Nashville Film Festival
Annual film festival in Tennessee, US
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The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, was established in 1969. It is the longest-running film festival in the American South and among the oldest in the United States.[1]
Founded1969
Festival dateAnnually, in September
Language
- English
- International
| |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| Festival date | Annually, in September |
| Language |
|
| Website | nashvillefilmfestival |
In 2024, the festival received more than 3,800 submissions from over 100 countries and programmed 183 films. Attendance has grown to nearly 15,000.
The festival offers 15 film competition categories, with Academy Award qualifying status in the narrative, documentary, and animated short categories,[2] as well as Screenwriting and Pitch Competitions. In addition to seven days of film screenings, the festival provides industry panels, networking events, music showcases, parties and receptions.
Program and focus
The Nashville Film Festival showcases feature films, short films, music videos, and episodic projects from across the globe, with specific competition categories for Tennessee and student filmmakers. The program highlights many genres, including narrative, documentary, music documentary, drama, comedy, experimental, animation, and horror.
Because Nashville is known as "Music City," a major focus of the festival is music programming. In addition to unique competition categories like Music Documentary Features and Music Videos, NashFilm presents showcases, workshops, and other events bringing songwriters, composers, and music industry professionals together with filmmakers to promote collaboration.[3]
In addition to producing the annual festival, NashFilm is a 501(c)(3) arts advocacy organization that serves the local community through year-round programs, including film education screenings for public school students, a summer film camp for high schoolers, and free outdoor film screenings for locals.
History
Founder Mary Jane Coleman began the Sinking Creek Film Celebration in East Tennessee in 1969. 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. It is currently held across seven days in September at venues across Nashville.[4]
Reception
The festival was voted as one of the "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" by MovieMaker in 2013,[5] 2015,[6] 2016,[7] 2018,[8] 2019,[9] 2020,[10] 2021,[11] 2022,[12] 2023,[13] 2024,[14] 2025,[15] and 2026,[16] and by Dread Central as one of the "90 Best Genre Film Festivals on Earth" in 2025 for its sidebar Graveyard Shift Shorts.[17]
Winners
Narrative Competition
| Grand Jury Prize | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | Monument to Michael Jackson | Darko Lungolov |
| 2014 | Club Sandwich | Fernando Eimbcke |
| 2013 | If You Die, I Will Kill You | Hiner Saleem |
| 2012 | The Dynamiter | Matthew Gordon |
| 2011 | Weekend | Andrew Haigh |
| 2010 | Hipsters | Valery Todorovsky |
| Best Actress | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Actress | Film |
| 2015 | Geraldine Chaplin | Sand Dollars |
| 2014 | Britt Robertson | Undiscovered Gyrl |
| 2013 | Jane Adams | All the Light in the Sky |
| 2012 | Alia Shawkat | That's What She Said |
| 2011 | Guadalupe Alonso | The Last Summer of La Boyita |
| 2010 | Paprika Steen | Applause |
| Best Actor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2015 | Boris Milivojevic | Monument to Michael Jackson |
| 2014 | Manolis Mavromatakis | The Enemy Within |
| 2013 | Silas Yelich | The Cold Lands |
| 2012 | William Ruffin | The Dynamiter |
| 2011 | Tom Cullen | Weekend |
| 2010 | Anton Shagin | Hipsters |
| Best Screenplay | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Screenwriter(s) |
| 2015 | Margarita, with a Straw | Shonali Bose |
| 2014 | The Invisible Collection | Bernard Attal |
| 2013 | Pit Stop | Yen Tan, David Lowery |
| 2012 | Supporting Characters | Tarik Lowe, Daniel Schechter |
| Regal Cinemas / Nashville Film Festival Dreammaker Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Make-out with Violence | The Deagol Brothers |
| 2008 | Two embraces | Enrique Begne |
| 2007 | Small engine repair | Niall Heery |
| 2006 | Almost Heaven | Ed Herzog |
| 2005 | Midwinter Night's Dream | Goran Paskaljevic |
| 2004 | Take Out | Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou |
| Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | That Evening Sun | Scott Teems |
| 2008 | Cook County | David Pomes |
| 2007 | Randy and the Mob | Ray McKinnon |
| 2006 | Live and Become | Radu Mihaileanu |
| 2005 | The Aryan Couple | John Daly |
| Hustle & Flow | Craig Brewer | |
| Loggerheads | Tim Kirkman | |
| The Thing About My Folks | Raymond De Felitta | |
| 2004 | Saved! | Brian Dannelly |
Graveyard Shift Competition
| Grand Jury Prize | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2017 | A Closer Walk with Thee | John C. Clark, Brie Williams |
| 2016 | The Lure | Agnieszka Smoczynska |
| 2015 | Alleluia | Fabrice du Welz
Perry Blackshear |
| 2014 | Wetlands | David Wnendt |
| Best Actor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2017 | Aj Knight | A Closer Walk with Thee |
| 2016 | Adrian Țofei | Be My Cat: A Film for Anne |
| 2015 | MacLeod Andrews | They Look Like People |
| 2014 | Jan Bijvoet | Borgman |
| Best Actress | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Actor | Film |
| 2017 | Suela Bako | Bloodlines |
| 2016 | Marta Mazurek | The Lure |
| 2015 | Amy Everson | Felt |
| 2014 | Robin Wright | The Congress |
Documentary Competition
| Best Documentary Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2025 | The Gas Station Attendant | Karla Murthy |
| 2015 | Frame by Frame | Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpeli |
| 2014 | BESA: The Promise | Rachel Goslins |
| 2013 | Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story | Brad Bernstein |
| 2012 | Salaam Dunk | David Fine |
| 2011 | If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front | Marshall Curry |
| 2010 | Racing Dreams | Marshall Curry |
| 2009 | Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies | Yulene Olaizola |
| 2008 | Shake the Devil off | Peter Entell |
| 2007 | Banished | Marco Williams |
| 2006 | The Trials Of Darryl Hunt | Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg |
| A lion in the house | Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert | |
| 2005 | The Real Dirt on Farmer John | Taggart Siegel |
| 2004 | Born into Brothels | Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski |
| Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2020 | Wildflower | Matt Smuckler |
| 2015 | In My Father's House | Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg |
| 2009 | Rock Prophecies | John Chester |
| 2008 | Sons of Lwala | Barry Simmons |
| 2007 | The Clinton 12 | Keith McDaniel |
| 2006 | Chances: The Women of Magdalene | Tom Neff |
| 2005 | Cowboy Jack's Home Movies (or, Shakespeare was a big George Jones fan) | Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville |
| 2004 | Born into Brothels | Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski |
| Impact of Music Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Youssou Ndour: I bring what I Love | Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi |
| 2008 | Young@Heart | Stephen Walker |
| 2007 | Gypsy Caravan | Jasmine Dellal |
| 2006 | The Refugee All-Stars | Zach Niles, Banker White |
| 2005 | Rhythm Is It! | Thomas Grube & Enrique Sanchez Lansch |
| 2004 | Give me your hand | Heddy Honigmann |
| Tennessee Independent Spirit Award for the Best Feature-Length Film Directed By a Tennessee Resident | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Make-utu with Violence | The Deagol Brothers |
| 2008 | Sons of Lwala | Barry Simmons |
| 2007 | Adrenaline | Robert S. Lynn |
| 2006 | Chances: The Women of Magdalene | Tom Neff |
| 2005 | Cowboy Jack's Home Movies (or, Shakespeare was a big George Jones fan) | Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville |
| 2004 | The Royal Academy | Tony Cane-Honeysett |
Shorts
| Best Narrative Short | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | Daytimer | Riz Ahmed |
| 2014 | Rhino Full Throttle | Erik Schmitt |
| 2013 | Hatch | Christoph Kuschnig |
| 2012 | Curfew | Shawn Christensen |
| 2011 | Mary Last Seen | Sean Durkin |
| 2010 | The Armoire | Jamie Travis |
| 2009 | Next Floor | Denis Villeneuve |
| 2008 | I love Sarah Jane | Spencer Susser |
| 2007 | The Last Dog in Rwanda | Jens Assur |
| 2006 | Doll no. 639 | Andras György Desi |
| 2005 | In the morning | Danielle Lurie |
| 2004 | Deep Silence | Gustavo Loza |
| Best Animated Short | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | Bear Story | Gabriel Osorio |
| 2014 | Rabbit and Deer | Péter Vácz |
| 2013 | Oh, Willy... | Emma Swaef & Marc Roels |
| 2012 | Dripped | Leo Verrier |
| 2011 | Something Left, Something Taken | Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata |
| 2010 | The Spine | Chris Landreth |
| 2009 | I Am So Proud Of You | Don Hertzfeldt |
| 2008 | Madame Tutli-Putli | Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowksi |
| 2007 | Dreams and Desires- Family Ties | Joanna Quinn |
| 2006 | City Paradise | Gaelle Denis |
| 2005 | The Tree Officer | Neil Jack |
| 2004 | Hello | Jonathon Nix |
| Best Documentary Short | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | La Vie en rose comme dans les films | Christophe M. Saber |
| 2014 | The Last Days of Peter Bergmann | Ciaran Cassidy |
| 2013 | A Story for the Modlins | Sergio Oksman |
| 2012 | Meaning of Robots | Matt Lenski |
| 2011 | Bye Bye Now! | Aideen O'Sullivan |
| 2010 | Q&A | The Rauch Brothers |
| 2009 | The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 | Adam Pertofsky |
| 2008 | My olympic summer | Daniel Robin |
| 2007 | Fighting Cholitas | Mariam Jobrani |
| 2006 | The Tribe | Tiffany Shlain |
| 2005 | Small Town Secrets | Katherine Legget |
| 2004 | African American | Askia Holloway |
| Best Experimental Short | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | (null) | Michael Lange, David Gesslbauer |
| 2014 | Confessions With an Open Curtain | Eli Cortinas |
| 2013 | Workers Leaving the Factory (Again) | Katharina Gruzei |
| 2012 | All the Lines Flow Out | Charles Lim |
| 2011 | All Flowers in Time | Jonathan Caouette |
| 2010 | Feeder | Joseph Ernst |
| 2009 | Hallelujah! Gorilla revival | Jason LaRay Keener, Jeremiah Ledbetter |
| 2008 | SEVILLA → ∞ 06 | Olivo Barbieri |
| 2007 | 3 Minutes | Christopher Brunner |
| 2006 | Careless Reef - Abu Kifan | Gerard Holthuis |
| 2005 | Layette | Ariana Gerstein |
| 2004 | Papillon d'amour | Nicolas Provost |
| Golden Opportunity Award for Best College Student Short | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2015 | Wire Cutters | Jack Anderson |
| 2014 | The Pink Helmet Posse | Kristelle Laroche & Benjamin Mullincosson |
| 2013 | I Think This is the Closest to How the Footage Looked | Yuval Hameiri |
| 2012 | Bian Zi | Chun-Yi Hsieh |
| 2011 | Deeper Than Yesterday | Ariel Kleeman |
| 2010 | The City in the Sky | Giacomo Climini |
| 2009 | Walnut | Amy Gebhardt |
| 2008 | The Execution of Solomon Harris | Wyatt Garfield & Ed Yonaitis |
| 2007 | Bitch | Lilah Vandenburgh |
| 2006 | Lucky | Avie Luthra |
| 2005 | Victoria para Chino | Cary Fukunaga |
| 2004 | Savior | Erla Skuladottir |
| Best College Student Animation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2007 | The Wraith of Cobble Hill | Adam Parrish King |
| 2006 | She She She She's a Bombshell | Ben Levin |
| 2005 | Backseat Bingo | Liz Blazer |
| 2004 | Pedantphilia | Sandra Cheng |
| Best Young Filmmaker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Eye for an eye | Arni Beinteinn Arnason |
| 2008 | Western spaghetti | Joseph Procopio |
| 2007 | Drive | Joseph Procopio |
| 2006 | Shoes | Jake Sawyer |
| 2005 | And then everything I saw, I liked | Ariel Jackson, Ashley Rutledge, Emily Brisbon |
| 2004 | Jai-Yen: Cool Heart | Daniel Howard |
| Tennessee Independent Spirit Award for the Best Short-Form Directed By a Tennessee Resident | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Jennifer | Stewart Copeland |
| 2008 | Blindsided | Drew Langer |
Music videos
| Best Music Video by a Nashville Filmmaker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2007 | You don't know me | Jason Satterlund |
| 2006 | Apparitions of melody - Kids in the way | Blake McClure & The Brads |
| 2005 | When I think about cheatin' | Robert Deaton, George Flanigen & Marc Oswald |
| Best Music Video by a Non-Nashville Filmmaker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2007 | Jumbo in the modernworld | minivegas |
| 2006 | When in Rome | Nickel Creek, Dir. Dean Karr |
| 2005 | Whiskey Lullaby | Rick Schroder |
| Best Music Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2023 | Portrait of a Blank Slate | Ted Nivison |
| 2004 | 100 Years | Five for Fighting, Dir. Trey Fanjoy |
| Music Video Audience Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2005 | Mercy Now | Mary Gauthier, Dir. Demetria Kalodimos |
| 2004 | 100 Years | Five for Fighting, Dir. Trey Fanjoy |
| Best use of coffee in a scene | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2004 | Mother May-o | Wes Edwards |
Special
| REEL Current Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Garbage Dreams | Mai Iskander |
| 2008 | Mountain Top Removal | Michael O'Connell |
| 2007 | Manufactured Landscapes | Jennifer Baichwal |
| 2005 | The Real Dirt on Farmer John | Taggart Siegel |
| Nashville Public Television (NPT) Human Spirit Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Crude | Joe Berlinger |
| 2008 | Sons of Lwala | Barry Simmons |
| 2007 | The Clinton 12 | Keith McDaniel |
| Lonely Seal Releasing Feature Film Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2008 | Eden court | Paul Leuer |
| Rosetta Miller Perry Award for the Best Film By A Black Filmmaker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Gospel Hill | Giancarlo Esposito |
| 2008 | The Black List | Elvis Mitchell |
| 2007 | Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey | Nina Kennedy |
| Best Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered (GLBT) Film Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | The Baby Formula | Alison Reid |
| 2008 | Were the World Mine | Tom Gustafson |
| The Manual | Sophie Gregg | |
| Best Hispanic Filmmaker Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Hands of Abel | Victor Barcena |
| Women In Film & Television Award For Best Film Directed By A Woman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's intimacies | Yulene Olaizola |
| 2008 | Taking root: the vision of Wangari Maathai | Lisa Merton & Alan Dater |
| Best Cinematography in a Feature Film | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Seamus Tierney, the Narrows | Francois Velle |
| 2008 | Tracing Cowboys | David Morrison |
| 2007 | The hip hop project | Ari Issler and Matt Ruskin |
| Special Jury Prize for Acting Ensemble | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Film |
| 2009 | cast of Children of Invention | Children of Invention |
| Special Jury Prize for Acting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Film |
| 2009 | Vincent D'Onofrio | The Narrows |
| Special Jury Prize for Experimental Narrative | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Afterschool | Antonio Campos |
| Special Jury Prize for Bravery in Storytelling | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Director |
| 2009 | Prodigal Sons | Kimberly Reed |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Hal Holbrook |
| 2008 | Patricia Neal |
| President's Award | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | William Shatner |
| 2008 | Kimberly Williams-Paisley |
| 2007 | Lawrence Bender |
| 2005 | Rick Wakeman |
| 2004 | Rick Schroder |
| Governor's Award | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Dixie Carter |
| 2008 | William H. Macy |
| 2007 | Steve Oedekerk |
| 2005 | Cary Brokaw |
| Coleman Sinking Creek Award | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Les Blank |
2010 winners
In 2010 edition, the following prizes have been assigned.
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
| Category | Winner | Movie |
|---|---|---|
| Special Jury Prize for Remarkably Weaving Documentary and Narrative Footage into a Subtly Moving Whole | Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew | The Athlete (Atletu) |
| Special Jury Prize for Bravery in Storytelling | Dean Hamer | Out in the Silence |
| Special Jury Prize for Artistic Perseverance through Commercial Adversities | Clark Stiles | Don't Quit Your Daydream |
| NAHCC Award for Best Hispanic Filmmaker | Javier Fuentes-León | Undertow |
| Best GLBT Film | Leanne Pooley | The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls |
| Mike Curb Career Achievement Award for Film Music | Carter Burwell | |
| 2010 President's Impact Award | Adrian Grenier | |
| Coleman Sinking Creek Award | Steve James | |
| Governor's Award | Watkins College of Art, Design & Film | |
| Nashville Public Television Human Spirit Award | Peter Wiedensmith | Raw Faith |
| Rosetta Miller-Perry Award for Best Black Filmmaker | Mario Van Peebles | Black, White and Blues |
| Best Film by a Woman Director | Jac Schaeffer | TiMER |
| Film Musicians Secondary Market Fund Best Director/Composer Collaboration | Mario Van Peebles/Tree Adams | Black, White and Blues |
