The 29th Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival opens today and continues through Oct. 17, showcasing 110 feature-length and short films from 30 different countries.
As with most institutions this year, the film festival has made some concessions to the corona virus pandemic, adopting a virtual and drive-in approach to the screenings. Movies, panels, question-and-answer sessions and workshops will be available via the festival's virtual platform at the website hsdfi.org.
Screenings include drive-in showings of Mary Wharton's "Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President," Laura Gabbert's "Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles" and Julia Reichart and Steven Bognar's "9to5: The Story of a Movement."
Those three gala showings will take place at Hot Springs Mall, 4501 Central Ave. Hot Springs. These pop-up drive-in screenings are organized via a partnership among the mall, Visit Hot Springs, Low Key Arts and KUHS. They happen today, Tuesday and then again on Oct. 16.
Shorts programs are arranged according to theme, such as "Southern Lens," "Sports!" and "Larger Than Life."
This year's lineup of films has a strong element of diversity with filmmakers of color representing 47% of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival features. Women directed more than half of this year's movies.
(For more information on buying tickets and passes, and for additional details about the Hot Springs Documentary Film festival, visit hsdfi.org.)