The Bakery District and Fort Smith International Film Festival will host “Movie Night at the Bakery,” a collaborative Thursday night screening of independent and foreign films from the 2021 & 2022 film festivals. Rham Cunningham, Baker District Director of Fun, exclaimed “We’re excited to welcome the Fort Smith International Film Festival to the Bakery District, offering to us yet another opportunity to give YOU something cool, something fun, something different to do when you’re coming to Downtown Fort Smith!”
Starting March 23, a Thursday night film series, will show some of the 271 movies screened at the first two years of the Fort Smith International Film Festival. Executive Director Brandon Chase Goldsmith said, “If you missed the festival or didn’t catch a movie you wanted to see, then Movie Night at the Bakery is your chance. The opportunity to see incredible independent films should not be limited to two festival days. Bring your friends, family, or a date, grab some popcorn, a drink and enjoy a 5-dollar movie!”
The first screening will be the HULU mini-series Still Missing Morgan produced by Ridley Scott and directed by River Valley local Devon Parks. The series tells the story of the June 1995, abduction of Morgan Chauntel Nick from a little league ballpark in Alma, AR. Starting in 2019, cameras follow the Nick family and detectives for the entire 24th year of Morgan’s disappearance, revealing exclusive interviews and information around an unprecedented abduction investigation. Devon and others will be at the screening to talk about filming the series and answer questions. Thursday March 23 at the Bakery District, doors open at 6:30p.m. with the show starting at 7p.m.
The Fort Smith International Film Festival’s year-long programming is aimed at building an independent and foreign movie audience in our region. “Encouraging young filmmakers is one of our primary focuses,” explained Goldsmith. “We work with area high schools and organizations to increase youth involvement. Secondary education programs represent a reservoir of talent from which the pipeline feeding our region’s creative economy flows through high school to college to careers.” High school students (9-12) can enter their short movies into the festival for free until May 5 with the chance of winning cash prizes and scholarships. The University of Arkansas Fort Smith is generously offering a $2000 scholarship for first place and $1500 for second place. Filmmakers can enter their movies at FortSmithFilm.com.
