Love of Your Life Starring Margaret Qualley and Tenzing Starring Tom Hiddleston Join Lineup
The Nashville Film Festival today announced six new titles for its 57th edition, running September 24–30 at venues across Music City.
Leading the additions is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, writer-director Bassam Tariq’s Houston-set drama starring two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali. The lineup also adds I Play Rocky, Academy Award-winning director Peter Farrelly’s telling of the true story of how a then-unknown Sylvester Stallone refused to make Rocky unless he could play the lead.
Academy Award winner Guy Nattiv’s The Liberation stars Carrie Coon as a woman who leaves her family for an all-female commune, alongside Lily James and Bella Ramsey.
Jennifer Peedom’s Tenzing chronicles the story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), the gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest. Willem Dafoe stars as Colonel John Hunt.
Also joining the lineup are Love of Your Life, a sweeping romance from director Rachel Morrison starring Margaret Qualley and Gabriel Basso, and Safe for the Whole Family: How to Make a Christian Superstar, Jason Ikeler’s documentary about the rise of Contemporary Christian Music, an industry with deep Nashville roots.
“We are looking forward to sharing these exceptional titles with Nashville audiences this year,” said Programming Director Lauren Thelen. “All the films represent a variety of perspectives, genres and stories that feel singular and striking.”
The new titles join a previously announced lineup that includes Opening Night selection Frampton, screening with Peter Frampton in attendance.
The films will screen at the Belcourt Theatre, the National Museum of African American Music, Regal Green Hills and Hooky Entertainment at Nashville Yards.
I PLAY ROCKY — Amazon MGM Studios | Directed by Peter Farrelly | Written by Peter Gamble | Starring Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Stephan James and Kiki Seto
An electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.
THE LIBERATION — Bleecker Street | Directed by Guy Nattiv | Written by Guy Nattiv | Starring Carrie Coon, Lily James, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young and Tracy Letts
Rita (Carrie Coon), a woman in midlife haunted by the weight of her past, encounters magnetic young spiritual leader Ricki (Lily James) and leaves her family to follow her to an all-female commune. But when her daughters Ella (Bella Ramsey) and Jo (Odessa Young) arrive unexpectedly and become drawn into the group’s seductive world, Rita is forced to choose between the family she left behind and the life she believes can save her.
LOVE OF YOUR LIFE — Amazon MGM Studios | Directed by Rachel Morrison (The Fire Inside) | Starring Margaret Qualley and Gabriel Basso
Love of Your Life follows Maya (Margaret Qualley), whose chance encounter with Charlie (Gabriel Basso) sets in motion a sweeping romance and a future beyond anything she had imagined. When that future is suddenly upended, Maya is sent hurtling toward an unexpected new life—one that will force her to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and how to love again.
SAFE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: HOW TO MAKE A CHRISTIAN SUPERSTAR | Directed by Jason Ikeler
Safe for the Whole Family: How to Make a Christian Superstar examines the rise of Contemporary Christian Music from a faith-based subgenre into a billion-dollar cultural force, and the personal cost paid by many of the artists at the center of it.
TENZING — Apple Original Films | Directed by Jennifer Peedom | Written by Luke Davies | Starring Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe and Caitríona Balfe
Based on true events, Tenzing chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), a gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest. Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it.
YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER — Orion Pictures | Written and Directed by Bassam Tariq | Starring Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Abubakr Ali, Laith Nakli, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone and Giancarlo Esposito
From writer-director Bassam Tariq, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Mahershala Ali as Latif, a devoutly religious hitman who struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood. When his wife dies, he embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him — and the beliefs threatening to unravel within.
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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 will host its 57th festival from September 24–30, 2026. For more information, visit nashvillefilmfestival.org.
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