BFFoundation has announced the 2026 Bentonville Film Festival’s lineup of in-person premieres. The festival will be held June 15-21 in Bentonville, Arkansas, and will showcase a range of narrative, documentary, homegrown, short film, and episodic material.
BFF 2026 will open on June 16 with “Family Movie,” with directors, producers, and stars Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick joining for a moderated conversation following the film. “Family Movie” 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 on June 21 with a special screening of the pilot of Netflix’s “Little House on the Prairie,” with showrunner, executive producer, and writer Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Crosby Fitzgerald and Alyssa Wapanatâhk participating in a Q&A. “Little House on the Prairie” is the most recent adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-autobiographical “Little House” series set in the American West.
Sonnenshine will also be honored with the Rising to the Challenge Award at BFF’s annual Festival Award Ceremony on June 20, which recognizes “visionary artists whose work expands opportunity, challenges convention, and helps shape a more dynamic and inclusive future for storytelling.”
“We’re excited to kick off this year’s festival with ‘Family Movie,’ a classic summer thriller that captures the excitement, escapism, and communal experience that make going to the movies so special,” said Wendy Guerrero, President and CEO of the Bentonville Film Festival and BFFoundation. “Closing the festival with ‘Little House on the Prairie’; a timeless story generations of families have cherished. Together, these projects celebrate imagination, resilience, and the power of storytelling to bring people together, spark new perspectives, and inspire growth through shared experiences.”
The festival will also host the world premiere of “Street Smart” on June 18 as its centerpiece film with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance for a Q&A session. Starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino and Marcia Gay Harden, “Street Smart” follows a “lively group of street kids in Venice Beach help each other chase their dreams — with humor, street-smarts, and Robin Hood larceny.”
The 2026 Spotlight and Competition programs’ lineup includes the world premieres of the IVF-rights documentary “Show Me the Line” and the road trip comedy “Welcome to the Fishbowl.” Audiences can also view films centering the personal narratives of global figures in “The Brittney Griner Story” and the Billie Jean King documentary “Give Me the Ball!” produced by Liz Garbus. Combined with the “Coffee Talk” sessions with Bobby Flay, Ree Drummond, and Chef JJ Johnson, the narrative and documentary slates showcase appearances and contributions from Jessica Alba, Danielle Brooks, Hillary Clinton, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Frances Fisher, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe, Isbael Sandoval, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Tony Shalhoub, Lily Tomlin, and others.
BFF 2026 is held in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting partner Coca-Cola. For more details, visit bentonvillefilm.org
