The Nashville Film Festival opens on Thursday, September 30 and runs through October 6 with a diverse menu of cinema, available both in-person and on-line. I have already seen over a dozen films in the program, and I’m impressed so far. I’m am heading back to Nashville for my first in-person film festival coverage since March 2020.
The Nashville Film Festival is the oldest running film festival in the South and is an Academy Award qualifying festival. The program includes a mix of indies, docs and international cinema, including world and North American premieres.
This year’s fest opens strong with the in-person screening of Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, an unusual documentary about an unusual man. The Beach Boys’ songwriting and arranging genius weighs in on his life and work. The extremely terse Brian Wilson would not be the ideal subject for a conventional interview documentary. Instead, the filmmakers have Wilson’s old and trusted friend, rock journalist Jason Fine, drive him around important places in Wilson’s life; it’s the format of Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee, and it pays off in with emotional revelations. It turns out that Wilson is remarkably open about his travails and his creative process – and we get to see which of his songs that Brian himself listens to when he is feeling grief or nostalgia.
The fest closes with The Humans, Stephen Karam’s film version of his Tony Award-winning play. It’s a family drama with Steven Yuen, Beanie Feldstein, Richard Jenkins, Amy Shumer and June Squibb. I haven’t seen it, but it got promising buzz at Toronto and is slated for a theatrical release by A24.
Lauren Ponto, Nashville Film Festival’s Director of Programming, says, “The 2021 Nashville Film Festival will be a different experience than our audiences are historically accustomed to and our team is excited for the community to be a part of it. The reimagined 52nd Festival will include 150 films ranging in categories from narratives, documentaries, new twists on horror, US Indies, eclectically bold Music Documentaries and much more.“
Ponto continues, “It’s been invigorating to program the Festival this year, knowing that we will be able to showcase a select group of films in person. The content is stronger than ever and very intentional. “
The Nashville Film Festival embraces its home in Music City and emphasizes films about music. Besides Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, the program includes
- Fanny: The Right to Rock documents the first all-female rock band to get signed by a major record label and churn out five albums. Fifty years ago, the band Fanny was breaking ground for women musicians – and for lesbians and Filipinas. These women can still really rock in their 70s, and they’re a hoot.
- Poser (my favorite film in the festival) is set in the underground music scene of Columbus, Ohio’s Old North and is packed with original music. It’s a dark psychological portrait of an artistic wannabe among real artists.
- Fable of a Song (a film that I haven’t seen yet) is a documentary about the writing of a song; this film was originally intended to document the creative process, but real life intervenes both to stagger the artists and to impact the very meaning of the song’s lyrics.
- Hard Luck Love Song (another film that I haven’t seen yet) is a portrait of a troubled, self-sabotaging musician. Inspired by singer-songwriter Todd Snider’s song Just Like Old Times.
See it here first: Old Henry, Hard Luck Love Song, Luzzu, Beta Test, Flee, The Humans, Clara Sola, The Tale of King Crab and Poser have all secured distribution and will be available to theater and/or watch-at-home audiences. Before just anybody can watch them, you can get your personal preview at the Nashville Film Festival.
Check out the program and buy tickets at the festival’s Film Guide. Watch this space for Nashville Film Festival recommendations (both in-person and on-line) and follow me on Twitter for the latest.
