Winter Arts Guide 2026: Film

Last year was a big one for the Belcourt Theatre, as our revered local nonprofit cinema celebrated its 100th birthday. But the centennial celebrations aren’t done, with special screenings and seminars expected to run through May. The Nashville: A City on Film series — which highlights movies shot locally or featuring Nashville natives in front of or behind the camera — continues with ’80s coming-of-age classic Dead Poets Society (Jan. 26), which was penned by Nashville-born screenwriter Tom Schulman and inspired by his time at Montgomery Bell Academy. The series will also feature a 35 mm screening of the unheralded 1986 crime gem At Close Range (Feb. 2), which was filmed in Spring Hill and Franklin. Supposedly, during the film’s production, star Sean Penn’s then-girlfriend Madonna was often spotted around town. 

Highlights of the theater’s characteristically stellar repertory programming include the conclusion of Weekend Classics: Robert Redford, a tribute to one of cinema’s most influential (and beautiful) stars, who died in September. Make sure to catch mountain-man tale Jeremiah Johnson (Jan. 24 & 27), star-crossed political romance The Way We Were (Jan. 25 & 27), Redford’s emotional-knockout directorial debut Ordinary People(Jan. 31 & Feb. 3) and languid family drama A River Runs Through It (Feb. 1-2).

The Belcourt’s Midnight Movies slate has some inspired choices coming up as well, including animated game-changer Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Jan. 23) and Jim Carrey vehicle The Mask (Jan. 24), plus a pair of 35 mm screenings of Silent Hill (Feb. 6) and Super Mario Bros.(Feb. 7). 

As for new releases, the winter months tend to be Oscar season at the Belcourt. Major contenders Hamnet and Marty Supreme are still showing at the arthouse, as are No Other Choice and The Testament of Ann Lee. The theater’s annual Oscar-Nominated Short Films programming is set to begin on Feb. 20. And while the Best Picture Marathon isn't yet scheduled, expect that to pop up ahead of the annual Red Carpet Evening fundraiser, which takes place each year on the night of the Academy Awards (March 15). I’ll be first in line to catch One Battle After Another and Sinners — with its record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations — one final time in theaters. 

Other upcoming new releases at the Belcourt include Bi Gan’s mind trip Resurrection (opening Jan. 23; see our review in this week’s film section), Kahlil Joseph’s inventive documentary BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (Jan. 28-Feb. 1), Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology of Water (opening Feb. 6), the Jodie Foster-starring mystery-thriller A Private Life (opening Jan. 30), true-life docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab (Feb. 4-8) and Matt Johnson’s mockumentary Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (opening Feb. 13). 

It’s not quite as fruitful a time at the megaplexes, which are in the midst of what’s known colloquially as Dumpuary — when studios dump their not-quite-A-list offerings during the doldrums of January and February. Despite the typically slow output, there are always a few diamonds in the rough of these dreck-filled winter months. 

Genre legend Sam Raimi is making his long-awaited return to the horror-sphere with Send Help (opening Jan. 30), a survival thriller starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. Always a plentiful time for horror outings, these months will also provide a return to Silent Hill, the Bone Temple and Woodsboro in Return to Silent Hill (opening Jan. 23), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (currently in theaters) and Scream 7 (opening Feb. 27), respectively. 

The Charli XCX-starring, A24-produced mockumentary The Moment (opening Jan. 30) should have every Letterboxd user in a chokehold, while the begging-to-be-discoursed-to-death Wuthering Heights opens wide on Feb. 13. As a certified Emerald Fennell defender and a major fan of both Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, I am very excited for the adaptation of Emily Brontë’s literary classic. 

Speaking of big swings, Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) ends a nearly decade-long drought with the gonzo sci-fi action-adventure romp Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (opening Feb. 13), Pixar wizard Andrew Stanton takes another crack at live-action filmmaking with In the Blink of an Eye (opening Feb. 27), and Maggie Gyllenhaal offers a radical take on classic monster films with The Bride! (opening March 6). 

These release dates are often fluid, so make sure to check your local listings. And while there are not yet any films scheduled at Full Moon Cineplex, the Hermitage horror house always offers some gory counter-programming.

Winter Arts Guide 2026

Nashville Rep's production of the Pulitzer-winning 'Fat Ham' tops our highlights of the season's theater, art, dance, film and book events