ArkTimes.com: Bentonville Film Fest continues

Twenty-five years after the film "Thelma and Louise" was released, the uphill battle to tell more women’s stories onscreen is still being waged: Studies estimate that the ratio of men to women in G-rated films is somewhere around 3 to 1, and the disproportionate representation of men to women in production roles is even greater. Geena Davis, half of the beloved film’s radiant duo, is working to make a serious dent in those trends with her Institute on Gender and Media, an initiative that seeks to "engage, educate, and influence the need to dramatically improve gender balance, reduce stereotyping and create diverse female characters in entertainment targeting children 11 and under."

To that end, the foundation launched a large-scale, multi-venue film festival in Northwest Arkansas last year featuring films germane to the mission. The 2015 inaugural festival saturated downtown Bentonville with screenings, discussions, a marathon of live music put together by cinema gurus Joey Lauren Adams and Mitchell Crisp, and even a baseball game featuring Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell as captains of opposing teams with rosters populated by their fellow castmates from the film "A League of Their Own," which is to be reprised this year.

Bolstered by the success of its 2015 debut, Davis expects this second iteration to double last year’s attendance, and with AMC among the festival’s nearly 60 corporate sponsors, it’s now the only film festival in the world to guarantee theater and retail distribution to its winners. Among the films to catch is "Citizen Soldier," which tells the true story of the Oklahoma National Guard 45th Thunderbirds Brigade on its tour of duty in Afghanistan. The documentary includes real footage shot on helmet cameras, and was created under the advisement of Hendrix alum and former Department of Defense analyst Wendy Anderson, who left her work with the government to join a media group dedicated to telling the stories of men and women in uniform.

If you’re inclined to catch something a bit lighter, go see Rebecca Miller’s star-laden "Maggie’s Plan," a romantic comedy about a woman (Greta Gerwig) who has fallen out of love with her husband (Ethan Hawke), and decides to reunite him with his ex-wife (Julianne Moore). See bentonvillefilmfestival.com for a schedule of screenings.

Taken From: http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/bentonville-film-fest-continues/Content?oid=4395547

Alexander Malone writes articles for fun, entertainment and business field. He has also contributed to Wikipedia, Squidoo and Hubpages. His articles have been published in print as well as online magazines.