The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), a week-long celebration of film, music and culture, announced its robust film program, including special presentations, official selections and more, for its 55th annual event, taking place from September 19–25, 2024 at venues throughout the city. This year’s festival features more than 150 films, including 44 feature-length films and more than 33 official selections making their U.S., North American and world premieres with the festival. The films selected join the previously announced opening night double-feature presentation of “DEVO” and “REBEL COUNTRY” and a closing night presentation of “THIS IS A FILM ABOUT THE BLACK KEYS.” Additional films previously announced can be found here.
Following the special opening night double-feature screening on September 19, additional notable festival presentations include: Netflix’s “WILL & HARPER,” starring Will Ferrell and his close friend, Harper Steele who recently came out as a trans woman, as they take a road trip to process this new stage in their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country she loves as her authentic self; Apple Original Films’ “THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN,” a documentary produced by A24 and Malala Yousafzai through her production company Extracurricular, follows an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors as they wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats; IFC Films’ “MEMOIR OF A SNAIL,” a stop-motion feature by Academy Award winning animator Adam Elliot, that follows a melancholic woman who hoards snails; “BOB TREVINO LIKES IT,” a film inspired by a true story when a woman bonds with a grieving man who shares the same name as her father; and “TO A LAND UNKNOWN”, the film will have its US Premiere in Nashville following the Cannes Film Festival, in which a Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of society in Athens gets ripped off by a smuggler and sets out to seek revenge.
Additionally, Grammy® and Academy® Award winner Melissa Etheridge will attend an exclusive Q&A and screening for her docuseries, MELISSA ETHERIDGE: I’M NOT BROKEN, chronicling the singer-songwriter’s journey creating a new song inspired by five incarcerated women she meets in her Kansas hometown.
This year will also have a special spotlight on US Indie Features which includes a horror film from Shudder titled “LITTLE BITES,” following a young mother who allows a nightmarish monster to slowly eat her alive in order to protect her daughter starring Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff and Elizabeth Phoenix Caro.
Featured in the festival’s additional programming is a comprehensive collection of documentary topics spanning from the lives of music legends to the exciting and daunting world of AI. The feature-length films selected for competition include: “ETERNAL YOU,” a film about AI-created avatars featuring the voices of passed loved ones; “A KING LIKE ME,” a feature on the first Black Mardi Gras parade troupe; “SUGARCANE,” a National Geographic investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school; “SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED,” which follows cult musician Swamp Dogg as he navigates the tumultuous waves of the music industry in Nashville and beyond, including inspiring sessions with artists like John Prine; and “THEY ALL CAME OUT TO MONTREUX,” a docuseries sharing the story of Claude Nobs and the Montreux Jazz Festival featuring incredible archival performances from Prince, Sting, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards and more legendary musicians.
Another highly-anticipated aspect of the festival includes the shorts and music video programs. This year’s music video programming will include screenings of pop sensation Chappell Roan’s “CASUAL” music video, directed by Hadley Hillel and rock band Sleater-Kinney’s “SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT” video, directed by Carrie Brownstein. Other shorts programming includes: “TRAILER OF A FILM THAT WILL NEVER EXIST: PHONY WARS,” centered around surrealist artist and poet Charles Plisnier and directed by legendary filmmaker Jean-Luc Goddard as the last film he created before his passing; and “ILY, BYE”, directed by Taylor James, with a comedic cast featuring Megan Stalter, Kanoa Goo, Rainn Wilson, Benito Skinner, the film follows Siobhan, a quirky, socially anxious mess who can’t seem to keep a job.
Highlighting the diverse local talent in the Festival’s namesake, this year’s Tennessee program includes six feature films made in or connected to the state, including: “SESSION, IF A HOUSE BE DIVIDED,” which follows the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2024 as heightened tensions and party divisions spill into the national conversation; “BEAT DOWN,” the only narrative feature film of the Tennessee program, directed by the previous winner of the Tennessee program feature in 2023, Curren Sheldon; and “THE TENNESSEE 11,” focused on a group of 11 Tennessee citizens discussing legislative solutions to address gun rights and safety.
“In our 55th year, we’re proud to unveil an extraordinary lineup of groundbreaking films from both local and international talents,” said Jason Padgitt, Executive Director of NashFilm. “This year’s program powerfully encapsulates a compelling range of stories that celebrate the artistry and innovation in film and music, and we are thrilled to bring these experiences to the Nashville community.”
“I’m deeply proud of the exceptional diversity of films our programming team has curated this year and am eagerly anticipating the audience’s reactions,” said Lauren Thelen, Director of Programming. “From gripping local interest stories and pulse-quickening thrillers to heartfelt music documentaries and nostalgic reflections, our 2024 lineup pushes boundaries and promises unforgettable moments thanks to bold and limitless filmmakers.”
Each of the more than 150 films selected for this year’s Nashville Film Festival will screen in person at iconic cultural venues throughout the city over the course of the week. The full Nashville Film Festival program is below; film and event details, images and trailers are available online here. Tickets for the screenings go on sale for NashFilm badge holders beginning August 16 and for the general public on August 19. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.
Members of the media interested in covering this impressive slate of films and the festival as a whole may apply for media accreditation online here. The deadline to apply is Monday, September 16, 2024.
Opening Night Presentation
DEVO (dir. Chris Smith) – In 1980, new wave band Devo scored a hit with “Whip It” and gained mainstream success with their message of societal “de-evolution,” formed in response to the 1970 Kent State shootings.
REBEL COUNTRY (dir. Francis Whately) – A documentary showcasing how the tensions of race, class, poverty, gender, sexuality and creativity versus commerce and geography are still alive and kicking in the US today, and how today’s country artists are emblematic of a seismic shift that is happening in US country music.
Closing Night Presentation
THIS IS A FILM ABOUT THE BLACK KEYS (dir. Jeff Dupre) – An epic chronicle of the journey of The Black Keys, from their humble beginnings in Akron, Ohio, to their rise to rock stardom with hit albums “Brothers” and “El Camino.” It delves into the lesser-known tensions between Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, revealing the complex bond that has kept them together through decades of relentless touring and personal challenges.
Special Presentations
THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN (dir. Sue Kim) – A documentary produced by A24 and Malala Yousafzai through her production company Extracurricular, follows an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors as they wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the Haenyeo divers of South Korea are renowned for centuries of diving to harvest seafood for their livelihood.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: I’M NOT BROKEN (dir. Brian Morrow, Amy Scott) – A docuseries that chronicles the singer-songwriter’s journey creating a new song inspired by five incarcerated women she meets at the Topeka Correctional Facility in her Kansas hometown, exploring themes of redemption and human connection through music.
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (dir. Adam Elliot) – From IFC Films and Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot, the film follows Grace Pudel, a lonely misfit with an affinity for collecting ornamental snails and an intense love for books. When Grace is separated from her twin brother Gilbert, she falls into a spiral of anxiety and angst. Inspiration and hope emerge when she strikes up an enduring friendship with an elderly eccentric woman named Pinky. The film is a poignant, heartfelt, hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life.
SABBATH QUEEN (dir. Sandi Simcha Dubowski) – A 39th-generation ex-Orthodox rabbi embarks on a remarkable 21-year personal journey, also embracing life as a drag queen. This will be a co-presentation with the Nashville Jewish Film Festival.
WILL & HARPER (dir. Josh Greenbaum) – When Will Ferrell’s good friend of 30 years, Harper Steele comes out as a trans woman, the pair embark on a road trip to process this new stage in their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country she loves as her authentic self.
Spotlight: US Indie Features Official Selections
BANG BANG (dir. Vincent Grashaw) – Tim Blake Nelson stars as ‘Bang Bang’ Rozyski, an eccentric retired pugilist obsessed with rectifying the sins of his past.
GRIFFIN IN SUMMER (dir. Nicholas Colia) – When fourteen-year-old playwright Griffin Naffly strikes up a surprise summer friendship with handsome failed performance artist turned handyman Brad, his life (and play) will never be the same.
Spotlight: Horror/Thriller Official Selections
HAZE (dir. Matthew Fifer) – A young journalist returns home to investigate the unsolved deaths at an abandoned psychiatric center. As he dances with the shadows of his past and a mysterious new man in his life, his family history and the town’s secrets begin to converge in this evocative psychological thriller.
LITTLE BITES (dir. Spider One) – LITTLE BITES follows Mindy, a young widow and mother, who desperately tries to protect her daughter Alice from the grips of a fiendish, flesh-eating monster named Agyar. Mindy has been secretly sacrificing her own life by allowing the creature to slowly feast on her body as she keeps Alice hidden away at her grandmother’s home.
PSYCHO KILLER (dir. Teddy Grennan) – A neo-noir thriller featuring Otto and Lex, a pair of star-crossed lovers, who do the right thing but make the wrong decision and it costs them everything.
Narrative Feature Official Selections
THE BLACK SEA (dir. Derrick B. Harden, Crystal Moselle) – A man journeys to a small Eastern European coastal town where he finds unexpected connections despite being the only Black person in the area.
BOB TREVINO LIKES IT (dir. Tracie Laymon) – After searching for her estranged father online, a people-pleasing young woman unexpectedly forms a close bond with a grieving, childless man with the same name as her father on Facebook. Inspired by a true story.
GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS (dir. Shuchi Talati) – Follows the journey of 16-year-old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming of age is disrupted by her young mother who never got to come of age herself.
JAZZY (dir. Morissa Maltz) – JAZZY navigates the space between childhood and young adulthood. When her best friend moves away, Jazzy experiences both a sense of loss and her first inkling of independence. Starring Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN (dir. Madhi Fliefel) – A Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of society in Athens gets ripped off by a smuggler and sets out to seek revenge. This will be the film’s US premiere following its screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE (dir. Matthew Rankin) – In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, grade-schoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out upon an enigmatic journey to visit his mother.
Documentary Feature Official Selections
DRIVER (dir. Nesa Azimi) – After losing everything, Desiree Wood gets a second lease on life as a long-haul truck driver alongside an irreverent group of all-women truckers.
ETERNAL YOU (dir. Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck) – Startups are beginning to use AI that allows people to talk with their loved ones after death. Exploring this deep human desire for immortality leads to unsettling consequences of commodification.
HELEN AND THE BEAR (dir. Alix Blair) – A rebellious young woman marries a prominent Republican politician twenty-six years older than her. Decades later, anticipating his death, she wrestles with their marriage, her sexuality, and a life spent by his side.
A KING LIKE ME (dir. Matthew Henderson) – Follows members of the Zulu Club, and explores the history of New Orleans’ first Black Mardi Gras parade, as they work to bring King Zulu back to the streets after the COVID-19 pandemic.
PORCELAIN WAR (dir. Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev) – Under roaring fighter jets, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay and fight. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s harder to destroy their passion for living.
SUGARCANE (dir. Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie) – An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
THE STREAK (dir. Kelyn Ikegami) – The Salt Lake Trappers were an unaffiliated team at the lowest level of minor league baseball. By the end of their 1987 season, they had achieved the longest winning streak in the history of professional baseball. This is the remarkable story of the players who lived that magical, bittersweet season.
WE CAN BE HEROES (dir. Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons) – A group of teens find belonging at a LARP (Live Action Roleplay) Camp, building a fantasy world facing climate disaster. Through roleplaying heroes facing the apocalypse, they find the strength to heal past trauma and emerge empowered in life.
Music Documentary Feature Official Selections
ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY (dir. Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee) – Jackie Shane was one of music’s pioneering Black trans performers. On the edge of stardom, she disappeared. But why? ANY OTHER WAY reveals Jackie’s extraordinary journey in her own unmistakable voice.
DIANE WARREN: RELENTLESS (dir. Bess Kargman) – An intimate look at the life, career and creative process of one of the most accomplished songwriters of all time, Diane Warren, who’s written hits for Cher, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce, among many others.
LINDA PERRY: LET IT DIE HERE (dir. Don Hardy) – An intimate look at the life of Linda Perry, lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes’ iconic song “What’s Up?”, one of pop music’s major creative forces as a multi-faceted singer, songwriter and producer.
SONGS FROM THE HOLE (dir. Contessa Gayles) – At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. An incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace in this documentary visual album composed behind bars.
SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED (dir. Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson) – Cult musician Swamp Dogg and housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty have turned their suburban LA home into an artistic haven. They journey through the turbulent music business, forming a special friendship transcending eras.
THEY ALL CAME OUT TO MONTREUX (dir. Oliver Murray) – The story of Claude Nobs and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Featuring incredible archival performances from Prince, Sting, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards and more legendary musicians.
New Directors Feature Official Selections
BOYS GO TO JUPITER (dir. Julian Glander) – A teenager in suburban Florida desperately hustles to make $5,000 in this dreamy and surreal animated coming-of-age story.
ENDLESS SUMMER SYNDROME (dir. Kaveh Daneshmand) – The mother of two adopted children’s sense of duty takes a macabre turn when she learns that her husband may be having an affair with one of their kids.
EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS (dir. Titus Kaphar) – A Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they struggle and learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving.
THE FRENCH ITALIAN (dir. Rachel Wolther) – Neighbors prank each other, and the situation escalates comically amid the NYC apartment complex’s cutthroat politics, exploring the absurdity of conflict between residents.
IN THE SUMMERS (dir. Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio) – On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
YOUR MONSTER (dir. Caroline Lindy) – After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage.
Tennessee Feature Official Selections
BEAT DOWN (dir. Curren Sheldon) – A feature film about a down-on-his-luck schemer from a West Virginia boxing family who comes home to borrow money from his mother, a two-time world champion, and winds up fighting in a rowdy amateur boxing competition.
CLONE COPS (dir. Danny Dones) – A gang of outlaws defend their hideout until they discover a shocking secret about who they are and what they’re up against. Now it’s a race against time as they look for a way to escape certain doom at the hands of the Clone Cops.
THE DAY THE MUSIC STOPPED (dir. Patrick Sheehan) – A film examining the decade-long struggle of independent music venues and the creative class they support against developers and concert promoter Live Nation, depicted through the lens of Exit/In, one of the nation’s most historic independent music venues.
LET THEM BE NAKED (dir. Jeff Garner) – An audacious exploration into the presence of toxic and often harmful chemicals in the fabrics and materials used in our everyday clothing. Since his mother’s death from breast cancer, designer and activist Jeff Garner has spearheaded a campaign to uncover the health implications of exposure to these chemicals and the urgent need for more ethical production of garments.
A MAN CALLED HURT: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT (dir. Alex Oliver, Jamison Stalsworth) – Featuring archival footage of Mississippi John Hurt and his extraordinary music career.
SESSION, IF A HOUSE BE DIVIDED (dir. Andrew Baxt) – Follows the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2024 as heightened tensions and party divisions spill into the national conversation. From the hallways and hearing rooms, to the House gallery and floor, SESSION steps back to unravel the current American political process.
THE TENNESSEE 11 (dir. Rod Blackhurst) – Focused on a group of 11 Tennessee citizens discussing legislative solutions to address gun rights and safety.
Short Film, Episodic and Music Video Selections are available at NashvilleFilmFestival.org.
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