Jeff Nichols’ Filmland Film Festival Brings Big Talk to Little Rock
Jeff Nichols is reluctant to call Filmland a “film festival.” Sure, it’s a convenient term for the Arkansas-based cultural event, which the Little Rock-born filmmaker (whose credits include “Shotgun Stories” and “The Bikeriders”) co-founded with Kathryn Tucker in 2017. But it doesn’t quite capture what distinguishes Filmland, unspooling at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts from Aug. 13-17.
“This is more of a curated program that began with me inviting the people I knew, the friends of mine who helped me make movies, to show up and talk to people,” explains Nichols. “I wanted to create an organization that could connect the community to a conversation about the art of film,” where the community consists of locals deprived of independent and arthouse movies and “closer to my heart, crews of creative people that want to make things, specifically things generated in Arkansas,” Nichols says.
In previous years, the writer-director — who lives in Austin, Texas, but still feels connected to the place he grew up — invited actors he’d worked with, such as Adam Driver (“Midnight Special”), Joel Edgerton (“Loving”) and Jessica Chastain (“Take Shelter”), to screen and discuss their latest work. Two years ago, Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all of Nichols’ films, brought his directorial debut, “Eric LaRue.”
Unlike larger film festivals, which program dozens of movies in competing timeslots at various theaters around town, Filmland is centered at a single venue, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. “The way we do it, everybody is seeing the same films in the same theater at the same time and having the opportunity to connect between screenings,” says Tucker. “There’s a lot more opportunity to commune in a single venue.”
Filmland serves as the flagship event for the Arkansas Cinema Society, a nonprofit that Tucker and Nichols started with the intention of supporting the still-small local filmmaking community. That has meant organizing screenings and industry networking events, as well as advocating for better film incentives, with the goal of getting a film-specific line item added to the state’s budget (under the current system, Arkansas-based shoots are supported by the governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund).
“When we started, all the different regions of Arkansas were really disjointed and siloed,” Tucker says. Thanks in no small part to ACS’ efforts, local production has increased in recent years. This year, Filmland will screen “Americana” (directed by University of Arkansas alum Tony Tost) and Chad Hartigan’s “The Threesome,” which lensed in Little Rock.
“The story takes place in a state with restrictive abortion laws,” Hartigan says. “I think it was written originally for New Orleans, but we had an open mind about where it could be set, and I was excited by the idea of going to a place that hadn’t been shot to death. The film I did before this shot in Vancouver, and it was so frustrating to be competing for locations and local crews there.”
“The Threesome” shot in January 2024, taking advantage of exteriors along the Arkansas River, before a blizzard pushed production indoors. “If I have one regret about the finished product, it’s that Little Rock and Arkansas aren’t in the movie as much as I’d like,” Hartigan says.
The experience was a positive one for producer Vince Jolivette, who made two more features in the state since then: “The Isolate Thief” and “Send a Scare.” Last year, while Filmland was unspooling, Arkansas native Kelly O’Sullivan and co-director Alex Thompson were casting their feature “Mouse” in town. The Kate Beckinsale feature “Turnbuckle” is now shooting in Hot Springs.
Tucker sees Filmland as a meeting point for the state’s film artists, with daily happy hours, workshops and pitch sessions (where winners earn equipment and camera grants). This year, for the first time, Variety will present its 10 Storytellers to Watch list at Filmland.
Early on, Nichols was inspired by visits to Ebertfest, where film critic Roger Ebert would invite attendees to gather at Steak & Shake after the show to discuss what they had just seen. According to Nichols, “That was more of a community gathering to talk about films,” a dynamic he also witnessed at Telluride and sought to emulate at Filmland.
He and Tucker aim to have a director accompany each movie they screen. “We usually ask every filmmaker to host a workshop or a coffee chat or some sort of more interactive educational program,” Tucker says, “so it’s an added opportunity for them to communicate about their crafts and connect with the local filmmakers.”
TipsheetWHAT: Filmland Film FestivalWHEN: Aug. 13-17WHERE: Little Rock, Ark.WEB: arkansascinemasociety.org/filmland
“This is more of a curated program that began with me inviting the people I knew, the friends of mine who helped me make movies, to show up and talk to people,” explains Nichols. “I wanted to create an organization that could connect the community to a conversation about the art of film,” where the community consists of locals deprived of independent and arthouse movies and “closer to my heart, crews of creative people that want to make things, specifically things generated in Arkansas,” Nichols says.
In previous years, the writer-director — who lives in Austin, Texas, but still feels connected to the place he grew up — invited actors he’d worked with, such as Adam Driver (“Midnight Special”), Joel Edgerton (“Loving”) and Jessica Chastain (“Take Shelter”), to screen and discuss their latest work. Two years ago, Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all of Nichols’ films, brought his directorial debut, “Eric LaRue.”
Unlike larger film festivals, which program dozens of movies in competing timeslots at various theaters around town, Filmland is centered at a single venue, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. “The way we do it, everybody is seeing the same films in the same theater at the same time and having the opportunity to connect between screenings,” says Tucker. “There’s a lot more opportunity to commune in a single venue.”
Filmland serves as the flagship event for the Arkansas Cinema Society, a nonprofit that Tucker and Nichols started with the intention of supporting the still-small local filmmaking community. That has meant organizing screenings and industry networking events, as well as advocating for better film incentives, with the goal of getting a film-specific line item added to the state’s budget (under the current system, Arkansas-based shoots are supported by the governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund).
“When we started, all the different regions of Arkansas were really disjointed and siloed,” Tucker says. Thanks in no small part to ACS’ efforts, local production has increased in recent years. This year, Filmland will screen “Americana” (directed by University of Arkansas alum Tony Tost) and Chad Hartigan’s “The Threesome,” which lensed in Little Rock.
“The story takes place in a state with restrictive abortion laws,” Hartigan says. “I think it was written originally for New Orleans, but we had an open mind about where it could be set, and I was excited by the idea of going to a place that hadn’t been shot to death. The film I did before this shot in Vancouver, and it was so frustrating to be competing for locations and local crews there.”
“The Threesome” shot in January 2024, taking advantage of exteriors along the Arkansas River, before a blizzard pushed production indoors. “If I have one regret about the finished product, it’s that Little Rock and Arkansas aren’t in the movie as much as I’d like,” Hartigan says.
The experience was a positive one for producer Vince Jolivette, who made two more features in the state since then: “The Isolate Thief” and “Send a Scare.” Last year, while Filmland was unspooling, Arkansas native Kelly O’Sullivan and co-director Alex Thompson were casting their feature “Mouse” in town. The Kate Beckinsale feature “Turnbuckle” is now shooting in Hot Springs.
Tucker sees Filmland as a meeting point for the state’s film artists, with daily happy hours, workshops and pitch sessions (where winners earn equipment and camera grants). This year, for the first time, Variety will present its 10 Storytellers to Watch list at Filmland.
Early on, Nichols was inspired by visits to Ebertfest, where film critic Roger Ebert would invite attendees to gather at Steak & Shake after the show to discuss what they had just seen. According to Nichols, “That was more of a community gathering to talk about films,” a dynamic he also witnessed at Telluride and sought to emulate at Filmland.
He and Tucker aim to have a director accompany each movie they screen. “We usually ask every filmmaker to host a workshop or a coffee chat or some sort of more interactive educational program,” Tucker says, “so it’s an added opportunity for them to communicate about their crafts and connect with the local filmmakers.”
TipsheetWHAT: Filmland Film FestivalWHEN: Aug. 13-17WHERE: Little Rock, Ark.WEB: arkansascinemasociety.org/filmland