What do we learn from film festivals?

Mr. Lodge was quick to cover the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, perhaps the most elite in all of cinema, and one that was a springboard for several 2007 Oscar films, “No Country for Old Men,” certainly (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” was shamelessly excluded from Oscar consideration, although it won the top prize at Cannes). The Tribeca Film Festival, a result of Robert De Niro’s vision, recently wrapped in lower Manhattan. Sundance, the hot spot for indy cinema, concluded months ago.

And while these marquee festivals dominate the news (the chic New York Film Festival takes place in autumn) it’s the wealth of smaller festivals, from Nashville to Connecticut to Tupelo, that allow for muchof the years best independent cinema to find an audience (and in many cases a distributor).

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a fine independent film made in Arkansas. “Shotgun Stories” found its audience on the film festival circuit, traveling the world screening, practically, in front of anyone that would see it. It was buried in the wealth of offerings at Tribeca, although New York magazine managed to note it (this was almost a year before the film was reviewed favorably by critic David Edelstein). In 2007 it was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Tomorrow, the Little Rock Film Festival begins its second season. It was founded by documentary filmmakers Craig and Brent Renaud (along with their good friends Owen Brainard and Jamie Moses) who were recently nominated for Director’s Guild Award for their elaborate and compelling documentary “Off to War.” They recently completed a film for HBO on Little Rock Central High School. It was released in conjunction with the 50^th anniversary of the desegregation crisis last September.

By virtue of their background, the festival brings a wealth of documentaries to town. Last year, “War/Dance,” a festival entry, was nominated for an Academy Award. This year, several documentaries may be worthy of Academy acclaim, including one in particular, “Silhouette City.” It is a film about the rise of religious extremism in the United States. Several notable religious figures appear, including former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, James Dobson and Rick Scarborough. The film is directed by Michael Wilson.

On the feature film front, it’s hard to overlook “War Eagle, Arkansas,” a film written by Graham Gordy (the upcoming “The Love Guru”). It stars Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham and Dan McCabe who recently appeared in “The Namesake.” You’ll hear more about him. Like “Shotgun Stories,” this film could find its way up the independent awards chain, maybe all the way to California on the eve of the Oscars.

In 2000, an up-and-coming director named Jason Reitman directed a short film called “In God We Trust.” It won an award at the Austin Film Festival. Last year, he was nominated for an Oscar for his stunning and hilarious film “Juno.” Filmmakers, actors and writers benefit greatly from these festivals. And so do moviegoers along the communities that support them. Fortunately, we’ve got a gem of a festival right here in Little Rock.