Media execs, Fort Smith native TV creator to kick off Fort Smith International Film Festival (Updated)

The River Valley Film Society is partnering with TGE, a global virtual studio, and entertainment and technology holdings company, for the Aug. 13 opening night of the Fort Smith International Film Festival.

The opening night begins at 5 p.m. at The Majestic venue in downtown Fort Smith.

UPDATED INFO
In order to accommodate those unable to attend in person, the festival is offering a $10 virtual ticket that provides access to a live stream of the films. Viewers will be able to watch the movies from each of four venues (The Bakery District, 5 Star Productions, The Majestic, & 906 Cigar lounge) in real time. The full program, schedule of films, and tickets are available at this link, which will provide a link to the live stream portal.

The evening’s keynote speakers will be TGE CEO Giovanni Jackson and Chief Operations Officer Keith Kaplan. Jackson has more than 30 years of experience in developing, creating, performing, recording, financing, and producing music, film, television, and multimedia entertainment. Jackson and Kaplan plan to discuss Arkansas’ place in the global entertainment market and the possibilities that exist for Fort Smith’s growing creative economy.

Billed as the special guest is Fort Smith native Brad Neely who is the creator of TV’s China, IL; and Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio, and internet programs Wizard People, Dear Readers; Creased Comics; Washington; Queeblo; I Am Baby Cakes; and The Professor Brothers. His newest show, The Harper House, will premiere on Paramount+ on Sept. 16, 2021. The new show follows an overconfident female head of a household as she struggles to regain a higher status for herself and for her family of oddballs after losing her job and moving from the rich side to the poor side of a small town in Arkansas. To save money, they’ve moved into their inherited Victorian fixer-upper, the historic Harper House.

Opening night begins with Sol Studio’s short about Fort Smith, followed by a regional filmmaker showcase featuring Kevin Croxton’s “In the Blink of an Eye,” Michael Day’s “Focus,” and Caleb Fanning’s “Blood on the Risers.” The filmmakers will discuss their movies and answer questions from the audience. The keynote speakers and special guest will give their presentations followed by White Collar Sideshow, who will perform their live music video show starting 10:30 p.m.

On Saturday (Aug. 14), starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m., the festival will include more than 130 films, including 52 International movies from 32 countries at The Bakery District, 5 Star Productions, The Majestic, and 906 Cigar Lounge.

The marathon movie day ends with a Midnight Awards ceremony at the Majestic. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 day of show and available at this link.

The festival will be following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arkansas Department of Health COVID protocols along with reduced venue capacities, social distancing, sanitizing, and masks provided by Yeager’s Hardware.