Press Conference: January 23, 2025 Thursday, 11 AM
Location: Fort Smith Convention Center
Fort Smith, ARK – The River Valley Film Society is proud to announce its 5th Annual Film Festival and the 2nd Annual MidAmerica Film Market, set to take place August 7-9 at the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Submissions officially open January 24 and close May 2. Creators worldwide are invited to submit their works, including feature-length and short films, television series/episodics, animation, and music videos.
Over the past four years, the festival has attracted an impressive 1,754 submissions from more than 80 countries, nations, and tribes. We need dozens of volunteers to help us screen the movies we receive. Filmmakers can submit their films on FilmFreeway through FortSmithFilm.com and screeners can go to the volunteer tab.
True to its mission, the 5th annual festival will celebrate diverse voices, with a special emphasis on Indigenous stories and films by People of Color. The 2024 festival showcased 20 Indigenous films, including the historic debut of the first film produced by the Quapaw Nation. Building on this momentum, the 2025 event aims to further amplify underrepresented voices in the film industry.
“The Fort Smith International Film Festival and MidAmerica Film Market have always been about creating a platform for voices that deserve to be heard,” said Dr. Brandon Chase Goldsmith, Executive Director of the festival. “Our mission is to celebrate the power of storytelling across cultures while also playing a vital role in developing the region’s creative economy. By bringing filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences together, we’re not just fostering cultural exchange, we’re building opportunities for growth, innovation, and collaboration in our community.”
The MidAmerica Film Market, now in its second year, is an integral part of this year’s event. Positioned within a six-hour radius of Fort Smith, the market reaches major creative hubs, including Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, Jackson, Shreveport, and Dallas. This strategic location makes it a key resource for independent filmmakers and producers across the region. In the first year, one feature length film was signed and several others are in distribution talks.
The market’s focus is on growing the creative economy by providing essential resources for filmmakers, such as:
- Workshops on film distribution, finance, marketing, and branding strategies.
- Networking opportunities with industry professionals and distributors.
- Support for independent productions aiming to reach broader audiences.
“The Fort Smith International Film Festival is a showcase of our community and its growing role in the global creative landscape,” said Lynn Wasson, President of the River Valley Film Society. “By highlighting diverse stories and filmmakers from around the world, we’re inspiring local artists, fostering connections, and promoting all our region has to offer. This festival is proof of the powerful impetus the arts can be for our community.”
We invite the press and the public to join us this Thursday at 11 AM at the Fort Smith Convention Center for a press conference unveiling additional festival highlights and key details for the 2025 event.
For more information, please contact:
Brandon Goldsmith
Executive Director
(858) 405-3278
