Hot Water earns Best Narrative Feature honors; A City in the Forest wins Best Documentary Feature; Liz Sargent’s Take Me Home receives the inaugural
Mary Jane Coleman Award
The Nashville Film Festival has announced the award winners of its 57th annual festival, honoring 28 films and scripts selected by juries of programmers, filmmakers, critics, and distributors.
Among the honorees is the first-ever recipient of the Mary Jane Coleman Award, named for the woman who founded the festival in 1969. The award is to recognize a woman filmmaker or producer whose work shows innovation, a distinctive perspective, and a collaborative spirit.
Winners were announced during an awards ceremony Sunday night at the National Museum of African American Music. Each film competition category was judged by a three-person jury of festival programmers from around the world, past category winners, critics, distributors, and academics, including former AFI FEST senior programmer Malin Kan, Magnolia Pictures VP of Publicity Danielle McCarthy-Boles, and Berlinale Golden Bear winner Lesley Loksi Chan, who screened every film in competition and deliberated as a group to select the winner. Full juror bios are available HERE.
Winners of the Narrative Short, Documentary Short, and Animated Short competitions are eligible for Academy Award® consideration.
“As we mark our 57th year, the extraordinary caliber of storytelling reflects the enduring vibrancy of independent cinema,” said Jason Padgitt, Executive Director of the Nashville Film Festival. “This year’s winners embody the spirit of innovation and passion that has defined our festival since its inception in 1969.”
The 57th Nashville Film Festival winners are as follows:
- Best Narrative Feature: HOT WATER | Dir. Ramzi Bashour
- Best Documentary Feature: A CITY IN THE FOREST | Dir. Lev Omelchenko and Nolan Huber
- Best Music Documentary Feature: JAIL TIME RECORDS | Dir. Dione Roach and Steve Happi
- Best New Directors Feature: CRYSTAL CROSS | Dir. Richie James Follin
- Best Tennessee Feature: WHERE THE HELL IS ANNA? | Dir. Taylor Dupuis
- Best Narrative Short: GENDER STUDIES | Dir. Jamie Kiernan O’Brien
- Best Documentary Short: MEMORIES OF A WINDOW | Dir. Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar
- Best Animated Short: WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR | Dir. Kiana Naghshineh
- Best Graveyard Shift Short: FOREVER, LIAM | Dir. Guillermo de la Rosa
- Best Tennessee Short: MY $3,500 JACKET | Dir. Drew Maynard
- Best Tennessee Student Short: THE OSANOS | Dir. Charity Osedo and Jarius Sampson
- Best NextGen Student Short: THE SHOE THIEF | Dir. Adelle Yan
- Best Music Video: CHINGONA | Dir. Rupert Höller and Harlock Chavez
- Best Episodic: IN MY BLOOD | Created by Alex Bendo
The Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition winners are as follows:
- Best Drama Feature Script: FILTHY | Written by Lisa Cole
- Best Comedy Feature Script: MIDDLESCENCE | Written by Angela Manfredi
- Best Horror Feature Script: FELT | Written by Ran Jing
- Best Genre Feature Script: NO PEACE I FIND | Written by Hyten Davidson and Christian Missonak
- Best Short Script: SPIRIT WALKERS | Written by Victor Dean
- Best Half Hour Pilot Script: PHARAOH TAHARQA – WARRIOR KING | Written by Will Sims
- Best Hour Pilot Script: VALDEZ | Written by L.E. Coleman
- Best Tennessee Writer: THE COLD BELOW | Written by Robert Hamilton and Leonard Johnson
Special Awards:
- Mary Jane Coleman Award: TAKE ME HOME | Dir. Liz Sargent
- Widelitz Music in Film Award for Best Original Song: “How Long” from THE LIFE CYCLE OF A GREY ANT | Music and Lyrics by Theo Porcet, Tanguy Meunier, Sam Avant and Caraz
- Tennessee Student Animation Award: BEACON | Dir. Micah Duncan
- Nashville PBS Human Spirit Award: STRAY EMBERS | Dir. Erin Brethauer and Tim Hussin
- Freedom 250 Award: BUCKSKIN | Dir. Mars Verrone
- Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) Best Hispanic Film Award: OYE, WE’RE FROM HERE TOO | Dir. Arturo Garibay and James Chaney
The 57th Nashville Film Festival continues through Sept. 30. Being Heumann, directed by Siân Heder (Best Picture winner CODA), will close this year’s festival.
About the Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival is a globally recognized nonprofit organization and cultural event presenting the best in world cinema, American independent films and documentaries by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. With Academy Award® qualifying status, the Nashville Film Festival celebrates innovation, music and the many voices of the human spirit through the art of film. Originally founded in 1969, the Nashville Film Festival is one of the first film festivals in the United States and is hosting its 57th festival from September 24–30, 2026. For more information, visit nashvillefilmfestival.org.