Persistence of Vision Film Festival

01/12/2026

01/10/2026

We’re in full festival orbit today at POV — stacked from daytime discoveries to late-night celebrations. Here’s what you’re catching as you float through Saturday:

🌠 Shorts Block – “All’s Fair in Love & War”
A lineup built for big feelings and sharp turns.

🔥 Fireside Chat
A can’t-miss conversation with award-winning filmmaker Tara Sheffer—inside-the-industry insight, the real path, and a Q&A that’s actually worth staying for.

🌎 Feature Documentary
“This Is Pike County,” directed by Laura Paglin—a documentary that sits with a community under pressure and doesn’t look away.

🥊 Workshop: Stunts 101
Hands-on, high-energy, and practical—led by stunt coordinator/performer Chris Gann (yes, that kind of stunt knowledge).

📝 Inception to Projection Screenwriting Showcase
A celebration of new work from the ITP feature screenwriting class—a live reading by actors on stage!

🥂 Filmmaker Happy Hour
A little decompression, a little networking—say hey, make a friend, meet the brains behind what you just watched.

🎬 Tonight’s Feature
“Abigail Before Beatrice,” from Little Rock native Cassie Keet—tense, intimate, and the kind of story that pulls you in and won’t let go.

🎧 Official Afterparty
We close out the day together—sponsored by SQZBX, with award-winning DJ Mike Poe spinning at Whittington Place.

The full schedule is in the graphics — pick your path and meet us out there. 🌌

01/09/2026

Tonight after the last block of films! 🎬🎉 Don't miss the Women in Film Arkansas After-Party at The Club House with a live performance by Various Blonde from Kansas City.

🥂Join WIFA TONIGHT at the Persistence of Vision Film Festival After Party!

🎟️🎟️Get your tickets to the POV Film Festival in Hot Springs - happening now through Sunday, Jan 9-11
https://www.pov-fest.com/

01/09/2026

🚀 POV Fest launch day is HERE — and we’re going full galactic at the Arlington. ✨ pov-fest.com

Come early, get your bearings, and spend the day bouncing between film blocks, filmmaker moments, and a proper after-party finale.

🎟️ Box Office opens at NOON on the mezzanine.

🪐 Ticket tip: If you bought tickets online and set up an Eventive account, your QR code pass + order tickets live there — and you’ll find the full schedule there too.

We’ll see you in orbit. 🛸✨

ArkansasFilm HotSpringsNationalPark WomenInFilmArkansas

01/09/2026

🚀 POV Fest kicks off today! 🥳🎬 Still need passes? Visit pov-fest.com to get in all the fun at The Arlington Resort Hotel, January 9 - 11!

🎟️ Box Office opens at NOON on the mezzanine.

🪐 Ticket tip: If you bought tickets online and set up an Eventive account, your QR code pass + order tickets live there — and you’ll find the full schedule there too.

🎟️ Purchase a VIP Weekend Pass for $75, or a Day Pass for $25 (Sunday Day Passes $18)

01/08/2026

3 days, 54 films! 🍿🎥 Don't miss Persistence of Vision Film Festival this weekend, January 9 - 11 at The Arlington Resort Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Get your tickets now at pov-fest.com!

01/08/2026

🎬 POV Fest is this weekend at the Arlington Hotel & Spa in Hot Springs!

If you love bold indie stories, filmmaker hang time, and learning a few new tricks for your next project… this lineup is stacked.

✨ What to expect (without the schedule)

• Multiple screening blocks spanning shorts and features — from darkly funny to eerie, emotional, and “what did I just watch?” in the best way.

• Stories that hit everything from identity + intimacy, to crime + consequence, to small-town pressure, to memory, grief, and survival.

• A standout Arkansas-made doc (This is Pike County) that sits with what it means to grow up in a place that’s complicated, tight-knit, and changing.

• A feature that dives into past trauma and a cult’s shadow (Abigail Before Beatrice).

• Filmmaker Meet & Greet + Filmmaker Happy Hour — the easiest way to make new creative friends and swap projects.

• FREE events including:
• A fireside chat with Arkansas-native filmmaker Tara Sheffer (career path + real talk)

• Stunts 101 (how to make it look dangerous—safely)

• DIY Lighting (big cinematic looks without big budgets)

• Inception to Projection Screenwriting Showcase (new work from emerging writers)

• Closing Night Awards Ceremony

🎉 After parties: Day Pass + VIP Pass holders + filmmakers

🥂 VIP Filmmaker Lounge: VIP Pass holders + filmmakers

👉 Full details + tickets + updates: pov–fest.com
Several events are FREE, so come hang — even if you’re just popping in for a workshop or awards.

01/07/2026

It's almost time! 🎬 POV Film Festival kicks off this Friday at The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa with three days of incredible films and so much more. Film Programs Director Jen Ge**er sat down with KATV Channel 7 today to talk all things POV!

Check it out: https://bit.ly/POV2026

Hot Springs is rolling out the red carpet for film enthusiasts with the Persistence of Vision Film Festival, a three-day cinematic extravaganza starting Friday,

01/03/2026

🎥✨ Three days of film in Hot Springs! Join us for the Persistence of Vision Film Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas, January 9 -11, at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa!

🎟️ Tickets available now at: pov26.eventive.org/welcome

01/01/2026

As we step into 2026, we are thrilled to reveal the finalists for the Persistence of Vision FGR Script to Screen Award! Sponsored by Film Gear Rentals, this prestigious award offers a 1-ton grip package, a crew member for 2 production days, and a guaranteed screening at POV 2027!

🏆 Finalists:

🌟 Restroom from Hell by Al Topich
On the day of a critical job interview, a man’s stage fright transforms a simple restroom break into a chaotic, surreal circus of interruptions.

🌟 Rhae's Bouquet by Joseph Pelegreen
A thought-provoking tale where men discover they only hear what they want to hear during a profound conversation.

🌟 Through The Darkness by Garrett Brenneman
A powerful exploration of a husband and wife navigating grief, seeking healing and reconnection amidst their struggles.

Congratulations to all the finalists! 🎬✨ We can’t wait to see these stories come to life on screen in 2026! Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony Sunday, Jan 11

12/22/2025

📽️✨ Exciting News! 🎉
We’re thrilled to announce the nominees for this year's Persistence of Vision Film Festival awards! Congratulations!
Don't miss all the incredible films to come Jan 9-11 at the Arlington Hotel!
🎟 https://pov26.eventive.org/welcome

🏆 Best AR Short:
Leonard Heck by Michael Murray Murray
JJ by Mark Thiedeman
Scratch-Off by Tara Sheffer

🏆 Best Short Outside of Arkansas:
Punter by Jason Adam Maselle
Such Good Friends by Bri Klaproth
Amarela by André Hayato Saito

🏆 Best Screenwriting:
JJ Written by Mark Thiedeman
No Money Down Written by Terrell Case & Eric White
Abigail Before Beatrice Written by Cassie Keet

🏆 Best Director:
Raccoon Soup Directed by Janie Gentry
Leonard Heck Directed by Michael Murray Murray
Three-Ball Directed by Jacob McKellar

🏆 Best Cinematography:
JJ - Cinematography by Chris Churchill
Leonard Heck - Cinematography by Janson Jones
Three-Ball Cinematography by Preston Moody

🏆 Best Actor:
Jake Partain (Three-Ball)
Eric White (No Money Down)
Connor Leker (Cardinal)

🏆 Best Actress:
Ashley Shelton (Scratch-Off)
Megan Wilcox (Raccoon Soup)
Olivia Taylor Dudley (Abigail Before Beatrice)

🥳 Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 11th, at the POV awards ceremony. Don’t miss it! 🎬💫🎥

12/19/2025

🎥✨ Exciting News! The schedule is officially for LIVE, and tickets are now on sale for the Persistence of Vision Film Festival! 🌟
🎟https://pov26.eventive.org/welcome