Downtown Fort Smith will become a hub for independent cinema this weekend as the 6th Annual Fort Smith International Film Festival rolls out a packed schedule of 142 films across nine venues. The festival runs Nov. 5‑7, with a preview screening on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Fort Smith Museum of History.
Preview Screening
At 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, the Museum of History will host a preview program featuring three Arkansas‑focused documentaries: James Burton Blair: Nothing But the Truth, The Improbable Life of an Arkansas Giant and Rock Van Winkle | Black Builder of Northwest Arkansas. Tickets are $10.
Festival Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 5
- 5:30 p.m. – Wyndham Fort Smith City Center: Documentary A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot
- 6 p.m. – 5 Star Productions: Kids film Ghostbusters: Half‑Life
- 7 p.m. – Shanny’s Pour House: International feature Broken Spear
- 7:30 p.m. – 5 Star Productions: Skateboarding documentary Driven By Angels
- 8 p.m. – Wyndham Fort Smith City Center: Thriller Inthralled
Friday, Nov. 6
- Noon – Wyndham: Art films
- 1 p.m. – Bakery District: Cisterna program
- 2 p.m. – Wyndham: Animation block
- 3:30 p.m. – Bakery District: International shorts
- 4 p.m. – Wyndham: People of Color documentary
- 5 p.m. – Digs: Poetry shorts
- 7 p.m. – Wyndham: Documentary feature 67 Bombs to Enid
- 7:30 p.m. – Digs: Local feature The Sins of Our Sons
- 7:30 p.m. – 5 Star Productions: Narrative feature Redemption
- 8 p.m. – Bakery District: Narrative feature Odd Fellows
- 9 p.m. – Digs: Local thriller program
Saturday, Nov. 7
- 11 a.m. – Wyndham: Arkansas shorts
- Noon – Bakery District & 5 Star Productions: Short documentaries (Bakery District) and episodics (5 Star Productions)
- 1 p.m. – Wyndham: People of Color shorts
- 1 p.m. – La Huerta: Arkansas documentary feature Ridge to River: The Arkansas Traverse
- 2 p.m. – Bakery District: LGBTQ films
- 2:30 p.m. – 5 Star Productions & 906 Lounge: Mid‑America Film Market shorts (5 Star) and music shorts (906 Lounge)
- 4 p.m. – Wyndham, 906 Lounge & Digs: Alumni shorts (Wyndham), music documentaries (906 Lounge), college shorts (Digs)
- 4:30 p.m. – Bakery District: People of Color documentaries
- 5 p.m. – 5 Star Productions: Arkansas feature The Robbery
- 5:30 p.m. – Garrison Commons & La Huerta: Indigenous shorts (Garrison) and The Great Wagon Race (La Huerta)
- 6 p.m. – Digs: Local shorts
- 6:30 p.m. – Wyndham & 906 Lounge: Oklahoma shorts (Wyndham) and music videos (906 Lounge)
- 6:30 p.m. – Garrison Commons: Indigenous feature Mile Post 398
- 7 p.m. – Bakery District & 5 Star Productions: Thriller program (Bakery) and foreign feature Zhaza (5 Star)
- 7:30 p.m. – La Huerta: Latin documentary feature Latin Clowns Evolution
- 9:30 p.m. – La Huerta: Awards ceremony
Additional Downtown Arts Events
The fourth annual Red Autumn Art Festival will run Nov. 6‑7 at the Wyndham Fort Smith City Center, 700 Rogers Ave. The free event operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and includes a regional art market, live entertainment, student and juried art competitions, and additional independent film screenings. Details are available at redautumn.art.
The inaugural Garrison Arts Walk is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in historic downtown Fort Smith. This free walk will showcase local and regional artists, makers, musicians and performers at participating businesses and outdoor spaces.
Tickets and full programming information for the film festival can be found at FortSmithFilm.com. The festival’s venues include the Wyndham Fort Smith City Center, Bakery District, 5 Star Productions, La Huerta, Fort Smith Museum of History, 906 Lounge, Garrison Commons Pocket Park, Digs and Shanny’s Pour House.
Original reporting: 40/29 News KHBS Fort Smith (local) — read the source article.
