Nashville Film Fest: Southern Cinematic Celebration

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2012 21:56

Written by Renzo Adler

Founded in 1969 by Mary Jane Coleman, the Nashville Film Festival (April19-26, Regal Green Hills Stadium 16, 3815 Green Hills Village Drive, Nashville, TN) is the longest running film festival in the South. NaFF is celebrating its 43d year with a wide range of international films, but is also putting a special focus on films and film makers from Tennessee in a program of films called Tennessee First.

“Pulling together Tennessee films for the opening day is both a great way to kick off things and a testament to the growing quality of feature films being shot here and by our filmmakers,” said Brian Owens, NaFF artistic director. NaFF was recently named one of the top ten film festivals in the United States by the Brooks Institute and has received 2,839 entries representing 101 countries. 

NaFF includes an extensive selection of documentaries covering arts, politics, and human interest such as:

• Love Free or Die (Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner)
  Examines the journey of Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay individual to be consecrated as a Bishop in any of the major churches in the United States.and 
• Beauty is Embarrassing
  the funny, irreverent and inspiring story of Wayne White, a Tennessee native best known for his work as one of the creative forces behind Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
• Under African Skies 
  Director Joe Berlinger’s profile of the making of Paul Simon’s groundbreaking album Graceland, and the political and cultural controversy that surrounded it.

NaFF also has a large short films section with competition in categories including,

• Narrative
• Animated
• Doccumentary
• Experimental
• Young Filmmakers

The short The Perfect Fit, a new work directed by celebrated actress Beth Grant and starring Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, is one of the many short films hotly anticipated. NaFF is one of only 24 film festivals in the United States designated as an Academy Award qualifying festival for short films, meaning that winners of the narrative and animation short competitions are automatically qualified for Academy Award consideration. Panel discussions, film making workshops, and Q&A sessions with actors and directors from many of the films being screened will be conducted.

Not only the south’s largest fest, NaFF has some great variety in its selection of films and is gearing up to be a major film event.

To learn more, go to http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/

Nashville Film Festival
April 19-26

Regal Green Hills Stadium 16
3815 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, TN

• < Prev
• Next >