The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is a

documentary film festivals Documentary film festivals are film festivals devoted solely to documentary film, which is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originall ...

held annually in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

. The festival began in 1991, with a screening of ten

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated documentaries.

Overview

The festival screens 100 documentaries each year and is recognized by the International Documentary Association and the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

as one of seven national

qualifying venues. The festival has held monthly screenings throughout the year and mini-festivals in Fayetteville, El Dorado,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. It has also collaborated with the

Hot Springs Music Festival The Hot Springs Music Festival is a not-for-profit educational music festival held in Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Moun ...

History

Notable attendees have included Ken Burns,

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Ac ...

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

, Diane Ladd,

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cro ...

Louis Black Louis Black is a co-founder of '' The Austin Chronicle'', an alternative weekly newspaper published in Austin, Texas, and was the newspaper's editor from its inception until his retirement on August 8, 2017. He has written over 600 articles i ...

Tig Notaro Mathilde O'Callaghan "Tig" Notaro (born March 24, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actress. She is known for her deadpan comedy. Her acclaimed album ''Live'' was nominated in 2014 for the Grammy Award for Be ...

Waad Al-Kateab Waad Al-Kateab ( ar, وعد الخطيب; born ) is the pseudonym of a Syrian journalist, filmmaker, and activist. Her documentary, ''For Sama'' (2019), was nominated for four BAFTAs at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards, winning for Best Docu ...

, Nanfu Wan, Garrett Bradley, Samuel D. Pollard,

Freda Kelly Freda Kelly (born 14 July 1945) is an Irish secretary who was employed by the Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein from 1962 through 1972, and was president of the group's official fan club. Kelly worked with the band as it rose from local popu ...

Tess Harper Tessie Jean Harper (''née'' Washam; born August 15, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's '' Tender Mercies'', and for the Academy Award for B ...

Chris Strachwitz Chris Strachwitz (born July 1, 1931) is a German-born American record label executive and record producer. He is the founder and president of Arhoolie Records, which he established in 1960 and which became one of the leading labels recording a ...

and

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

. In 2014, it was chosen to be an

Qualifier in the Documentary Short Subject category.

References

External links

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Film festivals in Arkansas Documentary film festivals in the United States Culture of Hot Springs, Arkansas {{US-film-festival-stub

Overview

History

See also

References

External links