Brian Owens Named Nashville Film Festival Artistic Director
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Owens Founded and Built Indianapolis International Film Festival
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – August 27, 2008 – Nashville Film Festival has named Brian Owens as Artistic Director. Owens joins the Festival as it gears up for its 40th anniversary on April 16-23, 2009, following two years of tremendous growth in attendance and stature. Owens was previously the artistic director of the Indianapolis International Film Festival, which he founded in 2003.
"As founder of the Indianapolis International Film Festival, Brian has seen much success," said Sallie Mayne, NaFF Executive Director. "Nashville Film Festival will benefit from his strong artistic vision, great industry contacts and his passion for film. We are thrilled that Brian will be joining the Nashville Film Festival organization as we get ready to celebrate our 40th annual festival."
"From my first phone conversation with Brian, I was impressed with his passion, knowledge and drive," added Stacy Widelitz, NaFF board president. "When we met with him, I realized that the perfect person for Nashville Film Festival had come to us, almost by fate. I'm looking forward to working with Brian, and the entire board is excited to have him on the team."
Owens founded the Indianapolis International Film Festival in 2003, acting initially as programming director, executive director and primary fundraiser. By 2008, he had expanded the Festival's programming to over 130 films over 11 days and increased attendance from 2,400 the first year to over 9,000. In that time, he secured Indiana premieres of over 11 Academy Award nominees including The Story of the Weeping Camel, Murderball, War Dance, Away from Her and Mongol. Owens also screened Academy Award-nominated winning shorts Ryan and West Bank Story, as well as the nominated shorts Il Supplente, I Met the Walrus, 9, and Binta & the Great Idea. He holds a B.A. in English and Certificate in Film Studies.
"I am thrilled to become a part of the team for the 40th Annual Nashville Film Festival," said Owens. "The movie industry is changing around us and it is becoming more difficult to see the independently minded, challenging films that used to come to our arthouse theaters. I think a film festival is more important than ever for those of us who seek to expand our horizons, and I hope to play a vital part in bringing some of the best cinema the world has to offer to Nashville.”