Telluride. Sundance. Toronto International. They’re among the best-known film festivals in North America. And you know what predates each of them by a half-decade or more? The Nashville Film Festival.
As a matter of fact, NaFF — which launched in 1969 under the name Sinking Creek Film Celebration — is one of the oldest still-running film festivals in the United States, predated by only a handful of others (a dinky little upstart by the name of the New York Film Festival among them).
Programming director Lauren Thelen has been with the Nashville Film Festival since 2019. Her responsibility, as she puts it, is “evolving and pushing people’s tastes in Nashville while also recognizing what works here and what people love.”
“Striking that balance between the two is a challenge, but it’s fun,” she says of this year’s festivities, which will take place at the Belcourt, Regal Green Hills, The Franklin Theatre, Vanderbilt’s Rothschild Black Box Theater and Sarratt Cinema.
So what is the programming director herself most excited about? Some of her favorite narrative features this year include the buzzy La Chimera and Eileen, as well as A24’s experimental narrative All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, written and directed by Tennessee native Raven Jackson. Thelen also cites this year’s Tribeca U.S. Narrative Feature winner, Cypher, as well as the Brazilian feature A Strange Path — the rare film featuring COVID-19 as a central plot element that Thelen says she actually likes — and “delightfully awkward comedy” Free Time.
Among Thelen’s favorite documentaries this year are religious doc Natalia and The Disappearance of Shere Hite, the latter of which explores the life of the titular feminist author and sex educator. There’s also Alison O’Daniel’s groundbreaking The Tuba Thieves, which focuses on the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community and is presented at NaFF in conjunction with local nonprofit Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as well as artificial-intelligence exploration Another Body.
Naturally, the festival will also feature a wide slate of panels and interactive events, including “AI Illuminated: The Future of Film,” “Catalyst Presents: How TV Really Works,” the annual Filmmaker and Screenwriter Mixer and much more. Thelen notes that “Virtual Production: Bridging the Gap Between Practical and Virtual” should feature some interesting demos, while “Indie Insights: A Conversation With Filmmakers and Producers” will offer budding filmmakers the opportunity to access crucial information that’s often gate-kept within the industry.
Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, this year’s event won’t feature actors promoting their films. But, Thelen notes, “We have a ton of directors coming to the festival this year.”
Also in this week’s issue, find our feature on Nashville Film Festival Opening Night Presentation Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive — screening Thursday at the Belcourt — as well as 24 of our picks for which films to see.
You can find details about this year’s Nashville Film Festival, or purchase tickets and passes, at nashvillefilmfestival.org. —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The documentary screens Thursday at the Belcourt as the Nashville Film Festival's Opening Night Presentation
From what we’ve seen to what we’re looking forward to, here are some of the fest’s most promising titles
