think it’s just gonna be about getting up there and feeling the chemistry of it all, and just letting these folks who we have all gotten to know each other really, really well, but we haven’t actually done anything wacky and creative like that in a while, like as a reunion, it’s gonna be a real blast, I think.

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