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The 2025 edition of Variety's Storytellers to Watch list will be hosted by the Arkansas Cinema Society during Filmland August 13-17th at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock. As the entertainment industry’s publication of record, Variety seeks to highlight creatives who are making waves across a spectrum of disciplines. Like similar lists for actors, animators, screenwriters and directors, Variety’s Storytellers to Watch continues their tradition of spotlighting visionaries in the entertainment industry. This list focuses on podcasters, graphic novelists, playwrights, musical theater creators, singer-songwriters and novelists — storytellers working in old media and new who have found exciting new ways to grab audiences and create a profound connection.
The Storytellers to Watch list previously included such artists as composers Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, whose musical “Six” features the stories of King Henry VIII’s wives, has become a global sensation; writer Kristen Roupenian, whose New Yorker short story “Cat Person” was optioned as a project for Elizabeth Banks, and the remaining short stories in Roupenian’s collection, “You Know You Want This” (Gallery/Scout Press), were optioned by HBO. Her first script, “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies,” was sold to A24 and turned into a horror hit. Other Storytellers featured on the list include singer/songwriters Tenille Townes and Ingrid Andress, novelists Britt Bennett and Kiley Reid and playwright Lauren Yee.
Arkansas Cinema Society is excited to partner with Variety at Filmland again this year. Filmland brings the best storytellers to the state capital each year highlighting films, television shows, masterclasses, and educational programs for audiences presented at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.
“We’re honored that Variety has chosen Filmland and Arkansas as the home for this year’s Storytellers to Watch,” said Kathryn Tucker, executive director and co-founder of Filmland and the Arkansas Cinema Society. “This partnership is a beacon for the groundbreaking voices emerging from across the country — and right here in Arkansas. We are thrilled to show the world that storytelling thrives in every corner, not just the coasts. This is not only an exciting moment for the storytellers, but a proud one for our entire creative community here in Arkansas.”
About Variety’s deadline for submissions is June 20th. Candidates or their representatives can find more details and submit their relevant qualifications by clicking on this link.
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.
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.
At ACS, we believe that if we provide filmmakers an arena to exhibit their talents, and film enthusiasts a healthy diet of quality programming, we can inspire more Arkansans to make and watch more films. By supporting filmmakers, festivals, theaters and young people interested in filmmaking throughout the state, we hope to create statewide network, pool Arkansas’s resources and be an umbrella organization that feeds all things film. We believe a rising tide lifts all boats.
To be a filmmaker, we have to connect to create. A painter needs a brush, paint and a canvas. A director needs a writer, a cinematographer, a sound mixer, production designer, editor, actors, distributors, and an audience. We cannot do it alone. This art form forces one to collaborate and thus, creates jobs. Filmmaking is unique in the arts in this way. It takes an army.
