Fort Smith International Film Festival Sponsor Book

[re] FOCUSED

Film Society Mission

The Fort Smith International Film Festival rose out of the River Valley Film Society’s goal to grow the local creative economy by expanding access to movies from within and beyond.

The society started with a showcase of local filmmakers.

The idea was to create a space where artistic networks could be nurtured between directors, writers, actors, crew and film fans.

This initiative created the desire to further cultivate the region’s emerging creative class with an international film festival.

Two successful festivals have fueled high awareness

Global Reach

Festival attains a reach of 500 million

filmmaker Olga Artuschevka with her award for Best Comedy Short.

Israeli filmmaker Arti Savchenko was awarded a “Gwen” trophy for Best College Short.

BORDERLANDS

Year-Round Film Festival Programming

Our contract allows the film society to show movies from the festival for promotional purposes. We currently have more than 270 films in our catalogue from more than 40 countries, nations and tribes.

We screen films in venues around the River Valley and the region with partners such as the Arkansas Cinema Society, Blue Air Training, Paint Chaffee Pink, Bookish, Fort Smith Fashion Project and University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.

THE 24 film premiere at the Bakery District.

REGRISANDO A MIS RAICES at Garrison Commons park.

ROCK OF GIBRALTAR, a noir film and award winner in 2021, was screened in a hangar at the aviation training center, Blue Air in Fort Smith.

(Left) Held in Garrison Commons, a film night of the BORDERLANDS series used a backdrop of relief sculpture by the artist Vhils, during the 64.6 Downtown Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

The festival’s BORDERLANDS series screenings meet audiences where they are. The program can be customized to your group of viewers for common interests, to encourage discussion and involvement.

We seek to engage and welcome international residents and guests. The committee would embrace diverse new volunteers who speak other languages and who could contribute diverse perspectives and talents.

In an ongoing way, the Fort Smith International Film Festival is focused on coalescing and nurturing a community of global participants in our home region.

Our city can emerge as a vibrant international hub of culture, commerce and education when it envelops new residents into its activities. We have much to learn from each other and to create, together.

More than 270 films in our catalogue from more than 40 countries, nations and tribes can be screened in specially curated programs.

Screeners

Volunteers make the festival happen

These and other positions offer service hour opportunities at the festival and throughout the year.

A host of volunteer screeners meet for a training session and watch all the films submitted to choose worthy festival entries.

Festival Jurors

Our jurors are a combination of film professionals, media academics, festival sponsors, film fans, along with local, regional and international partners. For example, we have a relationship with Fort Smith’s sister city, Cisterna, Italy. The Cisterna Film Festival’s executive team picked our Best International Film winner.

Festival Volunteers

The festival recruits close to 100 volunteers throughout the year. Starting in February, around 30 screeners help us get three sets of eyes on each of the 364 film submissions, which is a crucial component in our final movie selection process. Some 50-60 volunteers run the festival in three shifts from front door box office to ushers to VIP hosts.

Focus on student opportunities

Student Filmmakers

Secondary education programs represent a reservoir of talent from which the pipeline feeding our region’s creative economy flows from high school to college to careers. Encouraging young filmmakers is primary focus of the festival, the film society’s yearlong programming and initiatives. Cash prizes and scholarships provided by sponsors and affiliated academic partners such as UAFS help to sustain student filmmakers’ professional and creative development.

Locally, secondary students can • enter their own films • attend the festival in person • volunteer and meet filmmakers

Fort Smith Future School graduate Gabe

Globally, students filmmakers can • submit their films

• virtually attend filmmaker panels

• Network with other creatives

Hobbs won a $2000 University of ArkansasFort Smith tuition scholarship for his short documentary “A Chat with Tony C” at the 2022 festival. The film society donates equipment to assist media courses and student film clubs.

2023 Festival Aug 25-26

[re]Focused

The 2023 Fort Smith International Film Festival celebrates the moviemaking warriors and survivors who pushed through. The global pandemic delayed, derailed, and devastated film productions around the world. As the international creative economy recovers, stalled projects were revived, new ideas emerged from the ruins, and artists have become (re)Focused.

(re)Focused filmmakers are on the leading edge of a storytelling renaissance. Their lens are capturing experiences from different angles and apertures are being opened bringing blurry situations into the light. With a new focus, people and groups who were on the margins or left out of narratives are entering the picture with a sharpness that reveals the details of their lives at a higher resolution.

The 3rd Annual Fort Smith International Film Festival invites these (re)Focused moviemaking warriors from across the globe to tell us your stories.

TempleLive!, a landmark downtown Fort Smith venue and former Masonic Temple, is the anchor location for the film festival. The historic 1929 venue features lavish, original art deco fixtures and Egyptian themed murals, which serve as the backdrop for four screening rooms and filmmaker panels. A 1,100 seat theater has been preserved in movie palace splendor with state-of-the-art tech.

TempleLive creates an unique atmosphere for festival goers and filmmakers.

ANNUAL SPONSORS

For the first two years of the Fort Smith International Film Festival, community sponsors have believed in and supported the film festival to inaugurate it as a major regional event. Rewarding their faith, the festival not only succeeded in attracting global reach and participation, its audience and entries have increased exponentially.

Every contribution is appreciated and has been used to benefit the audience and filmmakers. The festival is of particular benefit to local students who are able to participate in many roles. That success also benefits the community at large with increased tourism and global awareness of Fort Smith and our region.

SUSTAINING SPONSORS

Join us on our Journey to 5!

After two successful years we are looking for sustaining sponsors at the 25-50k per year level who will partner with us to propel the Fort Smith International Film Festival to its 5th year. With a 3-year contract you can help us grow the River Valley’s creative economy. Together, we will customize a package that fits your organization.

“Today, film festivals operate more like micro economies. They can make smaller cities boom by bringing in business, giving young people a reason to remain in the region, and developing a city’s national and international links.”

Sarah Jilani, Guardian, 2019