Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment have announced the second annual Bentonville Film Festival.

Geena Davis

The festival will run from May 3-8 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Founding sponsor Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola will both return.

“BFF is effecting real change in how women and diverse filmmakers can get their stories in front of audiences, with the support of the world’s largest entertainment and media companies, brands and retailers,” said Davis.

The festival says it runs the only film competition in the world to guarantee theatrical, television, digital and retail home entertainment distribution for its winners.

Following the launch this year, Davis and her team plan to expand to include all forms of media. The 2016 programme will include shorts, digital content and TV programming as well as new events to salute Bentonville’s cultural and natural surroundings. 

This year’s inaugural festival drew nearly 50 filmmakers and 40 celebrities from around the country and achieved attendance of approximately 37,000. 

The Bentonville Film Foundation will launch a national series of year-round events to promote women and minority filmmakers, artists, directors and producers at AMC Theatres. This will take place in partnership with the festival’s official non-profit partner, the Geena Davis Institute On Gender In Media.

“Bentonville welcomed us with open arms for our inaugural event, and we are honoured to show off this quintessential town to the rest of the world,” said ARC president and festival co-founder Trevor Drinkwater.

“With a sophisticated residence base, Northwest Arkansas is the perfect central location in the US for this forward-thinking event.”