Matthew Decker, who is adapting La La Land for Broadway, will bring his extensive knowledge of the art of adaptation to the El Dorado Film Festival next month.
The festival, one of MovieMaker‘s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, will be held February 25-March 1 at the South Arkansas Arts Center, a lovely cultural hub in historic El Dorado. In a nod to the town’s namesake, the mythical city of glimmering riches, the festival’s slogan is “Discover stories. Uncover gold.”
Decker will draw on examples from such classics as Cabaret, Chicago, and Fiddler on the Roof to share the secrets of successfully adapting from stage to screen — and vice versa.
“I saw La La Land about five times in theaters when it came out and I’m a massive fan of Broadway musicals,” said El Dorado Film Festival executive director Alexander Jeffery. “I think this panel will be a unique offering for a film festival and it ties beautifully into the mission of the South Arkansas Arts Center where we host our event. I couldn’t be more thrilled for Matthew to bring his insight and expertise to El Dorado for the filmmakers and audiences alike.”
El Dorado Film Festival 2026 Highlights
Decker’s panel adds to a stacked El Dorado lineup.
Guests will also be offered a sneak preview of the TV pilots Savage, with writer Connor Paolo, and Fixation, with filmmakers Jeffery and Paul Petersen and author Steve Smart. Tickets for the event can be purchased online or at the door.
Picture Pool Productions produced Savage — a six-part mystery horror epic written by and starring Paolo, who played Eric van der Woodsen on the hit TV show Gossip Girl. The logline reads: “When Manon Savage, a barely functioning alcoholic and potentially violent private investigator, is hired to solve a bizarre missing persons case in a town of 11 people; she quickly discovers that this town, and the people in it, are far more sinister than she could ever imagine.”
Fixation is produced by Bespoke Works LLC and Picture Pool Productions. The show stars Bridget Regan, Nicholas Logan, Brett Dalton and El Dorado native William Ragsdale, whose recollections about starring in the horror classic Fright Night were a highlight of last year’s festival.
Fixation is written by Jeffery, Petersen and Smart. Smart, an El Dorado native, worked on Fixation as a passion project over several decades before publishing the novel in 2017. Set in Fort Riley, Kansas, it focuses on the death of a young Korean woman whose death appears routine — until an autopsy reveals something more sinister.
“I began writing Fixation, not as a novel, but as a historical document for my children about a real life event,” Smart said. “After a span of more than 20 years with periodical bursts of writing and long lapses between, it became obvious that the plot was material that justified a novel. I am thrilled that Alex and Paul, subsequently, felt the same way about the story, writing a fabulous screenplay and producing this exciting series pilot, now giving us a glimpse in this El Dorado sneak preview. They have made a dream come true for me.”
Jeffery first read the manuscript for Fixation in 2017 and immediately began dreaming about how to adapt it. He and Petersen moved from envisioning the project as a TV series to a feature film and back to TV after they saw the Savage pilot.
“Bringing this pilot to life was so joyful, despite the dark subject matter,” Jeffery said. “I got absolutely spoiled as a director with my cast, crew and producing team, getting to work with actors whose work I have admired from a distance for some time. I’m really excited to give El Dorado a taste of what we made because this project really originated in El Dorado despite being filmed in Shreveport.”
Decker is an award-winning theater director, filmmaker, and writer whose work includes new play development, reimagining classics, and original storytelling. He is the co-founder of Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA, now in its landmark 20th season. At Theatre Horizon, Decker has directed acclaimed productions including The Few, Lobby Hero, Into the Woods, Circle Mirror Transformation, and Spring Awakening. Under his artistic leadership, the company’s 123-seat venue has helped revitalize downtown Norristown.
Decker has also served as Associate Artistic Director at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company.
He is co-writing the stage adaptation of La La Land with Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Ayad Akhtar, and wrote the auto-fictional musical Wishing to Grow Up Brightly with Amanda Morton. It premiered in November 2025. He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and his work has been recognized with three Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction.
Main image: Matthew Decker at work, courtesy of the El Dorado Film Festival.
