Arkansas’s Filmland Fest Announces Winners, Ben Harrison’s The Robbery Takes Audience Award-Arkansas Feature

The 9th Arkansas Cinema Society’s Filmland film festival wrapped up with the filmmaker awards, where Ben Harrison’s The Robbery took home the Audience Award for Filmland: Arkansas Feature

Harrison received a Panavision New Filmmaker Program Equipment Grant of $60,000.

Alexander Jeffery’s The Old Man at the Bar took the Audience Award for Filmland: Arkansas Pro Short Film, and Caleb Ferguson’s My Little Sunrise won the Audience Award for Filmland: Arkansas Student Short.

Kenneth Farmer received the Yancey Prosser Acting Award for his performance in Princeton James’ Hoop Street.

Levi Agee was the winner of the Filmland: Arkansas Short Film Pitch Contest with his pitch for The Adoption of Micah. In an emotional acceptance, Agee said he hadn’t made a film in more than 10 years. His winning pitch won him a $5000 cash prize, a generous Lighting and Grip Equipment Grant from Film Gear Rentals and a guaranteed premiere screening at Filmland 2027.

ACS Executive Director Kathryn Tucker commented on the succesful edition, saying, “This year, Filmland broke records across the board – in submissions, audiences, ticket sales, media attention, and the grants and cash prizes we were able to award to Arkansas filmmakers. Helping Arkansas storytellers tell their stories here at home is at the heart of our mission, and having filmmakers like Kelly O’Sullivan, Joe Swanberg and Josephine Decker alongside incredible Arkansas talent – and Matthew McConaughey here supporting that mission – was a tremendous boost for our film community. Thanks to partners Variety, LRCVB, Panavision, and all our generous sponsors, we’ve grown every year, but this year we really saw the fruits of nearly a decade of work. And seeing that growing film community supported across the aisle – with the Governor, state legislators, and the Mayor of Little Rock all showing up – felt incredibly encouraging for the future of film in Arkansas.”

2026 Filmland Film Festival Filmmaker Award Winners

Filmland: Arkansas Feature Audience Award
The Robbery
Directed by: Ben Harrison

Professional Shorts Audience Award
The Old Man at the Bar
Directed by: Alexander Jeffery

Student Shorts Audience Award
My Little Sunrise
Directed by: Caleb Ferguson

Yancey Prosser Acting Award
Kenneth Farmer (Hoop Street)

Arkansas Cinema Society Pitch Contest Winner
Levi Agee (The Adoption of Micah)