BENTONVILLE, AR (SMI-WOMEN-ENTERTAINMENT, 08.09.21)—The Bentonville Film Festival today (August 07, 2021) announced the jury prize winners for their seventh annual Festival. The week-long Festival, led by Academy Award-winning actor and Festival Chair Geena Davis, is known for its dedication to championing female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment with Films Directed by 71% Women, 75% BIPOC/API and 33% LGBTQIA+ Filmmakers. BFF is presented by BFFoundation in partnership with founding sponsor Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola. 

 

Kili Big world premiered at the Festival and was awarded Best Documentary, where director Ida Joglar and subjects were in attendance. Roshan Sethi’s 7 Days, took home the jury award for Best Narrative Feature. Americanized, by Erica Eng, was selected for Best Short Film and NOW with Fiona, by Fiona Dawson, won for Best Episodic. 

 

The 2021 BFF Jury included six experts across three categories: Narrative judges included Founder & CEO of Marginal Mediaworks, Sanjay Sharma, and Executive Director of CAPE, Michelle Sugihara; Documentary judges included Head of Film at Marginal MediaWorks Milan Chakraborty, and Head of Whistle Studios, Melanie Johnson; Episodic and Short judges included EVP of Digital and Social at 4 Media, Tom Hoehn, and Attorney at ASManagement, Alexander Shekarchian. 

 

In the BFF 2021 juried competition program, 71% are directed by women, 75% by people that are BIPOC or API, and 33% by people of the LGBTQIA+ community. 70% of these films are written by women, 70% by people that are BIPOC or API, 32% by people of the LGBTQIA+ community and 87% feature a female lead, 81% a BIPOC or API lead, and 30% an LGBTQIA+ lead. 96% of these films have a cast and crew that was made up of more than half of people from these same communities.

 

The full list of 2021 Bentonville Film Festival award winners and honorees are below:

​

Jury Award Winners: 

Narrative Film Award: 7 DAYS, Director: Roshan Sethi

Documentary Film Award:  KILL BIG, Director: Ida Joglar

Short Film Narrative Award: AMERICANIZED, Director: Erica Eng

Episodic Award: NOW WITH FIONA, Director: Fiona Dawson 

 

Special Recognition Awards: 

Honorary Mention, Narrative Feature: WAIKIKI  Director: Christopher Kahunahana 

Honorary Mention, Documentary Feature: YOUTH GOV,  Director: Christi Cooper

Honorary Mention, Short Film: NAHJUM, Director: Sebastian Torres Greene

​

​