Geena Davis is largely known for on-camera acting roles – from “Thelma & Louis” to “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and “Stuart Little” – but in recent years she has become increasingly active behind the scenes.

These days, Davis is known for advocating for inclusivity in the film industry, and that work continues this week at the Bentonville Film Festival, which focuses on diversity and equity in the film industry.

What You Need To Know

  • The Bentonville Film Festival is dedicated to championing women, persons with disabilities, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and API voices in media and entertainment

  • More than 75% of the competition program is comprised of women or gender non-conforming content creators; 60% are BIPOC, Asian, or Pacific Islander industry professionals; 55% are part of the LGBTQIA+ community; 15% of creators are over 50 years old; and over 30% of the program is comprised of creators with disabilities

  • Davis says while strides have been made to diversify on-camera acting roles, behind the scene it has been much more difficult for Hollywood to become more inclusive

She sat down with Annika Pergament to talk about the festival’s mission. Here’s an excerpt from that interview:

Q: Tell us why you felt the need to start this festival?

A: A big goal of the festival is for the population of people making films to reflect the real population which is half female and incredibly diverse, so I don’t think that’s you know, kind of a Herculean goal, I think that should be easy…. Part of what we’re doing at the festival is showing how brilliant and how commercial it can be to have these other voices you know, being heard and expressing themselves. People come away from watching our films being just dazzled because they’re so great…This is about showing a vision of what we can become.

Q: Is that what sets it apart from other festivals, the entirety of the film process?

A: Yeah, we really go very far, set the bar very high to elevate the voices of underrepresented segments of the population.

Q: You’ve done so many things aside from your acting career. What is it about you and what advice do you give somebody at that point in their life that there might be more?

A: I just say if you think of something you want to try, go for it. I have a tick or a quirk where if I get involved with something or interested in something, I have to go to the Olympics, and you know I have to take it as far as you can possibly go so I have to actually be careful of what I get involved in because it’ll take over my life.