The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States.[1] In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from 125 countries and programmed 271 films. Attendance has grown to nearly 43,000. The festival also offers a screenplay competition with features, teleplays and shorts categories and a web series competition. In addition to tendays of film screenings, the festival provides industry panels, music showcases, parties and receptions.[2] The Nashville Film Festival is also an Academy Award qualifying festival.[3][4]
Program and focus
Films shown at the Nashville Film Festival include narrative features, short films, and documentaries. They cross all genres including drama, comedy, family, experimental, and animation. The festival partners with numerous local cultural and ethnic groups.
Because Nashville is known as "Music City," a major focus of the festival is the "Music Films in Music City" section. In addition to films about music, attention to music in films, and the Music Films in Music City awards, NashFilm presents showcases, workshops, and other events bringing songwriters, artists, and music industry insiders together with film professionals to promote collaboration.[5]
Nashville Film Festival, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, also provides year-round outreach efforts with programs for senior citizens, challenged teens, and high school and college-age filmmakers. These programs include lectures and screenings at elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, museums, libraries and community centers. NashFilm also oversees the Young Filmmakers Program designed to teach teens film making skills.
History
Founder Mary Jane Coleman began the Sinking Creek Film Celebration in East Tennessee in 1969.[1] The festival was later moved to Nashville. In 1998, the name was changed to the Nashville Independent Film Festival and shortened to Nashville Film Festival in 2003. NashFilm's attendance numbers doubled between 2003 and 2007. It is currently held at the Regal Hollywood Stadium 27 & RPX - Nashville in the 100 Oaks area of Nashville, Tennessee.[2][5][6]
Accolades
Nashville Film Festival was voted as one of "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" by MovieMaker Magazine again in 2015 and highlighted for "One of the Best Film Festival Prizes" by Film Festival Today.
2010 Nashville Film Festival Awards
In 2010 edition, the following prizes have been assigned.[7]
Features
| Category
|
Winner
|
Movie
|
| Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize |
Valeriy Todorovskiy |
Hipsters
|
| Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize for Best Actor in Narrative Feature |
Anton Shagin |
Hipsters
|
| Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress in Narrative Feature |
Paprika Steen |
Applause
|
| Southwest Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature |
Radu Mihaileanu |
The Concert
|
| Documentary Channel Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature |
Marshall Curry |
Racing Dreams
|
| Documentary Channel Audience Award for Best Documentary |
Jim Bigham |
For Once in My Life
|
| Leanne Pooley |
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
|
| New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize |
Michael Mohan |
One Too Many Mornings
|
| New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize for Best Actor |
Anthony Deptula |
One Too Many Mornings
|
| New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress |
Eileen Nicholas |
Bomber
|
| Gibson Impact of Music Award |
Jim Bigham |
For Once in My Life
|
| Naxos Award for Best Music in A Feature Film |
Konstantin Meladze |
Hipsters
|
| Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature |
Brent Stewart |
The Colonel's Bride
|
| Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize - Honorable Mention |
Bruce Webb |
The Be All and End All
|
| Documentary Channel Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature - Honorable Mention |
Taggart Siegel |
Queen of the Sun
|
| New Directors Grand Jury Prize - Honorable Mention |
Paul Cotter |
Bomber
|
| Gibson Impact of Music Award - Honorable Mention |
Bruce Bryant |
For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair
|
| Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize - Honorable Mention |
Bruce Webb |
The Be All and End All
|
Shorts
| Category
|
Winner
|
Movie
|
| Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Narrative Short |
Clay Jeter |
5 Dollars
|
| Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Documentary Short |
Jonathan Epstein |
I Am A Man: from Memphis, A Lesson in Life
|
| Documentary Channel Award for Best Short Documentary |
Tim Rauch and Mike Rauch |
Q&A
|
| Documentary Channel Award for Best Short Documentary - Honorable Mention |
T.G. Herrington |
Mr. Okra
|
| Vanderbilt Golden Opportunity Award for Best College Student Short |
Giacomo Cimini |
The City in the Sky
|
| Vanderbilt Golden Opportunity Award for Best College Student Short - Honorable Mention |
Michael Rochford |
Carpet Kingdom
|
| Best Animated Short |
Chris Landreth |
The Spine
|
| Best Animated Short - Honorable Mention |
Nick Cross |
Yellow Cake
|
| Best Experimental Short |
Joseph Ernst |
Feeder
|
| Best Live Action Short |
Jamie Travis |
The Armoire
|
| Best Live Action Short - Honorable Mention |
Roland Honeycutt Jr. |
Dwight David Honeycutt for Conway School Board
|
| Best Young Filmmaker |
Edward Heffernan |
The Letter
|
Special
