Nashville-- though “music city” may be the first thing that comes to mind, Nashville has been making waves in the film industry recently. From the 54th annual Nashville Fim Fest to a Nicole Kidman movie filming in Nashville, the potential for a more prominent role in film in Nashville is on the rise. Here are a few things to look out for.
1. NaFF
The Nashville Film Fest (NaFF), awarded One of the Best Film Festivals prizes by Film Festival Today is a yearly hit. This year, over 140 short films, features, and documentaries will be screened at five different theaters: the Belcourt Theater, Regal Green Hills, the Franklin Theater, Vanderbilt’s Rothschild Black Box Theater, and Saratt Cinema. Some of the films scheduled to be screened are the highly anticipated thriller Eileen, the French period piece A Taste of Things, and the sci-fi/drama Fingernails. Aside from screenings, every year NaFF holds a Creators Conference, which has a variety of panels and opportunities for networking. A few of the topics creators will be covering are about AI; as well as information about how the industry works. Needless to say, NaFF is essential for cinephiles or anyone looking to learn more about the industry.
2. International Black Film Fest
Though NaFF is one of the most esteemed film festivals in Nashville, it’s not the only one. The 18th International Black Film Fest is taking place from September 27th to October 1st at Belmont University, The Loading Dock, and the Lobby Community Center; and it’s gonna be a good one. Surrounding the theme “Curated by the Culture”, the lineup includes documentaries such as Two Classes of 1968 and Black Barbers Doc and others. The industry panels are also informative and worth checking out.
3. Belcourt: Doc Spotlight
The Belcourt Theater is a local favorite-- a non-profit film center dedicated to offering unique exhibition experiences. Not only is the theater showing some exciting films this season, but it’s also hosting a Documentary Spotlight, including mixers and seminars discussing the documentary genre itself. This event started September 1st and ends October 8th, and has some really cool docs showing. From The Eternal Memory to Invisible Beauty, there’s something for everyone.
4. 48 Hour Film Project
Similar to film fest news, the 48-hour Film Project recently took place, and Nashville filmmakers made short films in just 48 hours over the weekend of August 26th-27th-- and the Belcourt Theater showed the submissions on September 13th-14th. There’s also an award ceremony happening on September 26th. This is a cool opportunity to see what local independent filmmakers are making as well as support local art.
With all these events gaining traction, now is a good time for film to flourish in Nashville.