Arkansas Film Festival: “The Bikeriders” Premiere S t o r y : E m i ly We l l s
On Oct. 15, 2023, I had the opportunity to attend the Arkansas premiere of “The Bikeriders” at the 2023 Filmland Festival. Filmland is sponsored by the Arkansas Cinema Society and was hosted this year by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. “The Bikeriders” was directed by Little Rock native Jeff Nichols. He is an alum of Little Rock Central High School and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is one of the co-founders of the Arkansas Cinema Society. “The Bikeriders” stars Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and
the audience did as well. The audience was very engaged and reactive throughout the duration of the film. The premiere was followed by a Q&A interview by Variety Critic Peter Debruge and Nichols, where the audience learned more about the process of making the film, the casting process and the inspiration behind his choices. At the end of the interview, the floor was opened to audience questions. One person asked about the marketing for the film, which led to a conversation about the making of the poster for the film. The marketing team
Emily Wells
Tom Hardy in the tale of the rise and fall of a Midwestern motorcycle club in the 1960s. It is based on the book of photography of the same name by Danny Lyons. It is visually stunning, with a phenomenal sound design and fantastic performances from all of the actors. The scenic and costume designs were particularly impressive. I really enjoyed the film, and I could tell that
24
wanted to create a poster that had the likeness of all three of the leads on it, but they had to use photoshop in order to make that happen. Nichols said that he wanted the film to feel authentic in every aspect, so the photoshopped images were scrapped and they went with the gorgeous shot of Austin Butler on his bike. Nichols also discussed the importance of the SAG-AFTRA strike,
and revealed that if it hadn’t been for the strike, Austin Butler would have attended the event. The audience nearly rioted when they heard that. After the Q&A, dinner was served. Dinner was catered by local restaurants like Lost 40
favorites. He is a very talented musician, and I am glad I was introduced to his music. There was a fundraising auction held with items like signed posters, signed unreleased photos from set, unreleased photos of the
Brewery, Camp Taco and The Root Cafe. Everything was absolutely delicious. There were bikes from the film displayed for photo opportunities. I ran into my professor, Chris Robinson, who introduced me to Jeff Nichols, as well as other filmmakers and producers at the event. I am very grateful to go to a school where the professors truly care about their students and helping them succeed. Professor Robinson was actually the first professor I had in the Mass Comm department, and he and his class made me feel sure that I was in the right major. After dinner, we were treated to the musical stylings of Ben Nichols, Jeff Nichols’ brother. He played some songs that have been featured in Jeff Nichols’ previous films, an original song from “The Bikeriders” soundtrack and some of his personal
real people the movie is based on from photographer Danny Lyons and the original script for the film. The Arkansas Cinema Society did a wonderful job putting together Filmland Arkansas this year. I wish I could have attended more events, especially the directing workshop with Jeff Nichols, but I enjoyed what I was able to attend. I am excited to see what Filmland has to offer next year!
THE FORUM, October 2023
