Filmland returns as the Arkansas Cinema Society brings the hottest films and upcoming fall releases with Arkansas ties to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock this August 13–17, 2025. The annual celebration of cinema will spotlight rising talent with Variety’s newly announced “10 Storytellers to Watch” list, continue to attract  acclaimed voices in film, and showcase the diverse voices of the Natural State.

This year’s opening night (Wednesday, August 13th) will feature a special sneak preview of Americana, with Emmy & Golden Globe winner Paul Walter Hauser (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Luckiest Man in America, The Naked Gun) and University of Arkansas graduate writer/director Tony Tost (Poker Face, Longmire) in attendance. Other films include Tow, directed by Stephanie Laing (Palm Royale, Veep, Your Friends & Neighbors) and The Threesome (shot in Little Rock), directed by Chad Hartigan (Morris From America, Little Fish)—both followed by filmmaker Q+As.

These three films join Filmland: Arkansas and Variety’s Storytellers to Watch List for a thrilling Filmland 2025 lineup, with more screenings, workshops, and guests to be revealed soon. Tickets will be available once all programming is announced.

Since launching in 2018, Filmland has brought top talent to the state along with their films. The Tyson Family Foundation returns this year as Filmland’s Headline Presenting Sponsor, reinforcing its continued commitment to supporting the creative economy in Arkansas.

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"ACS and the Tyson Family Foundation have shared values and missions in the domain of cultivating and advancing the arts in Arkansas," said John R. Tyson. "ACS is doing a fantastic job of nurturing and curating the film industry so our state can bring in more jobs and be a cultural touchstone in the region. We are proud to continue our support of Filmland, one of the preeminent film festivals in the South.”

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Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Gina Gemberling is proud of how ACS has raised the profile of the arts and culture in Arkansas and Little Rock as a destination.

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“The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to support the Arkansas Cinema Society and Filmland as part of our ongoing commitment to arts and culture in our capital city,” said Gemberling. “Events like this not only highlight emerging and established filmmakers but also enhance the quality of life and position Little Rock as a vibrant destination for creativity, storytelling, and artistic experiences.”

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Each year, ACS has the privilege of welcoming distinguished filmmakers and actors,alongside our esteemed industry partners, Variety and Panavision, said ACS Executive Director Kathryn Tucker. “We love having the opportunity to be the first in the state to showcase Arkansas-connected films like Americana and The Threesome alongside future awards contenders like we have in the past with Nomadland, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and Sing Sing. At its heart, filmmaking is about connection and Filmland is a fun, immersive weekend designed for exactly that.”

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AMERICANA

Americana stars Hauser along with Syndney Sweeney, Halsey, Eric Dane and Simon Rex. Lionsgate will release the film exclusively in theaters nationwide on August 15th but the audience at Filmland will get a special sneak preview. The synopsis reads: “A gallery of dynamic characters clash over the possession of a rare Native American artifact in this wildly entertaining modern-day western. After the artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sydney Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Paul Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal (Eric Dane) working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer (Simon Rex). Bloodshed ensues when others join the battle, including the leader of an indigenous group (Zahn McClarnon) and a desperate woman fleeing her mysterious past (Halsey).” The film is written and directed by Tony Tost and produced by Alex Saks.

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Tost is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Creative Writing MFA program and a part-time Fayetteville resident. He has served as the showrunner for shows such as Poker Face and Damnation. He is looking forward to sharing the film with Arkansans.

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"I'm very excited to have my first film screen as part of Filmland here in my adopted home of Arkansas,” said Tost. “In making Americana, I wanted to return to the kinds of stories that made me fall in love with the movies in the first place. That mostly means Westerns, ‘70s drive-in movies, and independent films from the ‘90s. My hope is that our movie can bring those types of old school pleasures while also providing a fresh perspective on the Western genre and some unexpected surprises along the way."

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THE THREESOME

Dubbed a “sweet, sexy and smart” rom-com by Deadline, The Threesome was filmed in Little Rock. Director Chad Hartigan will attend Filmland for a special Q+A after its Arkansas premiere, hot off the heels of its world premiere at SXSW last Spring.

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The Threesome stars Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruby Cruz, Jaboukie Young-White and Julia Sweeney. The logline reads: “A spontaneous night between longtime friends Olivia (Deutch) and Connor (Hauer-King) with a stranger, Jenny (Cruz), sparks romance, pregnancy, and a tangled, heartfelt journey into adulthood.” Indiewire says, “Chad Hartigan's surprisingly dramatic story about a three-way gone wrong imagines a new kind of rom-com for the messiness of the modern world.”

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TOW

Having premiered to rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival, Tow tells the true story of Amanda Ogle (Rose Byrne), a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. In their review Deadline said, “Byrne simply inhabits this human being in ways that have us rooting for her and hoping for some kind of happy ending.”

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Along with Byrne, Tow stars Octavia Spencer, Corbin Bernsen, Ariana Debose, Simon Rex and Demi Lavato. Director Stephanie Laing will attend Filmland for a special Q+A after the screening.

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VARIETY RETURNS

The Arkansas Cinema Society will host Variety’s 2025 Storytellers to Watch List during Filmland. As the entertainment industry’s leading publication, Variety highlights visionary creatives across disciplines. This list celebrates emerging talent in podcasting, graphic novels, playwriting, musical theater, songwriting, and fiction—storytellers who are reshaping how audiences connect with narrative. Variety’s Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge will also be on-hand during the festival.

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Filmland is made possible by ACS Headline Presenting Sponsor: the Tyson Family Foundation; Premiere Presenting Sponsor: the Rahman Family Fund; Presenting Sponsor: Saracen Casino Resort; Workshop Sponsor: the Windgate Foundation; Marketing Partner: Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; Promotional Partner: the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism; Industry Partner: Panavision;  Media Partner: Variety; and Youth Education Partner: City of Little Rock.

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ABOUT PAUL WALTER HAUSER

Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award winner Paul Walter Hauser is a force to be reckoned with. Hauser is best known for AppleTV+’s Black Bird, where he starred opposite Taron Egerton and received critical acclaim for his work, including an Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for his performance. Hauser is widely known for his scene-stealing performance as 'Shawn Eckhardt’ in Craig Gillespie's I, Tonya starring opposite Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney. Following the success of I, Tonya, Hauser landed another breakout role as ‘Ivanhoe’ in Spike Lee's Blackkklansman, which earned a statue at the 2019 Oscars. Hauser gained critical acclaim from his performance in Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell for Warner Bros. starring in the titular role opposite a star-studded supporting cast of Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde. Among Hauser’s other credits is his widely known, fan favorite role as “Stingray”in Netflix's smash hit Cobra Kai having recurred in series since 2019.

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This summer, Hauser has three tentpole projects. He will join the MCU in Disney’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Paramount Pictures’ The Naked Gun and the modern-day Western Americana opposite Sydney Sweeney and Halsey. This Fall, Hauser will star in 20th Century’s Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White, Deliver Me From Nowhere, where he will portray Springsteen’s longtime guitar tech Mike Batlan.

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Hauser is repped by WME, Artist’s First and The Lede Company.

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ABOUT TONY TOST

Tony Tost's first film as a writer-director -- Americana starring Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, and Halsey -- will be in theaters August 15th. Tost served as the showrunner for the second season of Poker Face, the Rian Johnson-created mystery show starring Natasha Lyonne now available on Peacock. Tost was also the creator and showrunner of Damnation, which aired on the USA Network and Netflix. Other TV credits include Longmire and The Terror: Infamy. He's also the author of Johnny Cash's American Recordings, an entry in the 33 1/3 book series about classic music albums, and two poetry collections including Invisible Bride, winner of the 2003 Walt Whitman Award. Tost received an MFA in poetry from the University of Arkansas and splits residence between Fayetteville, Arkansas and Los Angeles.

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ABOUT CHAD HARTIGAN

Chad Hartigan was born in Nicosia, Cyprus and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking. His first feature as writer/director, Luke And Brie Are On A First Date premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2008 and was remade for Latin American audiences in 2013 as LUNA EN LEO, which earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Argentinian Oscars. His second feature, This Is Martin Bonner premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best of NEXT and went on to also win the John Cassavetes Award at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards. His third feature, Morris From America premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and a Special Jury Prize for Acting. It was released by A24, garnering nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Awards and a special citation by the National Board of Review. His fourth feature, Little Fish, a romance set during a fictional pandemic, was ironically delayed due to a very real pandemic and released by IFC Films in 2021 to critical acclaim. The Threesome is his fifth feature.

ABOUT STEPHANIE LAING

Sundance Alumni Stephanie Laing is an Emmy-winning director, writer, and producer. Laing recently wrapped production on feature film, Tow, under her newly launched Cake or Death Pictures. Tow, which Laing also directs, is the inspirational true story of Amanda Ogle, an unhoused Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and the car that held it all together after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. Tow just had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival in the Spotlight Narrative film category and stars Rose Byrne as Ogle.

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On the television side, Laing most recently directed 3 episodes in season one of Apple TV+’s hit Jon Hamm series Your Friends and Neighbors, and she is currently in production directing 6 episodes for season two which she’s also an Executive Producer on. She also recently directed multiple episodes of Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated series Palm Royale starring Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, and Ricky Martin. Laing also directed 24 of 30 episodes and served as an Executive Producer on the Emmy-nominated series Physical starring Rose Byrne on Apple TV+. Prior to this, she was the series director of Jez Butterworth’s Mammals starring Sally Hawkins and James Corden for Amazon Prime. A Sundance alumni, Laing’s pilot Bootstrapped starring Sam Richardson was an official selection of Sundance in 2019. Laing’s additional TV credits include, HBO Max’s Made For Love starring Billy Magnussen and Cristin Millioti, Love Life starring Anna Kendrick, and HBO’s hit comedy series Veep which ran for seven seasons and won over 15 Primetime Emmy Awards. Up next in TV, Laing is directing the adaptation of Claire Vaye Watkins’ I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness.

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ABOUT VARIETY

Variety is the #1 entertainment business news brand. Now celebrating its 119th year, Variety remains the most read showbiz publication in the world with over 32MM unique users and 12.7MM social followers. Featuring award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players, Variety is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded content, events and summits. For more information, please visit www.variety.com.

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ABOUT FILMLAND

Over the last seven years, Filmland has been honored to host award-winning filmmakers like actors Colman Domingo, Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Will Forte, Ted Danson, David Arquette and ACS board member Mary Steenburgen along with directors including Chloé Zhao, Richard Linklater, David Lowery, Neil LaBute, David Gordon Green and Jeff Nichols; and producers such as Evan Hayes, Jayme Lemons, Christina McLarty Arquette, Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. Filmland has showcased award-winning films such as Sing Sing, The Bikeriders, Nomadland, The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Free Solo from top festivals like Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Venice before they had a theatrical release in Arkansas. Each screening features a Q+A moderated by Writer/director and ACS Co-founder Jeff Nichols, board members or staff and every night wraps with a party for filmmakers and attendees. Filmland also features selections from Filmland: Arkansas and the short film created each year by our Filmmaking Lab for Teen Girls. More information at Filmland.org.

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ABOUT THE ARKANSAS CINEMA SOCIETY

Arkansas Cinema Society (ACS) is a non-profit committed to building a film community in Arkansas where film lovers can watch films, share ideas, connect with each other, and nurture the new and existing film talent within our state through increased exposure to filmmakers and their art. Memberships are available to the public who may wish to dive into educational videos, member-only tickets, movie swag, and more. Those interested in supporting ACS can visit their website at www.arkansascinemasociety.org.

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ABOUT THE ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Founded in 1937, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, offering a unique blend of visual, educational, and performing arts experiences. AMFA is committed to featuring diverse media and artistic perspectives within its permanent collection as well as through rotating temporary exhibitions. AMFA’s international collection spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper, and includes notable holdings by artists from Arkansas, the South, and across the United States and Europe.  

With a vibrant mix of ideas, cultures, people, and places, the museum extends its commitment to artistic diversity through the innovative Windgate Art School, a dynamic children’s theatre and performing arts program, and community-focused educational programs for all ages. Located in Little Rock’s oldest urban green space, MacArthur Park, AMFA’s landmark building and grounds are designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects.