“One of the best fests in the country.” Tim Basham, Paste Magazine
The Little Rock Film Festival is held each spring on the banks of the Arkansas River. Centered in the thriving historic River Market District of Little Rock–home to the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library–and in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, the LRFF showcases the best international films and the best in narrative, documentary, and short films from around the World. Every film in competition at the LRFF makes its Arkansas premiere, and many are regional, national or world premieres.
Both of the Little Rock Film Festival winners of the Golden Rock Award in 2010 went on to be nominated for Oscars.
The Little Rock Film Festival is also the premiere festival for all things Southern. Each year the $10,000 Oxford American Magazine Award is given to the best Southern-themed film. The LRFF has nourished a thriving local film scene as well, premiering the best work from around the state of Arkansas.
Making International Filmmakers Feel at Home
In the spirit of Southern hospitality, the LRFF strives to create the most enjoyable environment a festival can offer. Each day from June 1-5, the festival is packed with international filmmakers, films, panels and workshops. At night we showcase some of the best parties on the festival circuit, including our already legendary RiverBoat Cruise, the Oxford American Opening Night Block Party, and the Arkansas Times Closing Night Gala and Awards Ceremony in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center.
The LRFF is co‐founded by filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud, who have insisted on a festival centered around the international filmmakers who visit from around the World. Thanks to some of our film festival sponsors, visiting filmmakers receive financial assistance for airfare and hotels in downtown Little Rock, and enjoy the VIP benefits of free drinks and food at festival events.
One of “25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”
Last year more than 25,000 people attended the LRFF with over 100 films screened, prompting MovieMaker Magazine to name the LRFF one of the “25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”. Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette said “the festival felt like a watershed event in [Arkansas'] cultural trajectory. It was so well organized, so thoughtfully programmed and so gratifyingly conceived that there’s no reason not to pronounce it a complete, thrilling success.”
The LRFF makes a point of keeping the price of admission low. A Festival Bronze Pass which includes admission to films, panels, and workshops is only $40. The LRFF is committed to promoting the film industry in Arkansas and partnering with local organizations and businesses in continuing the growth and development of Downtown Little Rock.
Support for the Little Rock Film Festival is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.