Hot Springs, AR (April 7, 2026) – The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, in partnership with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), will launch its America250 series on April 23 as part of the 153-year-old 1890 Land-Grant HBCU’s Founders’ Week celebration by co-hosting this year’s UAPB Film Festival, along with a screening of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary short The Baddest Speechwriter of All directed by Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot and basketball legend Stephen Curry.
“This event is especially meaningful given UAPB’s deep historical connection to the Civil Rights Movement,” said UAPB Chancellor Dr. Anthony Graham. “By bringing this film to our campus, we are not only honoring that legacy but also empowering our students to understand their role in shaping the future through storytelling, scholarship, and civic engagement. At UAPB, we are committed to creating transformative learning experiences that prepare students to lead and make meaningful contributions to society.”
In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, HSDFF is curating a special series of documentaries this spring and summer throughout the state of Arkansas that highlight key moments in American history, themes that unify us as a country, and core values epitomized in the Declaration of Independence. Events in HSDFF’s America250 series will take place April through June in Arkansas cities including Pine Bluff, Fayetteville, Little Rock, and Hot Springs.
“For the launch of the America250 series, we are thrilled to be partnering with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which is the state’s oldest HBCU,” said Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Executive Director Ken Jacobson. “By co-hosting the UAPB Film Festival — which features four new UAPB student films — as well as the exceptional new documentary The Baddest Speechwriter of All, we are, in one special evening, uplifting emerging filmmakers and spotlighting this wonderful new work from Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry that profiles a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement.”
HSDFF Board Chair LaTricia Hill-Chandler, added, “As Board Chair of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, I am proud to see this partnership bring together storytelling, history, and education in such a meaningful way. I am especially honored to collaborate with UAPB, an institution with such a rich legacy, to create opportunities for students and communities to engage, learn, and lead through initiatives like America250 and the power of documentary film.”
“We are excited to be partnering with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival this year to show our students’ films,” said Randy Kelley, Television Program Manager, UAPB TV. “This lets our Multimedia Communication students that are interested in film know that we are doing great things and getting recognized for that hard work.”
“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in advancing the art of film at UAPB,” said Mary Hester-Clifton, Director of Communications. “Partnerships like this elevate student voices, expand creative pathways, and strengthen our commitment to storytelling as a powerful tool for education and impact.”
As part of the event, Tim Johnson, one of the editors of The Baddest Speechwriter of All, will participate in a colloquium with students, as well as a Q&A following the film. Produced in UAPB’s Department of Multimedia Communication, the four student films to be featured are: “The Shine King” (directed by Mari’Neisha Hardrick), “Jefferson” (directed by Mari’Neisha Hardrick), “The Making of Jefferson” (directed by Jackson Williams) and “Ghosts” (directed by Jackson Williams).
The Baddest Speechwriter of All profiles the fascinating life and career of Dr. Clarence B. Jones. In the film, Dr. Jones, now 95, who worked as Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s lawyer and speechwriter, reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.
Tying the film together with the history of the University is a stirring commencement speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at Arkansas AM&N College, now UAPB, in 1958, one year after the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School, a seminal event in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
Held at the University’s S.J. Parker, 1890 Building Auditorium, the event begins at 6:00PM with introductory remarks by UAPB Chancellor Dr. Anthony Graham, followed by the film screenings, and Q&As with all the filmmakers. The event is preceded by a reception in the Auditorium lobby at 5:00PM.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended but not required. To register and for more information on the screening, please visit: hsdfi.org.
Event partners include the UAPB Department of Multimedia Communication, UAPB Office of Communications, UAPB Founders’ Week Committee, Arkansans for the Arts, and Gateway Community Association in Hot Springs. The Gateway Community Association (GCA), formerly the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Association, is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization registered with the State of Arkansas. The mission GCA is “To bring residents, property owners and businesses together to address the needs, issues and problems of the Gateway Community.”
Support for the event is provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ABOUT HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Each fall, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival attracts thousands of visitors to this unique 9-day event. Now approaching its 35th year as the oldest all-documentary festival in North America, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival remains a prominent champion of the documentary film genre.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFF
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is an 1890 Land-Grant HBCU with a diverse student population, competitive degree offerings and stellar faculty. For over 152 years, UAPB has worked to create an environment that emphasizes learning, growth and productivity while affording a basic need to its students: a chance to advance. UAPB offers certificate and associate degree programs, more than 50 undergraduate and master’s degree programs, and a doctoral program in Aquaculture/Fisheries. Students are active in more than 100 organizations, including an internationally renowned Vesper Choir, Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4) Band, Concert Bands, Wind Symphony and an accomplished athletics program.