2025 Fort Smith film fest set to screen more than 160 films

More than 160 films, with 45% from Arkansas, will be part of the 5th annual Fort Smith International Film Festival & MidAmerica Film Market. The event is set for Aug. 7-9, and will be held at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

“The breakdown of this year’s films really paints a picture of who we are as a festival,” Executive Director Brandon Chase Goldsmith noted in a press release. “45% are from Arkansas and Oklahoma, 30% are international, and the remaining 25% come from across the United States. I am especially proud that our Indigenous film category will feature filmmakers representing 17 nations and tribes. This a big deal to me because we have worked hard to build Indigenous relationships both regionally and globally.”

Films will be screened in the convention center, the nearby Bakery District, the Fort Smith Museum of History, Hero’s Bar, and Club Kinkead’s, according to the festival press release.

The festival received 597 films for screening, up from 541 in 2024. The 2024 event had a direct economic impact of $225,000 “and generated substantial financial contributions to the local economy through visitor spending, event services, and more,” according to the festival. Based on data from the Fort Smith Advertising and Promotion, the 2024 festival had more than 800 guests who booked 603 room nights in the area during the Aug. 22-24 event.

Goldsmith said the festival will view about 40 fewer films in 2025 compared with 2024 because of space and time constraints.

The 2025 event will begin Aug. 6 with a pre-event screening of “In the Footsteps of Darby” at the Fort Smith Museum of History. Link here for ticket info to the various festival events and screenings.
https://www.ozarkstix.com/events/fort-smith-international-film-festival-midamerica-film-market-8-6-2025

“Every year for the FSIFF I see films that genuinely affect me in such a way that something inside me feels seen and understood and that fundamentally changes my perspective,” said Director of Operations Tori Buie. “I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to share these stories with a worldwide audience.”

Buie said the hardest part of the effort so far has been turning down films because of the time it takes to screen the films that are accepted.

“That means many incredibly deserving films do not make the final cut and that decision is always heartbreaking. I encourage folks who were not selected to please submit again,” Buie said.