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Tickets to the Arkansas Cinema Society’s screening of Matthew McConaughey’s latest movie — along with a Q&A with him and Arkansas’ own Jeff Nichols — sold out in 90 seconds when they went online last month. So the nonprofit organization added another opportunity.
Organizers called it “McConaughey Day,” and the signature events on Friday, Aug. 14, gave audience members an up-close, candid look at the Academy Award winner and Variety Legend and Groundbreaker Award winner’s storied career.
The Arkansas Cinema Society’s Filmland is an annual event that celebrates cinema with a focus on nurturing and inspiring filmmakers in Arkansas. It aims to expose Arkansans to filmmakers and their art by hosting a variety of activities including screenings, workshops, and panel discussions featuring both local and international filmmakers.
The additional 3:30 p.m. event, titled “A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey and Jeff Nichols,” was standing room only in the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Performing Arts Theater, with overflow seating and a simulcast in the adjacent lecture hall.
The 6 p.m. screening of “The Rivals of Amziah King” offered an exclusive preview of the film that debuts in movie theaters Aug. 21.
An actor and producer, McConaughey is known for starring roles in “Dazed and Confused,” “A Time to Kill,” “Amistad,” “Dallas Buyers Club” and “True Detective,” as well as a long list of rom-coms.
Nichols, who directed McConaughey in the titular role of “Mud,” which was filmed on location in the Arkansas Delta, was born and raised in Little Rock, though he now lives in Austin, as does McConaughey. Nichols’ upcoming film is called “King Snake,” starring Margaret Qualley and described as a Southern Gothic horror film about a couple inheriting a haunted farm. It began filming in April in Lonoke County.
Introduced by Kathryn Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas Cinema Society, the men’s conversation centered on McConaughey’s career through the lens of working with various directors and the creative process.
“Dazed and Confused” director Richard Linklater, for example, taught him the value of “verbal ping pong” by never saying no to an actor’s ideas, and created individualized mixtapes to help each actor establish their character.
Nichols pronounced McConaughey’s role in “A Time to Kill,” based on John Grisham’s hit novel, as the one that announced him “as the second coming of Paul Newman and a true blue movie star.” McConaughey shared that director Joel Schumacher encouraged a raw performance during a meeting about his eventual starring role in the movie, specifically asking McConaughey to discard the script during a closing argument to find a more authentic emotional response.
McConaughey described director Christopher Nolan as a disciplined “general,” who prioritized practical effects over expensive digital tools and maintained a highly focused, immersive environment on the set of “Interstellar.”
The HBO hit show “True Detective,” which also has Arkansas connections, highlighted his commitment to story and character over screen size, which helped bridge the gap between film and television. “I really don’t care what size screen it’s on,” McConaughey recounted telling his agent. “I’m going after character and story.”
Nichols, who serves as chairman of the Arkansas Cinema Society, co-founded the Filmland Film Festival in 2017 to support the film industry in Arkansas. He expressed gratitude to the political leaders who make this possible. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Sen. Clarke Tucker, Sen. Jonathan Dismang, Rep. Tippi McCullough and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. were all in attendance and took the stage with McConaughey and Nichols after the conversation.
Scott highlighted a distant family connection between McConaughey and Samuel McConaughey Wassell, who served as Little Rock mayor from 1947 to 1952. “We know you went to UT,” Scott said. “We’re Razorbacks here, but your blood, your roots are in Arkansas and today we proclaim Matthew McConaughey Day right here in Arkansas.”
Tucker and Sanders presented McConaughey with the Arkansas Traveler certificate and a duck call.
“The hospitality… ya’ll know you have it, and it’s much appreciated and seen,” McConaughey said in response. “Thank you for the invites like this that become proclamations.”
Other events during Filmland 2026 included student short films, a roundtable discussion on Arkansas film incentives, workshops on sound design and composing, and additional film screenings and discussions.
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