Even here in this cinematically inconsistent stretch of time between the holidays and the finale of awards season, Nashville’s beloved arthouse the Belcourt has plenty of intriguing stuff planned. As ever, the Hillsboro Village theater will host its A Red Carpet Evening on the night of the Academy Awards — Sunday, March 12. With cocktails, a silent auction, a VIP backstage lounge and the Oscar ceremony projected on the theater’s screens, A Red Carpet Evening serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit film center, which is nearing its 100th anniversary.
Speaking of which, Belcourt executive director Stephanie Silverman also recently announced the Belcourt Stories Project — an oral history initiative designed to celebrate the theater’s centennial in 2025. Using software called TheirStory, the Belcourt is gathering video recollections from Nashvillians about their experiences with the arthouse. “The through line is that we've always been a community gathering place for film and for live theater — a think tank of creativity and engagement with the arts,” the Belcourt’s T. Minton recently told the Scene. “Hopefully the oral history will be appealing to people, and they'll want to participate as we get stories rolling in throughout the year.”
One Fine Morning
The Belcourt also has a slate of promising new releases, many of them international features, hitting its screens in the coming weeks. Out this Friday, Jan. 27, are Living (Oliver Hermanus and Kazuo Ishiguro’s remake of Akira Kurosawa’s iconic Ikiru, review here) and Broker (Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest, review here). New releases coming in February include documentary filmmaker Alice Diop’s narrative debut Saint Omer, Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s No Bears and family drama One Fine Morning from Bergman Island director Mia Hansen-Løve. Documentary fans can look out for Lizzie Gottlieb’s Turn Every Page, which surveys the 50-year working relationship between literary giants Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb. In the run-up to the Academy Awards, the arthouse will also host its annual Oscar-Nominated Short Films series and its Best Picture Marathon, the latter of which will give cinephiles one last chance to catch the year’s most acclaimed films on the big screen.
The Belcourt will also host a number of repertory screenings, including Beloved: A Spotlight Series on Black Female Directors. That series, running between Feb. 14 and March 5, will feature showings of Love & Basketball, Daughters of the Dust, Queen & Slim, Alma’s Rainbow, The Watermelon Woman and Eve’s Bayou. The Restoration Roundup series is set to showcase newly restored classics like Assault on Precinct 13, The Trial and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. As always, the theater will also host its ongoing Weekend Classics and Music City Mondays.
Meanwhile at the cineplexes, film fans can expect a smattering of horror and, naturally, some franchise installments and Marvel Cinematic Universe fare. Out this week is sci-fi/horror effort Infinity Pool from director Brandon Cronenberg (yes, son of body-horror icon David; review here). Looking to take your mom to the megaplex next month? Your options include 80 for Brady (opening Feb. 3 and featuring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno) and Magic Mike’s Last Dance (opening Feb. 10). M. Night Shyamalan’s Dave Bautista-starring horror-thriller Knock at the Cabin lands Feb. 3. Groundhog Day returns to theaters via Fathom Events in February for its 30th anniversary, with a Titanic 25th-anniversary restoration hitting screens Feb. 10.
You don’t need us to tell you that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives everywhere in mid-February — Marvel already has ads for that being pumped into every corner of the internet. But perhaps you’re unaware that the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear — based on the true story of a bear that died after eating 75 pounds of cocaine in the woods of northern Georgia — will also be released in February. Come March, filmgoers will have the opportunity to see Creed III, John Wick 4 and Scream VI in AMC and Regal theaters.
An interview with artist Jeffrey Gibson leads our guide to the season’s best art shows, theater performances, film screenings, book events and more
