NashFilm Archive | Official Selections & Winners from past festivals Nashville Film Festival

2018 Festival

2018 Program Guide

Feature Films

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Chef Flynn | directed by Cameron Yates | USA | 83 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Circles | directed by Cassidy Friedman | USA | 82 min. | US Premiere
Crime + Punishment | directed by Stephen Maing | USA | 111 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Crossroads | directed by Ron Yassen | USA | 76 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Dark Money | directed by Kimberly Reed | USA | 99 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Every Act of Life | directed by Jeff Kaufman | USA | 93 min. | Southeast US Premiere
hillbilly | directed by Sally Rubin & Ashley York | USA | 87 min. | World Premiere |
Closing Night Selection Inventing Tomorrow | directed by Laura Nix | USA | 104 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Minding the Gap | directed by Bing Liu | USA | 98 min. | Tennessee Premiere
A Murder in Mansfield | directed by Barbara Kopple | USA | 87 min. | Tennessee Premiere
On Her Shoulders | directed by Alexandria Bombach | USA | 94 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland | directed by Kate Davis & David Heilbroner | USA | 120 min. | Southeast US Premiere Weed the People | directed by Abby Epstein | USA | 97 min. | Southeast US Premiere
The World Before Your Feet | directed by Jeremy Workman | USA | 96 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Zero Weeks | directed by Ky Dickens | USA | 85 min. | Southeast US Premiere

MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY FEATURE COMPETITION
Bathtubs Over Broadway | directed by Dava Whisenant | USA | 87 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Fatherhood| directed byBen Gregor | United Kingdom | 76 min. | Southeast US Premiere
If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd | directed by Stephen Kijak | USA | 94 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Industrial Accident - The Story of Wax Trax! Records | directed by Julia Nash | USA | 95 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Loud Krazy Love | directed by Trey Hill & Scott Mayo | USA | 87 min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Potential of Noise - Conny Plank | directed by Stephan Plank & Reto Caduff | Germany | 92 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Satan & Adam | directed by V. Scott Balcerek | USA | 75 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Stay Human | directed by Michael Franti | USA | 93 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb | directed by Casey Tebo | USA | 96 min. | World Premiere | Opening Night Selection

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS FEATURES
Benched | directed by Robert Deaton & George Flanigen | USA | 110 min. | World Premiere
Blindspotting | directed by Carlos López Estrada | USA | 95 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Brampton's Own | directed by Michael Doneger | USA | 91 min. | World Premiere
Breath | directed by Simon Baker | USA | 115 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Daphne & Velma | directed by Suzi Yoonessi | USA | 77 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Eighth Grade | directed by Bo Burnham | USA | 94 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Fail State | directed by Alexander Shebanow | USA | 94 min. | Southeast US Premiere
First Reformed | directed by Paul Schrader | USA | 108 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Harold and Maude | directed by Hal Ashby | USA | 91 min.
Hot Summer Nights | directed by Elijah Bynum | USA | 120 min. | Tennessee Premiere
urassic Park 25th Anniversary | directed by Steven Spielberg | USA | 127 min.
Leave No Trace | directed by Debra Granik | USA | 108 min. | Tennessee Premiere
On Chesil Beach | directed by Dominic Cooke | United Kingdom | 110 min. | Tennessee Premiere
One Vote | directed by Christine Woodhouse USA | 78 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Rosemary's Baby 50th Anniversary | directed by Roman Polanski | USA | 137 min.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Hal| directed by Amy Scott | USA | 90 min. | Tennessee Premiere
It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter | directed by Chusy | USA | 80 min. | World Premiere
THE KING | directed by Eugene Jarecki | USA | 115 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Lost In America directed by Rotimi Rainwater | USA | 85 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Sammy Davis Jr.: I've Got to Be Me | directed by Samuel D. Pollard | USA | 100 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Turning Point | directed by James Keach USA 82 min. | World Premiere

TENNESSEE FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Other Versions of You | directed by Motke Dapp USA 95 min. | World Premiere
Rukus | directed by Brett Hanover USA 87 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Stage 5 | directed by Alex Westrick USA 116 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Straight Up: Kentucky Bourbon | directed by Eric Byford USA 73 min. | World Premiere
Strategy and Pursuit | directed by Matt Riddlehoover USA 92 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Television Pioneer: The Story of Ross K. Bagwell, Sr. | directed by Kristen Dye USA 77 min.
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace | directed by Richard Gentile USA 93 min.

May 16-18, 2018 | Nashville, TN

The Creator's Conference is a place to connect with peers, a place to discover the latest industry trends, and a place to refine your skills and abilities. This annual event, which coincides with the Nashville Film Festival, combines the professional development of a conference with the kinetic energy of a festival. In this unique environment, you can discover what types of projects film buyers are currently looking for and hear insights from top Hollywood producers and industry executives.

2018 Creator's Conference Presenters

Penelope Bartlett
Criterion Collection

Penelope Bartlett is the programmer for The Criterion Channel on FilmStruck, a digital streaming service which launched in November 2016. She served as Director of Programming for the 2016 Palm Springs Shortfest, and has written and curated for the website shortoftheweek.com

She previously held positions at the Chicago International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Glasgow Short Film Festival and Glasgow Film Theater. She has also produced several short films, most recently Crystal Lake by writer/director Jennifer Reeder, which world premiered at the 2016 Berlinale. She lives in New York City.

Matt Bach
Puget Systems

Matt Bach has been working for Puget Systems since 2002 and has over 16 years of experience in the PC industry. Since 2011 he has been heading up Puget Labs - researching, testing, and developing hardware benchmarking procedures tailored for individual software packages. This not only includes testing the software itself, but also working closely with the professional community to ensure that our workstations are the best they could be and properly address the major pain points of users.

Rod Blackhurst
Filmmaker

Rod Blackhurst directed and produced the post apocalyptic thriller HERE ALONE which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. Blackhurst’s second film, the Netflix Original documentary AMANDA KNOX, premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and was named a New York Times and LA Times Critic's Choice.

Daisy Blackwell Hutton
Thomas Nelson

Daisy Blackwell Hutton is a native Mississippian and a graduate of Ole Miss, where she earned her B.A. in French and English Literature. She also holds her M.A. in Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Daisy has worked in the publishing industry for over 20 years, beginning her career at the Georges Borchardt Agency in New York and also spending time at The Perseus Book Group and Harvard Business School Press in Boston. She joined Thomas Nelson in 2008 as VP of International Licensing and was promoted to Fiction Publisher in 2012, overseeing all Fiction publishing under the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan imprints. She became publisher of the W Publishing nonfiction imprint in early 2017. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Matt, and their two sons, Leo and Silas.

Andrew Borden
The Orchard

Andrew Borden is the Manager of Acquisitions at The Orchard, an independent film distribution company that has released such films as The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Overnight, Cartel Land, Life Animated, and upcoming Sundance 2018 films, American Animals and We The Animals. Since graduating from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Film & Digital Media, he has worked in various roles in the entertainment industry, including marketing, publicity, distribution, acquisitions, and international sales, most recently moving from Cohen Media Group. Apart from his work at The Orchard, he also participates on the Screenwriting Lab Committee for Outfest and is dedicated to finding more diverse stories and fresh, unique voices.

Alex Bowen
The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Alex Bowen has been with The Kennedy/Marshall Company for the past three years, working across all divisions: narrative features, television, and documentaries. Since joining the company, she’s been the credited researcher on FINDING OSCAR, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the associate producer of BOSTON, narrated by Matt Damon, and is currently associate producing SATAN & ADAM, premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. In addition, Alex teaches coverage writing workshops at Belmont University and Chapman University, and adjudicates for AFI’s writing scholarship submissions. A native of East Tennessee, Alex spends her free time climbing mountains and working on choreography projects.

Christina Campagnola
APA

Christina Campagnola is an agent in the Motion Picture literary department at the Agency for the Performing Arts where she represents screenwriters and directors and consults for independent productions and film funds. Prior to joining the APA, Christina worked in production on various independent films and television shows. Campagnola serves on the advisory board for the IFP and Get Lit nonprofit organizations, as well as on the Dean’s Council of the Florida State University Film School, where she received a B.F.A in film production.

Charleene Closshey
Filmmaker

Charleene Closshey is an independent filmmaker, actress, musician, and composer, focusing on stories of personal choice and the effects of love. She is most recently known for her work on indie dramedy No Postage Necessary -- shot on 35mm film and the first film to be released on the blockchain -- a project in which she starred, produced, and composed the score. Closshey co-produced and starred in feature film An Evergreen Christmas (Netflix), with Naomi Judd and Robert Loggia, in addition to composing the score and arranging much of the film’s soundtrack. She produced, starred in, and composed the score for the musical Feather, a show fusing theatre with film, music, and live portrait painting, which made its U.S. premiere Off-Broadway at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. She then made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Once. A classically-trained violinist, pianist, and singer, her next album Talk About Love was produced by Grammy winner Brent Maher and releases summer 2018. Closshey is a partner at Two Roads Picture Co. and a member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, and SESAC.

Naia Cucukov
Walden Media

As Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Walden Media, Naia Cucukov has a passion for identifying inspiring projects and helping them grow into movie magic. A native of southern New Jersey, she grew up loving film and ultimately discovered her passion for production while receiving her B.A. in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University. Like many entertainment executives before her, Naia started in Hollywood as an assistant at CAA followed by a post at Legendary Pictures. She then made the transition into the role of Creative Executive at Bold Films followed by the opportunity to work with Sir Richard Branson as the Director of Development at Virgin Produced. While at Virgin, Naia oversaw all creative programing for the Virgin Produced Channel onboard Virgin Airlines and co-produced the award-winning short film Departure Date, the first film shot on a plane and edited while 35,000 feet in the air. Since her start at Walden Media in 2013, Naia has hit the ground running, cultivating a diverse slate of films. On behalf of Walden she has overseen production for: The Giver, based on the bestselling book by Lois Lowry; Universal and Working Title’s Everest, based on the true story of the 1996 Everest disaster; Disney’s The BFG, a Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel; and A Dog’s Purpose, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the bestselling novel. Upcoming projects include: Lionsgate’s Wonder, based on the bestselling middle grade novel, directed by Stephen Chbosky; and Sony Animation’s The Star, told from the perspective of the animals in the manger.

Additionally, Naia volunteers with Reading to Kids and the Brown University Alumni Organization, sits on the Templeton Foundations Film Steering Committee and is an active member of Women in Film and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). She spends her free time with her Miniature Dachshund, Sharky.

Jeremy Culver
Director/Writer/Producer

Jeremy Culver is an independent filmmaker with a passion for storytelling, often focusing on themes of redemption and reconciliation. His short film, Walking with Francis, chronicling the last days of St. Francis of Assisi, recently had an audience with Pope Francis I. The feature documentary, Radical Kindness (with Martin Sheen), was the recipient of both the Gabriel Award and the CIMA Award. His first feature film, An Evergreen Christmas (starring Robert Loggia, Naomi Judd, Charleene Closshey, and Booboo Stewart), was distributed on Netflix. He produced, directed, and wrote the book for the musical Feather, a show fusing theatre with film, music, and live portrait painting, which made its U.S. premiere Off-Broadway at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. His latest film, No Postage Necessary (starring George Blagden, Charleene Closshey, Robbie Kay, and Michael Beach), releases in Summer 2018, was shot on Kodak 35mm film, and will be the first feature film in history released on the blockchain. He is a partner at Two Roads Picture Co. and a member of The Directors Guild of America and The Writers Guild of America.

Motke Dapp
Filmmaker

Motke Dapp is an American writer and director who always tries to eat a balanced breakfast at least once a day. His wizarding film techniques have helped him land a suitcase full of awards, as well as an adjunct professor position at Belmont University where he teaches directing. He’s handcrafted, along with other amazing filmmakers, a plethora of whimsical, award-winning short films and a couple of feature films including his most recent, Other Versions of You. Motke’s home is in Nashville, but he has a car and the ability to find airports because he never wants the adventures to end. You can find out more by visiting motke.net.

John J. Dessler
ETC, Carnegie Mellon University

John J. Dessler is a creative director, programmer, animator, filmmaker, writer, entrepreneur, musician, and digital/fine artist. He currently freelances and is special faculty at the ETC, Carnegie Mellon University, specializing in visual story/communication, VR Story and Sound, UX and UI design, and project management.

He was the artist and media director at Calkins Media for 10 years and has been contracted by or freelances for companies such as GE, NBC, Tyco, Heinz, and various museums and productions - specializing in visual communication and digital media.

In 1996 he founded The Outlet for Creativity, Inc. (a non-profit 501c3) in Rochester, PA, to foster and support the Arts in Beaver County, and served as president for 9 years. He was a featured speaker, performer, and on jury at numerous conferences including SIGGRAPH, GDC, and SXSW. He was creative director for Creative Services at the ETC where he designed and produced virtual interviews, games, exhibits, and interactions for clients such as Duquesne University, National Civil War Museum, and VERC.

He is a published playwright, winner of the Keystone Press and Telly awards, and is an accomplished studio and performing musician regularly showcased at the famous Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN.

Justin Harvey
The Programming Service for Public Television

Justin Harvey is the Vice President of Programming at The Programming Service for Public Television, a company that programs many of the top markets in the PBS system. He spent the previous 15 years at Nashville Public Television and in 2013 was named Director of Content responsible for overseeing all station content and distribution. He is an Emmy Award winning producer who has helped numerous producers distribute their work to the PBS system.

Gill Holland
Hurricane Streets

Spirit Award nominee for Producer of the Year, Gill Holland has worked on over 100 films, including producing HURRICANE STREETS, the first film to win three prizes at Sundance. Other Sundance faves include "FLOW: For Love of Water", SPRING FORWARD, LOGGERHEADS, IT FELT LIKE LOVE and "LOOK AND SEE: A Portrait of Wendell Berry". He worked on SXSW-winners MAIDENTRIP and MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, Emmy-nominated DEAR JESSE and the FOX TV hit GREG THE BUNNY. Other award-winners include SWEETLAND, WHERE HOPE GROWS, BEAUTY MARK, AN HONEST LIAR and WERE THE WORLD MINE. He runs sonaBLAST!, a music label and publisher with over 2,000 songs from acts like Ben Sollee and soundtracks from many films. He is deeply involved in Louisville’s civic, political, and cultural life.

Andrew Hunt
Raven Banner

One of the founding partners of Raven Banner, Andrew T Hunt is a Writer/Producer/Director with over 20 years of industry experience. Andrew’s feature length debut Sweet Karma premiered at the 2009 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, and was the catalyst for the formation of Raven Banner Entertainment - a worldwide sales company specializing in genre films. In 2012 Raven Banner Releasing was formed as the Canadian distribution arm for RBE, releasing such titles as Autopsy of Jane Doe, Turbo Kid, Deathgasm, Baskin, Dead Shack, and the upcoming Todd & amp; The Book of Pure Evil: The End of The End. 2015 saw the creation of Northern Banner Releasing, a Canadian distribution company that focuses on non-genre films; titles such as Academy Award Nominated Embrace of the Serpent, The Happiest Day In The Life of Olli Maki, How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town, and Hello Destroyer. Additionally, Andrew has Executive Produced numerous films, including The Crescent, Stake Land 2, Avenged, and It Came From The Desert. Within Raven Banner Andrew plays a key role supervising the review, development and packaging of feature projects from script to screen, as well as overseeing the branding, marketing and distribution of select titles. And the Summer of 2018 will see Andrew get behind the camera again to direct his second feature film Spare Parts.

Demetria Kalodimos
Journalist

Demetria Kalodimos has anchored and reported television news for more than 35 years. She’s won some of journalism’s most prestigious awards including 16 regional Emmys, 2 National Headliners, two Edward R Murrows for investigative reporting and 3 Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Awards. In her journalism career, she produced a dozen feature length news oriented docs on everything from AIDS and Hemophilia, to religious miracles , Romanian orphans, even the Nashville connections to Woodstock. In 2000, Demetria established genuine human productions, writing, directing, shooting and editing true stories about real people…genuine humans. Her debut documentary, Friends Seen and Unseen unraveled the mystery of the underground cult preacher Prophet Omega. Friends Seen and Unseen was a double sellout and award winner at the Nashville Film Festival. It screened at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles and was selected for Birmingham’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Injurious George , the true story of the notorious Nashville Footstomper, also sold out the Nashville Film Festival, drawing rave reviews from the audience and critics. It was awarded by the prestigious Chicago International Film Festival, and was an official selection of the Indie Memphis Film Festival for outstanding southern storytelling. Injurious George won best mini-feature at the Barebones Film Festival 2002. Genuine Human’s first feature-length documentary, Pre-Madonna, screened to sold-out crowds at the Nashville Film Festival in 2004. It was recognized for excellence in documentary at the Berkeley Video and Film Festival. In 2012, Genuine Human collaborated with WSMV television to present Indelible, the Case Against Jeffrey Womack. It revealed never-before-seen or heard evidence from the crime that cost Nashville, Tennessee it’s innocence. Demetria graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University. She earned her Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois, and in 2007, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from her alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan. Genuine Human is dedicated to telling true stories of real people, in every form those stories might take. Documentary remains our passion. Real people, true stories, genuine human.

Jim Logrando
Craft Services

Jim Logrando is a co-founding partner of Craft Services, a strategy agency specializing in Kickstarter project management, artist management/career development, marketing plans, and brand partnerships. Prior to launching Craft Services, Jim held senior roles in strategic marketing and brand development at Redeye Worldwide and Yep Roc Records, as well as a continued advisory role at Kickstarter. Jim's career began on-air in radio and he continues to be a songwriter, blackjack player, t-shirt collector, and a baseball enthusiast.

Erik Lokkesmoe
Aspiration Entertainment

Erik Lokkesmoe has more than 20 years of experience popularizing and populating great ideas and stories. A former speechwriter, press secretary, studio executive, and thought-leader on aspirational audiences.

Over twelve years Erik served as a congressional press secretary, Senate campaign communications director, political communications advisor at the National Association of Broadcasters, speechwriter in the George W. Bush Administration, and head of communications for the National Endowment of the Humanities.

During his political career Erik launched Brewing Culture, a “third-place” initiative to bring variety of beliefs and backgrounds together around great art and ideas. In 2006, Anschutz Film Group & Walden Media asked Erik to be the project manager for the movie Amazing Grace, a political thriller chronicling the heroic story of 18th century abolitionist William Wilberforce. He and his team were heralded by the LA Times for crafting an unconventional marketing campaign and social impact effort to end modern-day slavery.

Erik served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for AFG/Walden Media in Los Angeles until 2008 when he and two others launched Different Drummer, an unconventional marketing and publicity firm. For the next ten years, across more than 100 entertainment projects, Erik led the vision and strategy of the fast-growing agency that included projects for all major movie studios, television networks, publishers, labels, and causes.

Expanding into production and distribution, Erik and four partners created Aspiration, executive producing the Sundance-premiered, NY Times Critics Pick film LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT starring Ewan McGregor. The company also distributed the festival-winning independent film NOBLE, with several new films in production.

Erik is the author and co-author of three books, including his most recent, DIFFERENT DRUMMER. He and his wife, Monica, have three children and, after moving from DC to LA to DC to LA to NYC to Nashville over the past seven years, are glad to call Music City their home.

Brian Loschiavo
Riverside Entertainment

Brian Loschiavo is the Co-Founder and Head of Creative Production & Development for Riverside Entertainment, a Nashville and Los Angeles-based production company specializing in unscripted television, documentary film and high-end branded content.

Prior to forming Riverside Entertainment with partner Jeff Molyneaux, Brian worked as a freelance screenwriter and director before spending 4 years as a Senior Producer for Disney/ABC Television Group. During his tenure, he helped create the successful music-documentary franchise, Nashville: On the Record, which began as a digital series and culminated in 3 primetime concert specials, all of which he executive produced, wrote and/or directed.
As a screenwriter, Brian has sold or optioned several feature and television projects. As a songwriter, his songs have been featured in national commercials and broadcast television shows. He was a producer on the Grammy-nominated feature film, American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry, and is currently producing and directing a feature documentary about Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe.

Brian is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. In 2015, he appeared on Variety Magazine’s Music City Impact Report.

Leonard Maltin
Maltin Movies

Leonard Maltin is one of the world’s most respected film critics and historians. He is best known for his widely-used reference work Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide and its companion volume Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide, as well as his thirty-year run on television’s Entertainment Tonight. He teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, appears regularly on Turner Classic Movies, and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies with his daughter Jessie for the Nerdist network. His books include The 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Great Movie Comedians, The Disney Films, The Art of the Cinematographer, Movie Comedy Teams and The Great American Broadcast. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, votes for films to be selected for the National Film Registry, and was appointed by the Librarian of Congress to sit on the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation. He hosted and co-produced the popular Walt Disney Treasures DVD series for nine years. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career was his appearance in a now-classic episode of South Park. He holds court at leonardmaltin.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Gerry Maravilla
Seed&Spark

Gerry Maravilla is an LA-based filmmaker and the Head of Crowdfunding at Seed&Spark. Gerry has made several award-winning shorts, including Cross, which he funded on Seed&Spark and went on to screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and many more. His work has been featured in press outlets such as Business Insider, Pitchfork, Remezcla and more. Find Gerry on social media for the real scoop: @gerrymaravilla

Nora May
3 Arts Entertainment

Nora May is a manager at 3 Arts Entertainment which produces series such as INSECURE, SILICON VALLEY, AMERICAN VANDAL, THE GOOD PLACE and BETTER THINGS. Her clients have worked for showrunners Mara Brock Akil, Mindy Kaling and Marti Noxon to name a few.

Daniel McCoy
Pixar

Daniel McCoy began his career with Pixar Animation Studios in and has been worked on a number of Pixar’s award-winning feature and short films including “Geri’s Game,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up” “Ratatouille” and “Toy Story 3”. McCoy was the supervising technical director for the Academy Award®-nominated short film “La Luna” which was released theatrically in 2012 in front of the Disney•Pixar feature “Brave.” He currently develops new shading tools with Pixar's Software Tools group.

Austin Mendez
North of Two

Austin Mendez grew up in the suburbs of Southern California, where he could not wait to leave and educate himself at the University of California Santa Cruz. A student of economics, this Banana Slug opted out of any further formal education once he found a passion for writing and cinema. Los Angeles called, and he has lived there ever since. He has been writing screenplays since 2008, been involved in productions from web-series to feature film, and now works as the Director of Operations at North of Two.

Carey Nelson Burch
My Own Shingle

Carey Nelson Burch serves as President of Hideout Pictures, a division of Average Joes Entertainment and the company behind CMT’s “Still the King” starring Joey Lauren Adams and Billy Ray Cyrus. Previously she was an Executive Producer at TackleBox Films while running her own company, My Own Shingle, where Hideout was a consulting client. Prior, Nelson Burch was a packaging agent at William Morris Endeavor for 12 1/2 years and had the distinction of being the only TV/Film agent in town, servicing Feature and TV producers, the country artist roster, as well as numerous projects. Before joining William Morris Endeavor, Nelson Burch was an Executive at NBC in Los Angeles. She currently serves on the boards of Leadership Music, the Nashville Film Festival, Belmont’s Film & TV Advisory Committee, Film Com and Many Hopes.

Brian Nossokoff
UTA

Brian Nossokoff is an agent at the leading global talent and entertainment agency, United Talent Agency (UTA). In this role, he collaborates with a number of different departments including Motion Picture, Television, Music, Endorsements, et. al. After spending twelve years in Los Angeles, he relocated to the UTA offices in New York City in 2017.

Nossokoff’s passion for the business was realized in UTA’s mailroom where he interned over the summers and officially became an assistant after graduating from law school. He spent three years working in production and development before he returned to UTA where he is now an agent in the talent department.

In 2014, he was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “35 Under 35” list and was honored in Variety’s “Power of Youth” issue in 2017. Nossokoff has helped develop the careers of many actors such as Jacob Tremblay, Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Alexandra Daddario, Ross Lynch, Zachary Levi, Cameron Monaghan and Kaitlyn Dever. Working across the agency he has cultivated opportunities in a diverse array of mediums for the likes of Trace Adkins, Amara La Negra Steve Earle and The Driver Era.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Nossokoff attended the University of Georgia where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science followed by the University of South Carolina where he earned his law degree.

Brian Owens
Nashville Film Festival

Brian Owens has programmed NashFilm since 2008. He came to Nashville after founding and managing the Indianapolis International Film Festival. In 2010 he was named one of Nashville’s People in Charge by the Nashville Post and one of the 50 Most Influential People of the 2000’s by the Indianapolis Star.

Owens developed his knowledge of film early in life and honed his skills at Indiana University, where he studied Film. He is an annual guest of the Toronto Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival where he selects films and filmmakers for the April Festival.

Brian has served on multiple film festival juries and has been published in several online and print publications.

Mike Pecci
Filmmaker

Trained in film production at the New York Film Academy in 1999, Mike Pecci has since worked with some of Boston and New York's brightest and boldest talents. His critically acclaimed music videos have been featured on MTV2 and Fuse, and his narrative and documentary films have excited festival audience for years. With more than 18 years of experience on the Boston film scene, Mike has cemented a name for himself not only as a music video director, but as an abstractly edgy filmmaker who is undeniably devoted to the art of storytelling.

Andy Peterson
Aspiration Entertainment

Andy Peterson is a senior creative media executive at the forefront of marketing entertainment properties and brands to cause conscious & specialty audiences. As a principal at film marketing & development agency Aspiration, Andy has been involved in launching dozens of independent and studio feature films and TV series’ including projects from Paramount Pictures, Participant Media, Sony Pictures, Focus Features, AMC, FOX, dick clark productions and National Geographic among others.

He is also leading Aspiration’s new Docs/ology initiative for curating, servicing and funding ‘praise-worthy’ documentary films.

In 2012 Andy created the Justice Film Festival, a film experience that promotes social justice and celebrates emerging filmmakers from around the world. The festival just announced its 6th annual event in New York City at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture November 1-4, 2018.

Andy is a graduate of Taylor University, and has lived in Nashville for over 20-years with his wife Rebecca. They have three children. An avid record collector Andy has over 1,000 pieces of vinyl in his collection, and can usually be found visiting contemporary art museums and other sacred spaces during his travels.

Morgan Pichinson
Mosaic

Morgan Pichinson is a producer and production executive at Mosaic. She was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Indiana University. She began her career at Verve Talent & Literary Agency working in motion picture and television lit, then went to work at STX Entertainment, and following that to Mosaic in comedy management where she later was promoted in Film & TV production. Mosaic is a management and production company based in Los Angeles. In addition to representing actors, writers, directors, and comedians, Mosaic has a first-look film deal with Sony Pictures, and a first-look television and digital deal with Legendary Entertainment. The company has produced films such as BAD TEACHER, STEP BROTHERS, THE OTHER GUYS, as well as the upcoming film HOLMES & WATSON which reunites Will Ferrell and John C Reilly as the famous duo. In television, Mosaic produced the ABC series “Downward Dog” and Adult Swim’s “Apollo Gauntlet”. Notable clients include Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Judd Apatow, Jay Roach, Kate Mara, Tessa Thompson, and Jessica Chastain.

Alicia Richards
Music Industry Exec

Alicia Richards has worked in licensing and creative synch for over 20 years. She has
experience at major labels and music publishers working with the film directors, studios,
networks or music supervisors finding the right songs for their projects and working
within their budget.

Her most recent position, Senior Vice President of Creative Synch, was at Warner Bros.
Records in Burbank where she headed up their Creative Synch department. They
placed songs in Films, Trailers, TV shows, Promos and Sports. Some films and
campaigns that she worked on there include Justice League, Storks, Deep Water
Horizon and Birth of A Nation.

Prior to that she led the Film and Trailer department at Sony Music as VP of Film
Licensing. That department worked on major studio films and their campaigns as well
as indie and student films. Previous to that she was at Disney Music Publishing and
Cherry Lane Music.

Having experience in finding the creative fit and negotiating the fees at both labels and
music publishers she has a unique perspective on all the elements needed to find the
right song or songs to finish a film with the best possible music.

Dr. Nancy McGuire Roche
Watkins & Vanderbilt University

Dr. Nancy McGuire Roche holds a Ph.D. in English with Concentrations in Film Studies and American Literature 1930-Present from Middle Tennessee State, as well as a B.S. degree from Vanderbilt University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Brown University. She specializes in film theory, women in film, cinemas of the 1960s, and American Independent
Film, with an emphasis on culture studies, narrative, and gender and identity performance. Dr. Roche currently teaches Film History and Special Topics in Film at the Watkins Film School and Film Theory in their M.F.A. program. She is also a Lecturer in English at Vanderbilt University. Her recent publications include a chapter in Modern American Drama on Screen from Cambridge University Press. A chapter on Mike Nichols in The Other Hollywood Renaissance and her book Cinema in Revolt: Censorship Reform in 1960s British and American Film are both forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press in 2018.

Alex Sera
WME

Alex Sera is an agent in WME’s Talent department. She works with the agency’s Nashville-based clients across both the television and film spaces to identify crossover opportunities. Some of the clients she works with include: Kane Brown, Cam, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.

Sera began her career at WME in 2013 and was promoted to agent in 2018.

A graduate of Williams College, Sera resides in Los Angeles.

Ryan Smith
Mountview Films

MOUNTVIEW FILMS – RYAN SMITH – Partner and Head of Production for Mountview Films and co-owner/operator of Thomasville Pictures, a studio and production services company in Thomasville, Georgia. Smith started his career developing and producing When the Night Comes, a feature film for The United Nations Foundation. He then expanded to producing national commercials, music videos, sporting and large concert events. In 2015, Smith negotiated a partnership between AARP & Cumulus to bring Larry King back to radio. Later that year, in partnership with AEG, Smith produced Christmasland – one of the largest Christmas festivals in the history of Los Angeles, which attracted over 250,000 people, took over LA LIVE for a week, and included concerts at The Microsoft Theatre. Through Mountview Films Smith has produced numerous independent feature films, including Some Freaks, which garnered several festival nominations and wins for Best Narrative Feature, including the Grand Jury for the 2017 Nashville Film Festival, and was released worldwide in August of 2017 to enthusiastic media praise. Smith also Executive Produced Heartbeats, an international film from the creator of Step Up. Most recently he produced the short film Why You Don’t Send Nudes, premiering at the Nashville Film Festival in May 2018. Smith is a board member of Film Nashville, a member of the entrepreneurial group Summit Series, and a guest lecturer of the George Shinn School of Entertainment & the Arts at Lipscomb University. Smith is currently overseeing the development of numerous feature films including Peril of a Godsend, a political thriller set in Turkey, and Crescendo, a film based on a novel about the importance of music and mentorship in the lives of young people. He continues to dedicate himself to creating quality content in hopes of inspiring the collective conscience to the greater good through his work.

Bob Zeglarski
Cutwater Law PLLC

Bob Zeglarski is an attorney and Founder of Cutwater Law PLLC, an entertainment and business law firm located in Nashville. He has represented film and television productions, producers, screenwriters, distributors, online streaming platforms, investors, and financiers, including a leading merchant bank serving the independent film industry. In addition to his entertainment practice, Bob represents companies and executives in connection with public and private securities offerings, mergers, acquisitions, commercial contracts, and the licensing of products and technologies. Bob currently serves as President of the Media, Entertainment & Technology Alliance (META), a nonprofit trade association serving companies at the intersection of entertainment and technology.

Not Pictured:

What is The Pitch?

In an effort to create more opportunities for filmmakers, screenwriters, and book authors to get a deal, we've created The Pitch -- a chance to get your story in front of someone who can help turn it into an on-screen reality!

Round 1 - Enter The Pitch here and upload your 1-page written pitch
Round 2 - The top 50 will have an opportunity to pitch live in Pitching Round 2 on Thursday, 5/17/2018 (times TBD) at the festival. You will have 5 minutes to WOW them
Round 3 - 10 finalists will be selected from Pitching Round 2 to pitch live on Friday, 5/18/2018 (times TBD) to a panel of dealmakers. If they like your pitch and it fits what they are looking for, they will have access to your contact information to reach out to you with potential offers and advice

Round 3 Pitchers:

Scheduled Round 3 industry professionals include:

Penelope Bartlett (Criterion Collection), Andrew Borden (The Orchard), Alex Bowen (The Kennedy/Marshall Company), Christina Campagnola (APA), Mark Cartier (North of Two), Naia Cucukov (Walden Media), Andrew Hunt (Raven Banner), Brian Loschiavo (Riverside Entertainment), Morgan Pichinson (Mosaic), and Taylor Ritzell.

All entrants receive:

Opportunity to pitch your screenplay, book, film, or idea (written pitch, here's an example)
Opportunity of advancement to pitch live
Opportunity for 1 paragraph critique of your written pitch upon request before start of festival.
Invitation to Industry Night Reception (Wed, 5/16 at festival)
10 ticket vouchers ($150 Value), good for any regularly priced film or Creator's Conference session at this year's fest
Free admission to Pitch Workshop at festival (Wed, 5/16 at festival)
NashFilm Swag Pack - must pick up at 2018 NashFilm Box Office during festival (May 10-19, 2018)

The Nashville Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the Actor's Challenge:

Actor's Challenge Partners

About the Actor's Challenge:

This first-time event in 2018 was open to all actors 18 years or older who auditioned to work with one of three directors: Motke Dapp, Faith McQuinn, and Chad McClarnon. Each director worked with five actors. The films were completed within approximately three weeks and screened at the festival. Nashville Fashion Week provided hair, makeup, and costumes for the films.

Feature Film Awards

NARRATIVE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Prison Logic, directed by Romany Malco (USA)
Honorable Mention - When She Runs, directed by Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck (USA)
Best Actor - Romany Malco in Prison Logic (USA)
Best Actress - Elise Van't Laar in Craving (Netherlands)
Best Screenplay - Angels Wear White, written by Vivian Qu (China)
Best Music - Prison Logic (USA)
Audience Award - Prison Logic (USA)

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Minding the Gap, directed by Bing Liu (USA)
Honorable Mention - Inventing Tomorrow, directed by Laura Nix (USA)

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Thunder Road, directed by Jim Cummings (USA)
Honorable Mention - Still, directed by Takashi Dosher (USA)
Honorable Mention - The Marriage, directed by Bierta Zeqiri (Kosovo)
Audience Award - Mountain Rest, directed by Alex O. Eaton (USA)

MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Satan & Adam, directed by Scott Balcerek (USA)
Honorable Mention - If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, directed by Steven Kijack (USA)
Audience Award - If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, directed by Steven Kijack (USA) Audience Award - Stay Human, directed by Michael Franti (USA)

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Mickey Reece's Alien, directed by Mickey Reece (USA)
Honorable Mention - Zerzura, directed by Christopher Kirkley (Niger / USA)
Best Actress - Cate Jones in Mickey Reece's Alien (USA)
Best Actor - Jacob Ryan Snovel in Mickey Reece's Alien (USA)
Best Actor - CJ Jones in Door in the Woods (USA)

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Rukus, directed by Brett Hanover (USA)
Audience Award - Other Versions of You, directed by Motke Dapp (USA)

ANIMATION COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, directed by Benjamin Renner & Patrick Imbert (France)

Short Film Awards

NARRATIVE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - The President's Visit, directed by Cyril Aris (Lebanon / Qatar) - Academy Award Qualified
Outstanding US Short - Debris, directed by Juilo O. Ramos (Peru / USA)
Honorable Mention US Short - Emergency, directed by Carey Williams (USA)
Outstanding International Short - Icarus, directed by Nicolas Boucart (Belgium)
Honorable Mention International Short - Miss Wamba, directed by Estafania Cortes (Spain)

ANIMATION COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Weekends, directed by Trevor Jiminez (Canada) - Academy Award Qualified
Honorable Mention - Hybrids, directed by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Romain Thirion & Yohan Thireau (France)

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - '63 Boycott, directed by Gordon Quinn (USA) - Academy Award Qualified
Honorable Mention - Tightly Wound, directed by Shelby Hadden (USA)
Honorable Mention - While I Yet Live, directed by Maris Curren (USA)

EXPERIMENTAL COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Green Screen Gringo, directed by Douwe Dijkstra (Netherlands / Brazil)
Honorable Mention - Strangers, directed by Eve Duhamel & Julian Vallee (Canada)

STUDENT COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Schoolyard Blues, directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht (Sweden)
Honorable Mention - Lunch Time, directed by Alireza Ghasemi (Iran)

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Socks on Fire: Uncle John and the Copper Headed Water Rattlers, directed by Bo McGuire (USA)
Honorable Mention - Paralys, directed by John Boisen & Björn Fävremark

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - Best TN Narrative - Hunter, directed by Hilary Bell (USA)
Honorable Mention - Best TN Narrative - The Order, directed by Chad Cunningham (USA)
Grand Jury Prize - Best TN Documentary - Clarksville, 1937, directed by Karen Bullis & Kathy Lee Heuston (USA)
Grand Jury Prize - Best TN Student Short - Pilots, directed by Jason Luckett

YOUNG FILMMAKERS COMPETITION

Grand Jury Prize - The Hitchhiker's Guide to Suburbia, directed by Alex Alford & Zak Denley (US

2018 Screenwriting Competition Winners

THE NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SCREENWRITING COMPETITION WINNERS

May 21, 2018 (Nashville, TN) – The Nashville Film Festival announces the winners of their 5th annual Screenwriting Competition. The winners were selected from over 1,400 submissions from all over the world and include feature-length screenplays, short screenplays, and teleplays.

Below are the winners in each category:

GRAND JURY PRIZES
Grand Jury Prize – Feature: Queens, written by Max Sokoloff
Grand Jury Prize – Short: True Blue, written by Phil Yuhas

FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
Action/Adventure Feature - Suckerfish City, written by William Rodemeyer
Comedy Feature - Queens, written by Max Sokoloff
Drama Feature - Blue on Blue, written by David Dasilma
Family/Animation Feature - Spirit Halloween, written by Billie Bates
Historical Feature - Southern Knights, written by Scott Bloom & Myra Turley
Inspirational Feature - Get a Life, written by Nicole Fairbrother
Music-Inspired Feature - Hard Candy Christmas, written by Nick Abdo
Science-Fiction Feature - Moon Rush, written by Matt O’Reilly
Tennessee Feature - Green Card Gay, written by KD Amond
Thriller/Horror Feature - Dream Screen, written by Steven Epp

SHORT SCREENPLAYS
Comedy Short - Mama of Dada, written by Anna Hopkins
Drama Short - True Blue, written by Phil Yuhas
Genre Short - Sergio: A Scorpion’s Tale, written by Shaun Radecki
Tennessee Short - Night of the Swingin’ Dead, written by Jason K Allen
Thriller/Horror Short - The Storyteller, written by Patrick Nash
Young Screenwriter Short - Hiding Spot, written by Sam Wilson

TELEPLAYS
30-Minute Teleplay - OMG, written by Terry Milner
60-Minute Teleplay - Radicalized, written by Bandar Albuliwi

VR | 360 Film Competition

I Am A Man VR

Grand Jury Prize – I Am a Man, created by Derek Ham

Honorable Mention – MicroGiants, created by Yifu Zhou

Full 2018 Gallery

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All 2018 Videos

2018 Youtube Playlist

2017 Festival

2017 Program Guide

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
44 Pages | directed by Tony Shaff | USA | 92 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Actors of Sound | directed by Lalo Molina | USA | 82 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Augie | directed by James Keach | USA | 89 min. |
Backpack Full of Cash | directed by Sarah Mondale | USA | 96 min. | Southeast US Premiere
California Typewriter | directed by Doug Nichol | USA | 104 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Chasing Evel: The Robbie Knievel Story | directed by Jesse James Miller | Canada | 111 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Finding Kim | directed by Aaron Bear | USA | 83 min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Gateway Bug | directed by Johanna B Kelly | USA | 82 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Meth Storm: Arkansas USA | directed by Craig Renaud & Brent Renaud | USA | 100 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Quest | directed by Jonathan Olshefski | USA | 105 min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Road Movie | directed by Dmitrii Kalashnikov | Belarus, Russia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, & Croatia | 67 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Small Talk | directed by Hui-Chen Huang | Taiwan | 88 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Spettacolo | directed by Jeff Malmberg & Chris Shellen | USA | 91 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Swim Team | directed by Lara Stolman | USA | 100 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Unrest | directed by Jennifer Brea| USA | 97 min. | Southeast US Premiere

MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY FEATURE COMPETITION
Arctic Superstar | directed by Simen Braathen | Norway | 72 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Bill Frisell: A Portrait | directed by Emma Franz | Australia | 114 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape | directed by Zack Taylor | USA | 94 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Davi’s Way | directed by Tom Donahue | USA | 86 min. | Southeast US Premiere
G Funk | directed by Karam Gill | USA | 84 min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Last Songwriter | directed by Mark Barger Elliott | USA | 52 min. | World Premiere
Score: A Film Music Documentary | directed by Matt Schrader | USA | 94 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Straight Into a Storm | directed by William Miller | USA | 110 min. | World Premiere
Tokyo Idols | directed by Kyoko Miyake | United Kingdom & Canada | 88 min. | Southeast US Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATION DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail | directed by Steve James | USA | 88 min.
Dolores | directed by Peter Bratt | USA | 95 min.
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers | directed by Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio | USA | 107 min. | CENTERPIECE SPOTLIGHT.
Step | directed by Amanda Lipitz | USA | 83 min.
Where Have You Gone, Lou Dimaggio? | directed by Brad Kuhlman | USA | 75 min.

TENNESSEE FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
All the Way to Tacoma | directed by Justin Key | USA | 41 min. | World Premiere
Intentional Healing | directed by John Stavas | USA | 42 min. | World Premiere
Kandyland | directed by Seth Graves | USA | 81 min. | World Premiere
The Meanest Man in Texas | directed by Justin Ward | USA | 106 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Wild Man | directed by Jacquie Phillips & Stefanie Black | USA | 85 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Your Ride is Here | directed by Fraser Jones | USA | 58 min. | Tennessee Premiere

The 2017 Creator's Conference, presented by NashFilm, includes robust tracks for filmmakers, screenwriters, musicians, and all kinds of creators. Come hear about the latest industry trends, paths that have led to success, ways to hone your craft, and meet others in the community!

Creator's Conference Speakers

Jake Basden
Vice President, Publicity & Corporate Communications
Big Machine Label Group

Jake oversees publicity and corporate communications for the Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) in Nashville, TN. BMLG is the #1 independent record label in the world home to global superstars Taylor Swift, Steven Tyler, Tim McGraw, Reba and more.

Jake was previously a Media Relations Director in the Sports & Entertainment division of Edelman New York, the largest global PR firm.

He was awarded “Young PR Professional of the Year” by PRWeek magazine and in 2015 led the media relations campaign for the critically-acclaimed documentary GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and won four GRAMMY awards.

Aaron Bleyaert
Emmy-Award Winner & Resident Web Guy
Conan O’Brien

Aaron Bleyaert is best known for his “Clueless Gamer” series. The series, which began as a part of Conan’s online streaming platform and was later incorporated into the late night show, features Aaron leading Conan & guest celebrities through the newest finds in the video game industry. The series has become a beloved part of the show and a long-lasting online hit.

Aaron is a four-time Emmy nominee – with two nominations for “Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media” and two in the “Outstanding Interactive Program” category. In 2012, Aaron won the Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Enhancement to a Television Program or Series” for the Team Coco Sync App.

Aaron also attended the 2016 Nashville Film Festival with his viral short film, “How to Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps” (written by Bleyaert and directed by Benjamin Berman).

Wendy Calhoun
Writer, Series Creator, and Executive Producer

Wendy Calhoun is a writer, series creator, and executive producer with content currently in development at multiple digital and cable studios. Her credits include Co-Executive Producing and writing the historic first season of Fox’s hit series EMPIRE. In addition, she’s written and produced for ABC’S NASHVILLE, FX’s JUSTIFIED, ABC’s REVENGE, and NBC’s LIFE. Last summer, Calhoun wrote and directed the virtual reality short, LEFT BEHIND, sponsored by Google and honored as “Best in VR” at Digital Hollywood 2016. In addition, she served as the Narrative Consultant for Electronic Arts’ BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE video game. She received a 2010 Peabody Award and WGA Best New Series Nomination for JUSTIFIED. She received her second WGA Best New Series Nomination in 2012 for NASHVILLE. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Calhoun studied film and television at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Naia Cucukov
Senior Vice President of Development and Production
Walden Media

As Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Walden Media, Naia Cucukov has a passion for identifying inspiring projects and helping them grow into movie magic. A native of southern New Jersey, she grew up loving film and ultimately discovered her passion for production while receiving her B.A. in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University. Like many entertainment executives before her, Naia started in Hollywood as an assistant at CAA followed by a post at Legendary Pictures. She then made the transition into the role of Creative Executive at Bold Films followed by the opportunity to work with Sir Richard Branson as the Director of Development at Virgin Produced. While at Virgin, Naia oversaw all creative programing for the Virgin Produced Channel onboard Virgin Airlines and co-produced the award-winning short film Departure Date, the first film shot on a plane and edited while 35,000 feet in the air. Since her start at Walden Media in 2013, Naia has hit the ground running, cultivating a diverse slate of films. On behalf of Walden she has overseen production for: The Giver, based on the bestselling book by Lois Lowry; Universal and Working Title’s Everest, based on the true story of the 1996 Everest disaster; Disney’s The BFG, a Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel; and A Dog’s Purpose, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the bestselling novel. Upcoming projects include: Lionsgate’s Wonder, based on the bestselling middle grade novel, directed by Stephen Chbosky; and Sony Animation’s The Star, told from the perspective of the animals in the manger.

Additionally, Naia volunteers with Reading to Kids and the Brown University Alumni Organization, sits on the Templeton Foundations Film Steering Committee and is an active member of Women in Film and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). She spends her free time with her Miniature Dachshund, Sharky.

Babacar Diene
Vice President, Acquisitions and Development
Voltage Pictures

Babacar Diene is currently Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, at international finance, production and distribution company Voltage Pictures (The Hurt Locker, Dallas Buyers Club). Since joining Voltage in 2012, Diene has been closely involved in several exciting projects, including the feature films Fathers & Daughters starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Aaron Paul; Pay The Ghost starring Nicolas Cage; I.T starring Pierce Brosnan and Good Kids among others. Previously, Diene was Vice President, Acquisitions & Apsara Distribution at IM Global, as well as holding positions at Icon Entertainment International and GreenseStreet Films International.

Before moving to Los Angeles, Diene graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in International Relations.

Patrick Ewald
CEO
Epic Pictures Group

Patrick Ewald became the CEO of Epic Pictures Group, Inc. in 2007 with the goal of bringing original and visionary storytelling to a global audience. Patrick’s career in the film business spans over 20 years as a senior level executive and has been involved in the development, financing, production and marketing of over 100 films.

Patrick has produced/executive produced over 35 films which include: “TURBO KID,” “SPACE DOGS,” “WHO GETS THE DOG,” “TALES OF HALLOWEEN,” ENTERTAINMENT,” “JERUZALEM,” “ENTERTAINMENT,” “THE DEVIL’S CHAIR,” “11-11- 11” and is currently producing/executive producing “THE LODGERS,” “REDCON-1,” “THE NANNY,” and “RADIUS.” You might find Patrick vanquishing man-eating spiders or orbiting space in the company of the first interstellar canines.

You might find him quelling a zombie uprising or navigating an apocalyptic future with superheroes by his side. You might find him at any of the former, but more likely you'll find him at home with his wife, three daughters, and dog, Lola, curled up on the couch engrossed in a film.

A New York City native, Mr. Ewald is a two-time Saturn Award winner and an active member of the Producers Guild of America. He graduated from Duke University with a degree in film studies.

Daisy Hamilton
Acquisitions & Business Development
TriCoast Worldwide

Daisy Hamilton, a Los Angeles native, grew up working in the film industry. Since graduating from NYU with a major in the business of Film, she has spearheaded development and acquisitions for TriCoast Worldwide. Her career in film and television is driven by a strong and passionate commitment to truth, the proliferation of knowledge, and raising the bar on content and its function for audiences. She has acquired over 15+ titles for TriCoast; some of her favorites include: festival darlings, ARE WE NOT CATS (2016) and INUK (2014), controversial documentaries SHADOW WORLD (2016) and SIRIUS (2015), animated favorite,THE STONE BOY (2017) and the highly successful animated feature based on the Sony Playstation Video Game HEAVENLY SWORD (2015).

Andrew Hunt
Founding Partner
Raven Banner

One of the founding partners of Raven Banner, Andrew T Hunt is a Writer/Producer/Director with over 20 years experience. Andrew’s feature length debut Sweet Karma premiered at the 2009 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, garnering praise and kudos from press and industry alike. Sweet Karma was also the catalyst for the formation of Raven Banner Entertainment - a worldwide sales company specializing in genre films. In 2012 Raven Banner Releasing was formed as the Canadian distribution arm for RBE, releasing such notable titles as Turbo Kid, Wolfcop, Deathgasm and Black Mountain Side. 2015 saw the creation of Northern Banner Releasing, a Canadian distribution company that focuses on non-genre titles such as Academy Award Nominated Embrace of the Serpent, Borealis, The Happiest Day In The Life of Olli Maki, and How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town. In 2016 Raven Banner increased its focus on original productions, having formed key partnerships with like-minded producers. Within Raven Banner Andrew plays a key role supervising the review, development and packaging of feature projects from script to screen, as well as overseeing the branding, marketing and distribution of select titles.

Melissa Lummus
Screenplay Competitions Manager
Nashville Film Festival

Melissa joined the Nashville Film Festival staff in 2012. She currently serves as the Film Competitions Manager, in addition to organizing panels and workshops during the festival.
Melissa studied Film & Digital Media at Baylor University before transferring to Belmont University and receiving a B.S. in Video Production and a Minor in Theater. She is also an alumni of the Second City Training Center and iO Theater, both located in Chicago, where she wrote and performed sketch comedy and improvisation.
She previously worked at Third Man Records and on numerous production jobs, including the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food Nation”. She has served on the Awards Jury for several other film competitions and festivals, including SoHo International Film Festival.
When she’s not watching her never-ending wishlist of movies and eating queso, Melissa is usually found playing pool, looking up pictures of snails, or planning her next trip. She will also challenge anyone to a game of MarioKart.

Michael Meyer
Wig & Hair Design Artist

Michael Meyer worked in his profession at the Hannover State Theater where an average of 40 productions, equaling approximately 250+ shows a year were performed. In ‘98, he and his wife came to the USA where he accepted a position as a wig maker at the San Francisco Opera. He was quickly promoted to 1st assistant wig maker where his responsibilities included custom wig making, and prosthetic work. He has worked as a special effects artist with the local film industry, as well as a wig and makeup designer for theatrical companies around the world. He has worked closely with the medical communities creating medical task trainers, and has built animatronics that are currently being enjoyed by children’s museums. Michael most recently held the position of Head of Department at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he taught all levels of makeup, wig making and styling, prosthetic work, and animatronics.

Melanie Miller
Executive Vice President
Samuel Goldwyn Films

Melanie Miller has over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry. During her tenure at Gravitas Ventures as Vice President of Acquisitions & Marketing, she played an integral role in the growth of the new paradigm of independent distribution. Prior to Gravitas, Miller was the Artistic Director at the Jackson Hole Film Institute and in 2009 co-founded Fishbowl Films with Diane Becker. The company’s first feature, DETOUR by William Dickerson received a domestic day & date theatrical release. Fishbowl Films' next feature is Shaz Bennett’s directorial debut ALASKA IS A DRAG, a IFP Narrative Lab fellow. Their latest collaboration is a feature length documentary with the working title BRAINIACS. This Sundance Institute 2016 Catalyst Initiative project recently began production with Laura Nix at the helm.
Currently the Executive Vice President at Samuel Goldwyn Films, Melanie is responsible for the company’s distribution, marketing and PR strategy for their slate. In addition, she works closely with Co-Owners Peter Goldwyn and Ben Feingold on ways to expand the Goldwyn footprint, in both long form and episodic content with existing and new partners. Melanie has been a guest speaker at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Sloan Summit, the Sundance Institute, the Produced By Conference, and more. She is a member of Film Independent, IFP and the Producers Guild.

Travis Nicholson
Co-Creator
Still the King

Travis Nicholson is an accomplished actor and producer, originally from Garland, Texas. His acting credits span over 20 film and television projects, while his producing credits include three feature films, a television pilot, short films, commercials and countless music videos. Working alongside diverse directors such as Clint Eastwood, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Harmony Korine has given Travis exposure to a broad range of styles and techniques over the years, helping him develop as both an actor and filmmaker.

Travis’ father, a talented songwriter and guitar player, moved the family to Nashville in 1981. Surrounded by music, Travis began writing songs and playing guitar. One of his bands, “The Swindlers,” included frontman Justin Townes Earle (son of Steve Earle) and experienced success in the Nashville music scene and on small tours. Although music continues to be a passion, it was always filmmaking that had the strongest pull, and in 1999 Travis enrolled in the film program at the local “Watkins Film School,” with a focus on writing and directing.

After two years in the program, he secured an internship on the set of the Coen Brothers’ “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” and soon after Travis moved to Los Angeles to work on “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “Intolerable Cruelty.” In addition to the Coen Brothers, he has also worked with legendary filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker (“Don’t Look Back”), Walter Salles (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) and William Monahan (“The Departed”).

In 2012, a short film he produced entitled “The Arm” was awarded “Best Comedic Short” at the Sundance Film Festival. That same year, “Super Zeroes,” which Travis wrote, produced and starred in, won the “Audience Award” at the Nashville Film Festival. His latest producorial effort, “Listening,” received glowing reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and Moviemaker magazine.

Travis is currently writing, producing, and starring in “Still the King”, a comedic series he co-created with Billy Ray Cyrus and Potsy Ponciroli, currently shooting it's second season for CMT.

Andreas Olavarria
President and CEO
Level 33 Entertainment

Andreas Olavarria currently serves as President and CEO of Level 33 Entertainment (“Level 33”) an independent film distribution company based in Los Angeles. Level 33 has distributed a diverse slate of successful independent features including films such as 1 NIGHT starring Anna Camp & Justin Chatwin, MOUNTAIN MEN starring Chace Crawford & Tyler Labine, THE DEBT starring Stephen Dorff & Academy Award® Nominee David Straithairn, COPENHAGEN starring Gethin Anthony, THE WEDDING VIDEO with Lucy Punch, AFTER WORDS starring Academy Award® Winner Marcia Gay Harden & Oscar Jaenada, MONTANA starring Lars Mikkelsen & Michelle Fairley, and MANHATTAN ROMANCE starring Katherine Waterston, Gaby Hoffmann & Caitlin FitzGerald.

Andreas has over 20 years experience in the field of motion picture production and distribution. Serving as a creative and production executive at motion picture studios such as The Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox, as well as an independent film producer, Andreas has demonstrated a track record of success in identifying quality feature film projects and overseeing all facets of production & distribution for both major studios and independent film companies. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and holds an Honors Degree in Communication Studies from UCLA.

Leslie Pirritano
Your Best Friend
AMD

Leslie Pirritano has been in various gamer and VR-related roles over the past 15 years, is a key influencer in gaming and immersive tech and is Your Best Friend at AMD. She actively works to promote diversity within the gaming and VR communities. In her spare time, she builds her own PC’s for her gaming and VR experiences.

Robin Prybil
Director of Studio Relations, Content and Alliances/AMD
Radeon Technologies Group

Robin is Director of Studio Relations, Content and Alliances for AMD/RTG. She began her entertainment career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1987, where she formalized American Federation of Musicians (AFM) contracts for the agency's musical clients. She crossed over into feature film development at Columbia Pictures before moving over to Paramount Picture for 10 years as Executive Vice-President for producer Robert Evans - which culminated in an Associate Producer credit for How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Robin joined Weta Digital in 2003 where she worked with top tier film directors on such films as AVATAR, The Hobbit series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The BFG, and Jungle Book. Robin is a member of the PGA, BAFTA, VES, ASIFA, and WiVR. A complete list of Robin’s work history can be found at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1311073/

Bob Raines
Executive Director
TN Entertainment Commission

Appointed by the Office of the Governor to represent the State of Tennessee's entertainment industry. Raines is responsible for advancing the strategic goals of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission ; representing Tennessee's key industry assets and competitive advantages both statewide and abroad; strategic advisor to senior government officials; providing State Legislators’ with analysis of the State's entertainment sector.

Raines works to establish and advance relationships across a spectrum of sects within the State's entertainment industry. Manages and implements the State's production incentives program for film, music, television and commercials. Collaborates with government and private industry leadership to cultivate policy and strategy that reflect best practices for program management and industry development. Promotes and encourages the use of the State's entertainment resources to companies nationwide. Allocates sponsorships and grants to organizations advancing the State's local entertainment industry. Engages with stakeholders and industry professionals through public speaking and community outreach. Actively collaborates on Tennessee Entertainment Commission marketing materials and branding strategies for the State.

Raines is a Leadership Music Class of 2016 Alumni and current Co-Chair of the Nashville Music City Music Council. He is active on several entertainment based boards and maintains strategic partnerships with city and county alliances in Memphis, Knoxville & Chattanooga. He oversees the Governor’s Entertainment Commission board which is a Statewide board composed of leaders from Tennessee base companies like Scripps, Google, Sony and CAA.

Raines holds a degree in Business Administration from East Tennessee State University and an accreditation with the International Association for Management Education.

Ben Rittenhouse
Emmy Award Winning Makeup Artist

Ben Rittenhouse is an Emmy Award winning makeup artist (The Pacific, 2010). Ben specializes in special effects makeup, prop making, prosthetics and has cultivated a successful and tenured career in the entertainment industry. Some of his recent projects include: Star Trek, Hunger Games, Avatar, Anchorman, Hangover 3, CSI, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe, Kill Bill: Vol 1&2, Hulk, RIPD, Grey’s Anatomy, The Mist, Hostel, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Sin City.

SHEL
Sarah Holbrook (fiddle, guitar, bass), Hannah Holbrook (piano, concertina, accordion), Eva Holbrook (mandolin), Liza Holbrook (drums, djembe, beatboxing)

SHEL is touring and creating relentlessly in the hothouse environment of the 21st century music business. "We've always made our living playing music,' says Sarah Holbrook, "I dropped out of two different colleges, before it finally sank in that I was supposed to be playing music with my sisters full time.

SHEL music is many things sonically, but its coherence and distinctiveness comes from the sisters’ commitment to making every song an honest four-way collaboration. That said, every artist profits from outside perspective, and circumstances aligned in recent years to work with Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart, whose production credits include albums with Stevie Nicks, Joss Stone and Ringo Starr. SHEL arranged and recorded tracks in Nashville with long-time producer Brent Maher. Then Stewart, in his Los Angeles studio, added sounds and beats to complement each track. The mandate was to uphold the soul of the songs, the acoustic musicality of the sisters as players, the subtlety of SHEL’s vocals and the colors of their harmonies.

SHEL has been featured on TV & in commercials such as the current Toys R Us holiday commercial and “Search Party”on TBS. Other series include The Fosters, Eye Candy, Guilt, and more. They recently opened for Amos Lee on his fall tour, and have spent the last year touring the US & Europe in appearances ranging from clubs to festivals to concerts with orchestras.

Dawn Solér
Senior Vice President, TV Music
ABC Studios

Dawn Solér is Senior Vice President, TV Music, at ABC Studios where she is responsible for all music at ABC Studios and oversees the music content for shows such as “Nashville,” “Blackish,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Scandal,” and “Quantico.” She worked closely with composer Alan Menken and executive producer Dan Fogelman as the music supervisor on the musical series, “Galavant.” She is founder of the ABC Music Lounge and has produced the on-air music specials, “Nashville: On The Record I, II and III.”

Before ABC, Ms. Solér had her own company, Working Music, where she created several hit soundtracks for New Line Cinema, including “Now And Then,” “Dumb and Dumber” and “Don Juan De Marco,” which garnered both Academy Award and Grammy Award nominations.

Other projects she completed include “Being John Malkovich,” “Princess Diaries I & II,” “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and Disney’s “Enchanted,” which garnered three Academy Award and one Grammy nominations, before making her leap from features to television.

In 2015, Ms. Solér was on Billboard’s list of TV’s Top Music Power Players as well as on their Women in Music list (2015 & 2010). Also in 2015, she was honored in Variety’s Women in Power issue, and was on Imagen’s Most Powerful & Influential Latinos list. In 2014, ABC’s music department was named Best Music Department by the Music Supervisor’s Guild.

Ms. Solér writes a blog about empowerment on her The 40 Plus Girl site, is completing a book “The Be A Girl Principals” with her partner Anastasia Brown, and also does speaking engagements on the subject.

Ms. Solér lives in Thousand Oaks with her husband, Sterling of 19 years, their eleven-year-old daughter, Irene, three dogs and 23 chickens and thrives on gardening, cooking, entertaining.

Dominick Spina
Sr. Manager of Market Development, Media & Entertainment
AMD

Dominick is Sr. Manager of Market Development, Media & Entertainment for AMD and is based in Los Angeles, CA. He has more than 25 years of experience in the high-technology industry with an emphasis on electronics product design, computer graphics, and software development. His work experience includes establishing GPU rendering development projects at major studios around the world including ILM, Imageworks, Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Weta and countless others.

Beau W. Stapleton, Esq.
Partner
Rosen Law Group

Beau W. Stapleton, Esq. is an entertainment attorney with extensive experience in film, television, music and digital industries. Beau currently represents a diverse collection of companies and creators including producers, composers, writers, directors, production companies and financiers.

Beau has provided legal representation for an array of film and television projects (The Public, Springbreakers, Cooties, War on Everyone, The Clapper, Still the King) and production legal services for companies such as HBO, Viacom, Discovery, Scripts Networks and National Geographic. Beau’s music practice includes award-winning composers (Johann Johannsson - Theory of Everything, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049; Dustin O’Halloran – Transparent, Lion) as well as international music touring companies, music licensing companies, artists, record labels and managers.

Prior to obtaining his law degree, Beau worked for over ten years in the music industry both as an entrepreneur, artist and composer. As an artist, he toured globally and was represented by CAA, Red Light Management, Island Def Jam Records and Universal Music Publishing Group.

Beau has frequently lectured on issues pertaining to copyright and content creation and has been a guest contributor for the music and technology blog Hypebot.com. He is well versed in copyright law and was honored by the Los Angeles Copyrights Society with the Paul Miller Scholarship Award for excellence in the field.

Beau is a partner at Rosen Law Group, a premiere boutiques entertainment law firm in Los Angeles, California. He received his JD from Loyola Law School, is a member of the California State Bar, and a YouTube certified professional.

Luke Taylor
Co-Founder and COO
BondIt Media Capital and Buffalo 8 Productions

Luke Taylor is the co-founder and COO of Buffalo 8 Productions and BondIt Media Capital. Taylor has managed multi-million-dollar film productions, overseen high-level film finance transactions, and served as Executive Producer on multiple award-winning films that have premiered at Sundance, Berlin, and South by Southwest film festivals. In it’s three years of existence, BondIt Media Capital has provided financing for 150 feature films and has established itself as a premiere media financier in the industry, while Buffalo 8 continues to produce high quality content including Indie Spirit Award Nominee, Little Men, Sundance Special Jury Winner, As You Are and most recently the Netflix original Rodney King, premiering in May 2017. Taylor graduated from the University of Southern California and enjoys playing music in his free time.

Feature Film Awards

The 48th Nashville Film Festival named winners across multiple categories at three ceremonies at Regal Hollywood 27, the festival's flagship theater. The big winner was Ian MacAllister McDonald's Some Freaks, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the Narrative Competition as well as Best Actress for Lily Mae Harrington and Best Music. The winning short films in the Narrative, Animated and Documentary Shorts competitions were all qualified to submit to the 2018 Academy Awards, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. The selection included 303 films representing 56 nations chosen from over 5,500 entries from 125 nations.

The winners are as follows:

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Audience Award: Step, directed by Amanda Lipitz (USA)

SPECTRUM
Audience Award: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, directed by Jennifer M. Kroot (USA)

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Some Freaks, directed by Ian MacAllister McDonald (USA)
Honorable Mention: Play the Devil, directed by Maria Govan (Trinidad & Tobago)
Audience Award: The Migrumpies, directed by Arman T. Riahi (Austria)
Best Actor: Pyotr Skvortsov for his performance in The Student (Russia)
Best Actress: Lily Mae Harrington in Some Freaks (USA)
Best Screenplay: Play the Devil, written by Maria Govan (Trinidad & Tobago)
Best Music: Some Freaks, Composer Walter Sickert; Music Supervisor, Dan Wilcox (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Overall Film Aesthetics: Flowers of Evil, directed by Antti J. Jokinen (Finland)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Unrest, directed by Jennifer Rhea (USA)
Honorable Mention: Quest, directed by Jonathan Olshefski (USA)
Audience Award: Augie, directed by James Keach (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Filmmaking: Small Talk, directed by Hui-Chen Huang (Taiwan)

NEW DIRECTORS FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: The Eremites, directed by Ronny Trocker (Germany)
Honorable Mention: La Soledad, directed by Jorge Thielen Armand (Venezuela)
Audience Award (tie): Bomb City, directed by Jameson Brooks (USA)
Audience Award (tie): Girl Flu, directed by Dorie Barton (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Performance: Dave Davis for is performance in Bomb City (USA)

MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape, directed by Zack Taylor (USA)
Honorable Mention: Score: A Film Music Documentary, directed by Matt Schrader (USA)
Audience Award: The Last Songwriter, directed by Mark Barger Elliott (USA)

GRAVEYARD SHIFT FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: A Closer Walk with Thee, directed by John C. Clark & Brie Williams (USA)
Honorable Mention: Birdboy: The Lost Children, directed by Pedro Rivero | Alberto Vázquez (Spain)
Audience Award: Show Yourself, directed by Billy Ray Brewton (USA)
Best Actor: A.J. Knight for his performance in A Closer Walk with Thee (USA)
Best Actress: Suela Bako, in Bloodlands (Albania / Australia)

ANIMATED FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Reveangance, directed by Bill Plympton (USA)
Audience Award: Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming), directed by Ann Marie Fleming (Canada)

TENNESSEE FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Kandyland, directed by Seth Graves (USA)
Audience Award: Wild Man, directed by Jacquie Phillips & Stefanie Black (USA)

Short Film Awards

The 48th Nashville Film Festival named winners across multiple categories at three ceremonies at Regal Hollywood 27, the festival's flagship theater. The winning short films in the Narrative, Animated and Documentary Shorts competitions were all qualified to submit to the 2018 Academy Awards, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. The selection included 303 films representing 56 nations chosen from over 5,500 entries from 125 nations.

The winners are as follows:

EPISODIC COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize - Long Form: The Nest, directed by Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon (Brazil)
Grand Jury Prize - Short Form: Guest Appearances, directed by Elizabeth Guest (USA)
Audience Award: Long Live Death, directed by Sebastian Marka (Germany)
Special Jury Prize: Tatanka Means, for his performance in The Minutes Collection (USA)

NARRATIVE SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: What Tears Us Apart, directed by Hu Wei (France) (Qualified for Academy Award Consideration)
Best American Short Film: American Paradise, directed by Joe Talbot (USA)
Honorable Mention - American Short Film: A Funeral for Lightning, directed by Emily Kai Bock (USA / Canada)
Best International Short Film: Import, directed by Ena Sendijarevic (Netherlands)
Honorable Mention - International Short Film: Thank You Mr. Imada, directed by Sylvain Chomet (France)
Audience Award: 4:15 PM The End of the World, directed by Gabi Virginia Sarga & Catalin Rotaru (Romania)

ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Garden Party, directed by Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Caire, Theophile Dufresne, Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Na (France) (Qualified for Academy Award Consideration)
Honorable Mention: Kaputt/Broken - The Woman's Prison at Hoheneck, directed by Volker Schlecht & Alexander Lahl (Germany)
Honorable Mention: E is for Evolution, directed by Paul Kusmaul (Belgium)
Honorable Mention: The Absence of Eddy Table, directed by Rune Spaans (Norway)
Audience Award: Nowhere Line: Voices from Manus Island, directed by Lukas Schrank (Australia)

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Refugee, directed by Emily Moore & Joyce Chen (USA)
Honorable Mention: Moriom, directed by Francesca Scalisi & Mark Olexa (Switzerland / Bangladesh)
Audience Award: The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi, directed by Michelle Fiordaliso (USA / Pakistan)

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: The Edge of Alchemy, directed by Stacey Steers (USA)
Honorable Mention: The Reflection of Power, directed by Mihai Grecu (France)
Audience Award: The Reflection of Power, directed by Mihai Grecu (France)

COLLEGE STUDENT SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: The Art of Not Appearing, directed by Pernille Rivedal Hellevik (Norway)
Honorable Mention: The Alan Dimension, directed by Jac Clinch (United Kingdom)
Special Jury Prize for Performance: Lucy Chappell in Spilt Milk (United Kingdom)

GRAVEYARD SHIFT SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: I Am the Doorway, directed by Robin Kasparik (Czech Republic)
Honorable Mention: Pearlies (Quenottes), directed by Pascal Thiebaux & Gil Pinheiro (Canada)
Special Jury Prize for Exuberance, Vision and Naughtiness: Ghosting the Party, directed by Carlos Alberto Fernandez Lopez
Audience Award: Hand Fart, directed by Stanley Wong & Travis Ashkenasy

TENNESSEE FIRST SHORTS
Grand Jury Prize - Narrative Short: A Funeral for Lightning, directed by Emily Kai Bock
Grand Jury Prize - Documentary Short: Still Sophie, directed by Caroline Knight
Grand Jury Prize - Student Short: Millennium Girl, directed by Grayson Propst
Tennessee Horizon Audience Award: Martha, directed by Taylor Burgess

YOUNG FILMMAKERS SHORTS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Jouska, directedy Wynter Rhys
Audience Award: Recess, directed by Brett Elam

The Nashville Film Festival announces the winners of their 4th annual Screenwriting Competition. The winners were selected from over 1,300 submissions from all over the world including feature-length screenplays, short screenplays, and teleplays. Winners were chosen by a team of 27 industry professionals including agents, writers, producers, and directors for companies such as APA Agency, Bob’s Burgers, and Voltage Pictures.

GRAND JURY PRIZES
Grand Jury Prize Feature: The Secret of Shangri-La, written by Lisa Gold
Grand Jury Prize Short : Del Rio, Texas, written by Raj Trivedi

FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
Best Comedy Feature: The Anklebiter, written by Andrew Jones
Best Drama Feature: The Low Road, written by Darren McInerney
Best Action/Adventure Feature: Duel of the Immortals, written by Michael Gibrall
Best Family/Animation Feature: The Secret of Shangri-La, written by Lisa Gold
Best Historical Feature: A Man Called White, written by Randy Hines
Best Inspirational Feature: The Moonbeam Fisherman, written by John Dummer
Best Music-Inspired Feature: The Jack-O-Lanterns, written by Dan Goforth
Best Science-Fiction Feature: Alien in my Pocket, written by Joe Borriello
Best Tennessee Feature: Café New York, written by Katy Chevigny-Smith
Best Thriller/Horror Feature: The Sand Reckoner, written by Christopher Colpitts

SHORT SCREENPLAYS
Best Comedy Short: Anatomically Modern Human for President, written by Amanda Martinez
Best Drama Short: Del Rio, Texas, written by Raj Trivedi
Best Genre Short: Fly!, written by Dave Chan
Best Tennessee Short: The Morning After, written by Conway Preston
Best Thriller/Horror Short: Gone, written by David Cramer
Best Young Screenwriter Short: Ruth(less), written by Lauren Marie Miller

TELEPLAYS
Best 30-Minute Teleplay: Millennial Rules, written by Heidi Putallaz
Best 60-Minute Teleplay: Blood Oath, written by Jake Bottiglieri

In 2017, the Nashville Film Festival's 48th year, the VR & 360 Film Competition was launched to curate and spotlight quality VR & 360 Film experiences. On the final day of the 2017 festival, April 29th, each of the competition finalists were exhibited on site at the Regal Hollywood 27 Cinemas. The competition awards included high performance computers from AMD (Grand Jury Prize & Honorable Mention) as well as awards certificates & festival laurels.

View the winners of the 2017 NashFilm VR & 360 Film Competition:

Invasion! VR & 360 Film Grand Prize Winner Awards

Grand Jury Prize
Grand Jury Prize: Invasion, created by Baobab Studios

I, Philip 2017 VR & 360 Film Competition Honorable Mention Awards
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention: I, Philip directed by Pierre Zandrowicz

Finalists
Finalist - The Rock Presents: "Escape From Calypso Island" by Scott Brown
Finalist - Asteroids by Baobab Studios
Finalist - VAIN: This Party Sucks directed by Maggie Levin

Prizes

1) "The Beacon" award statue by Alan Lequire
2) High Performance computer by AMD
3) Award Certificate
4) Festival Laurels
5) Qty (2) All-Access Passes to the festival and Creators Conference

Full 2017 Gallery

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All 2017 Videos

2017 Youtube Playlist

2016 Festival

2016 Program Guide

Feature Program

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
High profile films featuring familiar names and rising stars making their Nashville premieres.

SPECTRUM
Compelling, challenging stories crafted by the filmmakers who are setting trends in contemporary world cinema.

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION
Homegrown cinema representing all corners of the Volunteer State. These films compete for Best Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Student Short. The winning feature film receives a $1,000 cash prize and each of the winning short films receive a $500 cash prize. The Tennessee Horizon Audience Awards presented by Native Magazine are give to the Best Feature and Best Short Film, selected by your vote!

The Dust Storm | directed by Ryan Lacen & Anthony Baldino | USA | 96 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Josephine | directed by Rory Feek | USA | 81 min. | World Premiere
Mom Jovi | directed by Rachel Lambert | USA | 85 min. | World Premiere
The Polar Bear Club | directed by Brett Price | USA | 82 min. | Tennessee Premiere
Soul | directed by James King | USA | 100 min.| North American Premiere
What's the Matter with Gerald? | directed by Matt Riddlehoover | USA | 98 min. | World Premiere

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE COMPETITION
The Bridgestone Narrative Competition brings the newest films from around the world created by established filmmakers. Filmmakers compete for cash and prizes of up to $4,000 with winners selected by a jury of industry professionals.

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION
The New Directors Competition features narrative works created by first-time feature filmmakers. It’s your chance to catch a rising star before they become the next celebrated auteur. The winning filmmaker receives up to $4,000 cash.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Documentary Competition features a selection of the finest non-fiction cinema on offer. The Grand Jury Prize winner receives a cash prize of up to $4,000, selected by a jury of documentary filmmakers, producers, and critics.

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl David, Race & America | directed by Matt Ornstein | USA | 97 min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Bad Kids | directed by Keith Fulton & Lou Pepe | USA | 101 min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Bandit | directed by Jesse Moss | USA | 83 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Chicken People | directed by Nicole Lucas Haimes | USA | 83 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Command and Control | directed by Robert Kenner | USA | 95 min.
Holy Hell | directed by Will Allen | USA | 100 min.
Hooligan Sparrow | directed by Nanfu Wang | USA | 84 min.
Learning to See | directed by Jake Oelman | USA | 68 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Mother's Wish | directed by Joonas Berghäll | Finland, Sweden, Denmark & Portugal | 85 min.
Oriented | directed by Jake Witzenfeld | UK & Israel | 81 min. | Tennessee Premiere
SEED: The Untold Story | directed by Taggart Siegel & Jon Betz | USA | 92 min. | World Premiere
The Seer: A Conversation with Wendell Berry | directed by Laura Dunn | USA | 81 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Thank You, Del: The Story of the Del Close Marathon | directed by Todd Bieber | USA | 84 min.
To the Moon and Back | directed by Susan Morgan Cooper | USA | 85 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru | directed by Joe Berlinger | USA | 121 min. | Tennessee Premiere
When Two Worlds Collide | directed by Heidi Brandenburg & Mathew Orzel | Peru | 103 min.

GIBSON MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION
The Gibson Music Films/Music City Competition highlights films that celebrate music, musicians, and the impact music has on our lives. The Grand Jury Prize winner receives a cash prize of up to $4,000, selected by a jury of documentary filmmakers, producers, and critics.

Artist & Repertoire | directed by Matthew Jones | UK | 105 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Colin Hay - Waiting for My Real Life | directed by Nate Gowtham & Aaron Faulls | USA | 85 min. | Southeast US Premiere
A Fat Wreck | directed by Shaun Colon | USA | 89 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Honky Tonk Heaven | directed by Brenda Greene Mitchell & Sam Wainwright Douglas | USA | 73 min. | Southeast US Premiere
SHU-DE! | directed by Michael Faulkner | USA | 83 min. | World Premiere
Sidemen: Long Road to Glory | directed by Scott Rosenbaum | USA | 78 min. | Southeast US Premiere
A Song For You: The Austin City Limits Story | directed by Keith Maitland | USA | 90 min. | Southeast US Premiere
Syl Johnson: Any Way the Wind Blows | directed by Rob Hatch-Miller | USA | 84 min. | Nashville Premiere
What Would Beethoven Do? | directed by Jonathan Keijser | USA | 75 min.| Southeast US Premiere

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION
Graveyard Shift is an unflinching look at the human (and inhuman) condition, holding nothing back and digging down to the marrow. It’s not of the faint of heart – if you didn’t figure that out already.

Shorts Program

Short films are all under 40 minutes. The winning films in the Narrative Shorts Competition, Animated Shorts Competition, and Documentary Short Competition will become eligible for Academy Awards® consideration, provided it meets all other eligibility requirements

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
American Dreams | directed by Ned McNeilage & Jamie Watkins | USA | min. | World Premiere.
Bacon and God's Wrath | directed by Sol Friedman | Canada | min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Black Belt | directed by Margaret Brown | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Boombox Collection: Boots Riley | directed by Mohammad Gorjestani | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Carousel | directed by Jonathan Napolitano | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Emerging | directed by Steven Kochones | USA | min. | World Premiere
Her & Me | directed by Shelby Hadden | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Homecoming Queen | directed by Robert Machoian | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
The House Is Innocent | directed by Nicholas Coles | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Invisible | directed by Zofia Pregowska | Poland | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Mining Poems or Odes | directed by Callum Rice | UK | min. | Southeast US Premiere
MissMe: The Artful Vandal | directed by Mohammad Gorjestani | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
My Gal, Rosemarie | directed by Jason Tippet | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Nascent | directed by Lindsay Branham & Jon Kasbe | Central African Republic & USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Phil's Camino | directed by Annie O'Neil & Jessica Lewis | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Pickle | directed by Amy Nicholson | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Pink Boy | directed by Eric Rockey | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Purrtraitist | directed by Mark Zemel | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Speaking Is Difficult | directed by AJ Schnack | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Step into the Page | directed by Ashley Rodholm | USA | min. | World Premiere
The Surrender | directed by Stephen Maing | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere.
A Tale of Love, Madness and Death | directed by Mijael Bustos | Chile | min. | Southeast US Premiere
These C*cksucking Tears | directed by Dan Taberski | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Two Cities | directed by Darius Clark Monroe | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Undeniably Donnie | directed by Mark Slagle & Tyler Jones | USA | min.
World Famous Gopher Hole Museum | directed by Douglas Nayler & Chelsea McMullan | Canada | min. | US Premiere
Zain's Summer: From Refugee to American Boy | directed by Joshua Seftel | USA | min. | Nashville Premiere

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION
20 Matches | directed by Mark Tapio Kines | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere.
The Ants Go Marching | directed by Charles Dillon Ward | USA | min. | World Premiere
As They Continue To Fall | directed by Nikhil Bhagat | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Chickening | directed by Nick DenBoer & Davy Force | USA | min.
Girl #2 | directed by David H. Jeffery | USA | min. | World Premiere
Gwilliam | directed by Brian Lonano | USA | min. | Nashville Premiere
Horn | directed by Hughes William Thompson | USA | min. | World Premiere
It's Him | directed by Dakota Laden | USA | min.
Nasty | directed by Prano Bailey-Bond | UK | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Playback | directed by Nathan Crooker | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Sânge | directed by Percival Argüero Mendoza | Mexico | min. | Tennessee Premiere.
The Smiling Man | directed by A.J. Briones | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Substance | directed by Barbara Stepansky | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Tilly | directed by Robert Kotecki | USA | min. | World Premiere
Void | directed by Jamie Lipman | USA | min. | World Premiere

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION
Alexa To Exa | directed by Exa Zim & Christian Marsh | USA | min. | North American Premiere
Chaturanga | directed by Shultz Juliette | USA | min. | World Premiere
Epilogues | directed by Justin Scott | USA | min. | World Premiere
Everyday Yeti | directed by Motke Dapp | USA | min.
Gogurt | directed by Hilary Bell | USA | min. | World Premiere
Holstered | directed by Michael Rolli | USA | min. | World Premiere
Lift Like a Girl | directed by Allie Sultan | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Mr. Johnson's Julius Caesar | directed by Lesley Surdi | USA | min. | World Premiere
Mr. Man | directed by Haven Nutt | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Naiad | directed by Trevor Krulcik | USA | min. | World Premiere
Radio Road | directed by Warren Lewis Allen | USA | min. | World Premiere
Register | directed by Faith McQuinn | USA | min. | US Premiere
The Saurus | directed by Drew Maynard | USA | min. | World Premiere
Tailypo | directed by Cameron McCasland | USA | min.
Tennis Tips with Freddy Love | directed by Aaron Muñoz | USA | 3 min. | World Premiere
Love | directed by Aaron Muñoz | USA | min. | World Premiere
Three Fingers | directed by Paul D. Hart | USA | min. | Tennessee Premiere
The Unbeliever | directed by Will Morgan Holland | USA | min. | World Premiere
The Van | directed by John McAmis | USA | min. | World Premiere
Visionary | directed by Caroline Knight | USA | min. | World Premiere
When to End | directed by Travis Slagle | USA | min.
Wildman | directed by Zachary Wells & Timothy Graham | USA | min. | World Premiere

YOUNG FILMMAKERS COMPETITION
Another Kind of Girl | directed by Khaldiya Jibawi | Jordan | min. | Tennessee Premiere.
The Chicken of Wuzuh | directed by Sungbin BYUN | South Korea | min. | North American Premiere
The Fleshiest | directed by Jirayuth Limratanasaran | Thailand | min. | Tennessee Premiere
Little Red | directed by Wynter Rhys | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
Livin' Reel Project: New Wave | USA | min. | World Premiere
Lucky Numbers | directed by Chester Milton | USA | min. | Southeast US Premiere
The Red Brick | directed by John Cheung & Aim Wonghirundacha | UK | min. | World Premiere
The Skin I'm In | directed by Rajaiah Jones | USA | min. | World Premiere
Wake | directed by Larkin Rhinehardt & Luke Kinman | USA | min. | World Premiere

Feature Film Awards

SPECIAL PRESENTATION AWARDS
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: Sing Street

SPECTRUM AWARDS
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: Tickled

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize Feature: Josephine
Grand Jury Prize Narrative Short: Three Fingers
Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short: Life Like a Girl
Grand Jury Prize Student Short: Gogurt
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: Josephine

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize: Magallanes | Salvador del Solar
Honorable Mention: Free in Deed | Jake Mahaffy
Best Actor: David Harewood | Free in Deed
Best Actress: Dorka Gryllus | Demimonde
Best Screenplay: Song of Songs | Eva Neymann
Best Music: The Lure
Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Performance: The Cast of Magallane
Southwest Airlines Audience Award (tie): Demimonde | Atilla Szász
Southwest Airlines Audience Award (tie): Hunky Dory | Michael Curtis Johnson
Southwest Airlines Audience Award (tie): Magallanes | Salvador del Solar

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize: Transpecos | Greg Kwedar
Honorable Mention: The Fits | Anna Rose Holmer
Best Actor: Gabriel Luna | Transpecos
Best Actress: Brogan Ellis and Lauren McQueen | The Violators
Special Jury Prize for Production Design: The Arbalest | Aimee Holmberg
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: Transpecos | Greg Kwedar

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize (tie): SEED: The Untold Story | Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz
Grand Jury Prize (tie): The Seer | Laura Dunn
Honorable Mention: The Bandit | Jesse Moss
Special Jury Prize for Badass Filmmaking: Hooligan Sparrow | Nanfu Wang
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: To the Moon and Back | Susan Morgan Cooper

GIBSON MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize: Syl Johnson: Any Way the Wind Blows
Honorable Mention: Colin Hay -Waiting for My Real Life | Nate Gowtham and Aaron Faulls
Special Jury Prize for Best Underdog Story: Sidemen: Long Road to Glory | Scott Rosenbaum
Southwest Airlines Audience Award: Colin Hay -Waiting for My Real Life | Nate Gowtham and Aaron Faulls

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film: The Lure (ALSO STEVE GOLDMANN PRIZE)
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film (tie): Horn
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film (tie): The Itching
Honorable Mention: Jaron Henrie-McCrea | Curtain
Best Actor: Adrian Tofel | Be My Cat: A Film for Anne
Best Actress: Marta Mazurek | The Lure
Special Jury Prize for Originality and Exceptional Editing: Jaron Henrie-McCrea | Curtain
Southwest Airlines Audience Award : The Lure

SONG
Best Original Song: "Drive It Like You Stole It" | Sing Street

Short Film Awards

SHORTS GRAND JURY PRIZES
Live Action Short Competition: Out of the Village
Animated Short Competition: Borrowed Time
Documentary Short Competition: The Surrender
Experimental Short Competition: Quantum
Student Short Competition: Keeping Balance
Episodic Competition: 20 Seconds to Live | Ben Rock. USA.

2016 Screenplay Competition Awards

GRAND JURY PRIZE (AWARDS)
Grand Jury Prize – Feature: When the Devil’s Loose, written by Ben Watts
Grand Jury Prize – Short: A Brief’s Encounter // A Difference of 25 cents, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Best Action/Adventure Feature: Ranger Creed, written by Travis Opgenorth
Best Comedy Feature: Steve, written by Maryanne Melloan Woods
Best Drama Feature: When the Devil's Loose, written by Ben Watts
Best Family/Animation Feature: Treefort, written by Rich Dalmas
Best Historical Feature: Klondike Kate, written by Steve Warren
Best Inspirational Feature: Bronze, written by Kerri Weston & Robert Pawloski
Best Music-Inspired Feature: Looking for Nirvana, written by Ian Simpson
Best Sci-Fi Feature: The Southerland School, written by Wade Wofford
Best Tennessee Feature: The Sound of the Sword, written by Amber Bartlett & Ryan Estabrooks
Best Thriller/Horror Feature: Guilty, written by Alan Thornburg

SHORT SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Best Action/Adventure Short: Welcome Back, written by Elizabeth Hagale
Best Comedy Short: A Briefs Encounter, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Best Drama Short: Smile, written by Sarah Phillips
Best Family/Animation Short: Fridge Mates, written by Nichole Kanney
Best Historical Short: US Navy Cine-Kodak, written by Stephen Hunt
Best Inspirational Short A Difference of 25 cents, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Best Music-Inspired Short: Just Can't Wait to Be King, written by Brett Edwards
Best Sci-Fi Short: Glitch, written by Andrew Jordan
Best Tennessee Short: The Good Mother, written by Marci Badman
Best Thriller/Horror Short: Glitch, written by Andrew Jordan
Best Young Screenwriter Short: Dinner at Calypso, written by Onyekachi Iwu

TELEPLAY (AWARDS)
Best 30 Minute Pilot: Downeasters, written by Mike Makowsky
Best 60 Minute Pilot: At Risk, written by Kristin Goodman

2016 Screenplay Competition Finalists

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure: The Drome, written by Hunter Davis
Action/Adventure: Keeper of the Pipe, written by Steve Warren
Action/Adventure: Ranger Creed, written by Travis Opgenorth
Comedy: Lothario, written by Robert Remy
Comedy: Secret Santa, written by Maggie Franks
Comedy: Steve, written by Maryanne Melloan Woods
Comedy: Wingman, written by Joel Moss Levinson & Stephen Levinson
Drama: The Bottle Business, written by Alan Wartes
Drama: Brothers of the Phin, written by Jim Henry & Marci Sohan
Drama: It Takes a Village, written by Alison Grifa Ismaili
Drama: Lucky 13, written by Denise Meyers
Drama: Running to Daylight, written by William Savage
Drama: Sand Devils, written by Tom Khazoyan
Drama: Waiting Games, written by Jeffrey Field
Drama: When The Devil’s Loose, written by Ben Watts
Family/Animation: Moon-Wrecked, written by Adam Rosenbaum
Family/Animation: Patchwork, written by Amanda Keener
Family/Animation: Skater Girl, written by Philip Suraci, Jr.
Family/Animation: Treefort, written by Rich Dalmas
Historical: Acts of God, written by Reed Moran
Historical: Fire on Ice, written by Courtney Suttle
Historical: Freedom, written by Ryan LaForge
Historical: Klondike Kate, written by Steve Warren
Historical: Silence in Berlin, written by Matthew Wolff
Inspirational: Bronze, written by Kerri Weston & Robert Pawloski
Inspirational: Mia and the Moviestar, written by Sheri Davenport
Inspirational: The Woodpecker Waltz, written by Daniel Leonetti
Music Inspired: Looking for Nirvana, written by Ian Simpson
Music Inspired: The Minstrel, written by Todd Sorrell
Science Fiction: Lock Eyes, written by Bodine Boling
Science Fiction: Parousia, written by Todd Sorrell
Science Fiction: The Southerland School, written by Wade Wofford
Tennessee: For the Sake of the Song, written by Jason May
Tennessee: The Sound of the Sword, written by Amber Bartlett & Ryan Estabrooks
Tennessee: The Sympathetic Drive, written by Jay Wright
Thriller/Horror: Dead (Re) Tired, written by Trace Crawford
Thriller/Horror: Guilty, written by Alan Thornburg
Thriller/Horror: Repairing the Inevitable, written by Rebecca Felland-Syring
Thriller/Horror: We Take Care Of Our Own, written by Jeremy Burgess

SHORT SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure: Welcome Back, written by Elizabeth Hagale
Comedy: Baggage, written by Andrea Behring
Comedy: A Briefs Encounter, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Comedy: Froggie, written by Marjory Kaptanoglu
Comedy: Woundscape, written by Shelby Kern
Drama: The Elevator Most Belonging To Alice, written byBill Sarre
Drama: Gasolina, written by Tannaz Hazemi
Drama: The Green Bench, written by Diane Sherlock
Drama: Raghead, written by Tom Coash
Drama: Run, My Dear, written by Marjory Kaptanoglu
Drama: Smile, written by Sarah Phillips
Family/Animation: Fridge Mates, written by Nichole Kanney
Family/Animation: Rubber Soul, written by Joey Perotti
Historical: Sentry Duty, written by Clyde Bennett
Historical: US Navy Cine-Kodak, written by Stephen Hunt
Inspirational: A Difference of 25¢, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Inspirational: Mia, written by Sheri Davenport
Inspirational: Impressions, written by Alice Park & Tiffany Frances
Music Inspired: He Is My Music, written by Vicki Bartholomew
Music Inspired: Just Can’t Wait To Be King, written by Brett Edwards
Science Fiction: Glitch, written by Andrew Jordan
Science Fiction: The Tesla Files, written by Alan Wartes
Tennessee: The Good Mother, written by Marci Badman
Tennessee: Together, Alone, written by Bob Lawler
Thriller/Horror: Glitch, written by Andrew Jordan
Thriller/Horror: Vacuum, written by Anastasiya Mirzoev
Young Screenwriter: Dinner at Calypso, written by Onyekachi Iwu
Young Screenwriter: Racing the Sunrise, written by Amy Russo

TELEPLAY (FINALISTS)
30 Minute Pilot: Dog Days of Summer, written byChristine Michele Jones
30 Minute Pilot: Downeasters, written by Mike Makowsky
30 Minute Pilot: Kicking & Screaming, written by David Young
30 Minute Pilot: Kosher Delicate Lesson, written by Jim Norman
60 Minute Pilot: At Risk, written by Kristin Goodman
60 Minute Pilot: Bog Walk, written by Dominique Holmes
60 Minute Pilot: Southern Gothic, written by Mickey Blaine

2016 Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalists

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure: A Secret Journey, written by Gary Piazza
Action/Adventure: Ace of Spades, written by Jesse Gustafson
Action/Adventure: Hollow Graham, written by Steve Lewis
Action/Adventure: In the Shadow of the Buddha, written by Emily Bentley Solomon
Action/Adventure: Realm, written by Dan Tonkin
Action/Adventure: Red Ivory, written by Larry Thomas
Comedy: Boomerang Moon, written by Craig Casselberry & Ben Philippe
Comedy: Catch, written by Jason Zielinski
Comedy: eDisharmony, written by Lorraine Portman
Comedy: Fiends , written by Wade Allain-Marcus
Comedy: Frankie and Fabulous, written by Kimberly Shumate
Comedy: Hacking the Movie: Sharks on a Plane, written by David Lyon
Comedy: How To Be A Canadian, written by Kenny Stevenson
Comedy: I Lost My Laugh, written by Steve Holinsworth
Comedy: Ill Will, written by Darren Love
Comedy: Jacksonville, written by Jeffrey Field
Comedy: Made in China, written by Alicia Lomas-Gross
Comedy: Paintbrush, written by Tony Cane-Honeysett
Comedy: Stupid Cupid, written by Dan Gunderman
Comedy: The Fun in Dysfunctional, written by Cara Daniello
Drama: 40 Milimeter, written by Steve Hochman
Drama: A Summer for Heroes, written by Dennis Douda
Drama: Belt of Iron, written by Harry Burrus
Drama: The Blight, written by Michelle Cutler
Drama: Buzz Cut Season, written by Tatiana Bears
Drama: Carbon, written by Claire McClanahan
Drama: Chasing Echoes, written by William Schreiber
Drama: Curse of the Zombie Werewolf, written by C M Webb
Drama: Dean the Drummer, written by Tannaz Hazemi
Drama: Debbie the Viking, written by Graham Parke
Drama: Dietrich Danzig, written by John Pisano-Thomsen
Drama: Faith Found Wanting, written by Margo Trueblood
Drama: Forgiving Evil, written by Mike Scherer
Drama: King of Sunset, written by Tyler Peck
Drama: Mirage, written by Margaret Carlyle Price
Drama: Muted, written by Brandi Ford
Drama: Never Been Born, written by Adria Tennor
Drama: The Salt of Her Skin, written by Michael Easton
Drama: Steppin’ Out!, written by Steve Bensinger
Drama: Sweet Souls Atrocious, written by Tracey Bradley
Drama: Take You In, written by Michelle Cutler
Drama: The Umpire Has No Balls, written by Debbie Bolsky
Drama: UnAlaska, written by Jean Lee and Eung-Jin Lee
Drama: Viable Parts, written by Laura Brienza
Family/Animation: Skweaky The Email Bunny, written by Colin Holmes
Family/Animation: The Little Wanderers, written by Torry Martin & Cynthia Nielson
Historical: Death of a Legend, written by Keith Davidson
Historical: Disembodied Voices, written by Victor Warren
Historical: Donaldina: Based on True Events in the Life of Donaldina Cameron, written by Carol Lee Hall
Historical: Walking Point, written by Diann Beck
Inspirational: Silent Rescue, written by Todd Sorrell
Inspirational: The Tribute, written by Mike Reid
Music Inspired: By Shel Silverstein, written by Joe Walters
Music Inspired: Casa Linda Nights, written by Stu Gilbert
Music Inspired: Johnny Bragg, written by Jonathan Miller
Music Inspired: Songbird, written by RL Williams
Science Fiction: Dark Side, written by Michael Wright
Science Fiction: The King’s Court, written by Brandon Montgomery
Science Fiction: The Memory Sphere, written by Kevin Sluder
Science Fiction: The Third Book, written by Rick Diamond
Tennessee: C-Sectioned, written by Andrew MacQuarrie
Tennessee: Peanut and Cracker, written by Jack Tim Lane
Tennessee: Scents, written by Irish Johnston
Tennessee: The Little Wanderers, written by Torry Martin & Cynthia Nielson
Thriller/Horror: Control, written by Steve Lewis
Thriller/Horror: The Gorge, written by Warren Cowell Sanctuary | Scott Pittock
Thriller/Horror: Scatterbrains, written by Richard Hohenrath
Thriller/Horror: Seeing Red, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Thriller/Horror: Sister Sarah, written by Harrison Witt
Thriller/Horror: Slander, written by Ilo Orleans

SHORT SCREENPLAY (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure: Best Interests, written by James Freeman
Comedy: Audrey’s Knickers, written by Scott Baron
Comedy: Haunted House Hunters, written by Heidi Willis
Comedy: Surrogates – A Maybe Love Story, written by Aaron Yeung
Comedy: The Changing Room, written by Elisabeth Seldes Annacone
Comedy: The Proposal, written by Charles Lo Manto and Holly Prine
Drama: Body and Son, written by Chris Hamilton
Drama: Going Down, written by Sheri Davenport
Drama: The Glove Salesman, written by Frederick Jones
Drama: Magdalena, written by Candice Holdorf
Drama: Sick, written by Jennifer Sharp
Drama: Sweet Charity written by David Evans
Drama: The Table Top Dancer, written by Addison Bhuyan
Drama: Take Gentle Care, written by Eric Hyde
Family/Animation: A Briefs Encounter, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Family/Animation: Special Delivery, written by Terrance Thibodeaux
Historical: A Beautiful Lie, written by Sundae Jahant-Osborn & Toby Osborne
Historical: Steel Harvest, written by Christiaan Kutlik
Music Inspired: Marrow, written by Kate Gray
Science Fiction: Jenni, written by Jay Wright
Science Fiction: They Hide From The Sun, written by Eugene Ramos & Terence Nance
Tennessee: The Putt Putt Preacher, written by Jason Allen
Tennessee: The Man from Everywhere, written by Jason Allen
Thriller/Horror: Fingers, written by Lachlan Marks
Thriller/Horror: Killing Fool, written by Marjory Kaptanoglu
Thriller/Horror: Walter’s Days, written by Nathan Ludwig & Charles Hill
Young Screenwriter: Foreign Policy, written by Adam Yuster
Young Screenwriter: Hands, written by Kylen Newcomb
Young Screenwriter: Sidewalk Safari, written by Jack Fossett

TELEPLAY (SEMI-FINALISTS)
30 Minute Pilot: Star Academy 3013: What Are Sex Robots Made Of?, written by Christopher J. Valin
30 Minute Pilot: Sugar, written by Caitlin Hogan
30 Minute Pilot: The Adventures of Ash and Owen, written by Arun Narayanan
30 Minute Pilot: The Club, written by Maureen Monahan
30 Minute Pilot: Whisper in the Vines, written by Sasha Siljanovic
60 Minute Pilot: Across the Line, written by Heidi Putallaz
60 Minute Pilot: Covert Youth Agency, written by Jason Ancona
60 Minute Pilot: Going Reno, written by Elizabeth Quinn
60 Minute Pilot: Hometown, written by Wendy Wilkins
60 Minute Pilot: Hood, written by Devin Conroy
60 Minute Pilot: In the Kingdom of Fife, written by D.L. Wright
60 Minute Pilot: Ithaca, written by Mike De Caro
60 Minute Pilot: Private Air, written by Billie Bates
60 Minute Pilot: The Dragon and The White Devil, written by Christopher Sachs
60 Minute Pilot: The Letters, written by Dani Bailes
60 Minute Pilot: The Third Form, written by Garrett Amerson
60 Minute Pilot: Two Emperors, written by Paul Gross

Full 2016 Gallery

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All 2016 Videos

2016 Youtube Playlist

2015 Festival

2015 Program Guide

“This is a strong and diverse presentation,” said Brian Owens, NaFF Artistic Director. “These films showcase some of the most talented filmmakers I have seen in years. The Nashville Film Festival is proud of the number of World, Southeast and Tennessee premieres in this year’s field of features.”

“Film fans will have an outstanding variety of films to choose from,” said Ted Crockett, NaFF Executive Director. “The music docs, narrative features, and short films will make this festival one of the best ever. We’re excited to celebrate film with our members, sponsors, film fans and amazing filmmakers.” (Film synopses.)

Feature Films

Feature Film Awards

The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) 2015 announced the 46th Annual Competition Award winners, including Grand Jury Prizes to Monument to Michael Jackson, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King and other notable films. Best Original Song went to Brian Wilson for “One Kind of Love” from Love & Mercy.

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Monument to Michael Jackson | Darko Lungolov
Honorable Mention: WildLike | Frank Hall Green

The Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize went to Monument to Michael Jackson. The film was, “at times a political farce, a relationship drama and an inspiring tale of tenacity in the face of adversity.” The jury also awarded Geraldine Chaplin from Sand Dollars the Best Actress award, while Boris Milivojevic from Monument to Michael Jackson received the Best Actor award. Best Screenplay went to Shonali Bose for Margarita, with a Straw, and the Film Musicians Secondary Market Fund Award for Best Music in a Feature Film went to Ramon Cordero, Benjamin De Menil and Edilio Paredes for Sand Dollars. The Special Jury Prize for Cinematography was awarded to Tony Mirza for Eadweard.

GIBSON MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Orion: The Man Who Would Be King | Jeanie Finlay
Honorable Mention: Sweet Micky for President | Ben Patterson

The jury said Orion, “hits every note... and then some. It was a completely unpredictable yet always entertaining and moving documentary.” The jury awarded the Special Jury Prize for Best Import to Tomi Fujiyama in Made in Japan.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Frame by Frame | Mo Scarpelli and Alexandra Bombach
Honorable Mention: Welcome to Leith | Michael Beach and Christopher K. Walker

“Frame by Frame is a fascinating look into life in Afghanistan that celebrates its growing photography culture, with unprecedented access and interviews,” the jury said. “The film is beautifully crafted and we're so honored to present these first time filmmakers with the Documentary Grand Jury Prize, and hope that they will continue to make inspiring films.” The Special Jury Prize for Direction went to Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasahelyi forMeru.

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Songs She Wrote About People She Knows | Kris Elgstrand
Honorable Mention: Naz & Maalik | Jay Dockendorf

Songs She Wrote About People She Knows received the Grand Jury Prize, “for its quirky plot, high production values, and unique yet relatable characters, the New Directors Jury awarded its Grand Jury Prize to Songs She Wrote About People She Knows. Lead actress Arabella Bushnell delivers a particularly strong performance as an aspiring pop singer, complete with highly original and hilarious songs. Writer/director Kris Elgstrand is a strong new voice in independent cinema and we are excited to see what he comes up with next. “

The jury awarded Krisha Fairchild with Best Actress for Krisha and Daniel Cerqueira with Best Actor for Radiator. The Special Jury Prize for Direction went to Sarah Adina Smith for The Midnight Swim.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Winner: “One Kind of Love,” from Love & Mercy | written and performed by Brian Wilson
Honorable Mention: “Found You,” from In My Father’s House | written and performed by Rhymefest

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize (tie): Alléluia | Fabrice du Welz
Grand Jury Prize (tie): They Look Like People | Perry Blackshear

“The jury found itself unable to determine a hierarchy between exquisite works of passion, madness, human bonds and inhuman horror.” The jury awarded for Best Actress to Amy Everson in Felt and Best Actor to MacLeod Andrews in They Look Like People. The Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Use of Music went to Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It.

GROUND ZERO TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: The Keepers | Joann Self Selvidge and Sara Kaye Larson

SPONSORED AWARDS
NPT Human Spirit Award: My Voice, My Life | Ruby Yang
Women in Film & Television Award: Yosemite | Gabrielle Demeestere
Outstanding LGBT Film: Naz & Maalik | Jay Dockendorf
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Lipscomb University Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: Rosenwald | Aviva Kempner

Audience Awards

“It’s been an incredible year,” said Brian Owens, Nashville Film Festival Artistic Director. “The feedback on almost all films was positive and we enjoyed larger than ever audiences that continued to grow throughout the week. People were talking about these films in person and on social media. We are so proud to have presented them. Personally, I’ll never forget this program of films.”

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AUDIENCE AWARD OVERALL WINNER
In My Father’s House | Ricki Stern & Annie Sundberg, scored 4.99 out of 5

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
Narrative Competition: Eadweard | Kyle Rideout, director
Documentary Competition: In My Father’s House | Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, directors
Special Presentations: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director
Spectrum: The Waiting Country Woman | Li Yangiu, director
Music Films/Music City: Revival: The Sam Bush Story | Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin
Tennessee First: Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw | Rick Goldsmith, director
New Directors Competition: The Challenger | Kent Moran, director
Graveyard Shift: They Look Like People | Perry Blackshear, director

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AUDIENCE AWARDS - DOCUMENTARIES – TOP FIVE
In My Father’s House | Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, directors
Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw | Rick Goldsmith, director
The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young | Annika Iltis and Timothy Kane, directors
Revival: The Sam Bush Story | Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin, directors
Imba Means Sing | Danielle Bernstein, director

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AUDIENCE AWARD - NARRATIVES – TOP FIVE
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director
The Challenger | Kent Moran, director
Love & Mercy | Bill Pohlad, director
Ain’t It Nowhere | Scott Murphy, director
I’ll See You in My Dreams | Brett Haley, director

Short Film Awards

The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) is pleased to announce the short film awards winners for the 46^th Annual Nashville Film Festival. Jurors chose the winners from more than 2,600 entries ranging from 3-39 minutes in length, and covering a variety of genres.

Winners in the animated, narrative and documentary shorts categories are automatically qualified for Academy Award® consideration, should they meet all other eligibility requirements. The Nashville Film Festival is one of only 17 festivals in the world that are automatic qualifiers in these three categories.

According to the jury, its palpable portrayal of a child torn between two worlds earned Daytimer the Live Action Short Grand Jury Prize. Bear Story set itself a very high bar both stylistically and narratively and delivered across the board, which garnered it the Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short. La Vie en rose comme dans les films provided a humble glimpse into the complicated world of memory; the short received the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Short. Each of these three shorts will be automatically qualified for Academy Award® consideration.

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Grand Jury Prize: Daytimer | Riz Ahmed. United Kingdom.
Honorable Mention: Tzniut | David Formentin. USA.
Honorable Mention: Saturday | Mike Forshaw. United Kingdom.
Special Jury Prize for Visual Storytelling: The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 | Omar El Zohairy. Egypt.

ANIMATED SHORT
Grand Jury Prize: Bear Story | Gabriel Osorio. Chile.
Honorable Mention: Man on the Chair | Dahee Jeong. France.
Special Jury Prize for Achievement in Animation: Pineapple Calamari | Kasia Nalewajka. United Kingdom.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Grand Jury Prize: La Vie en rose comme dans les films | Christophe M. Saber. Switzerland.
Honorable Mention: Autofocus | Boris Poljak. Croatia.
Special Jury Prize for Bridging the Gap Between Experimental & Documentary Filmmaking: Object | Paulina Skibinska. Poland.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
Grand Jury Prize: null. | Michael Lange, David Gesslbauer. Germany.
Honorable Mention: Play Within a Play | Yasmijn Karhof. Netherlands.

STUDENT SHORT
Grand Jury Prize: Wire Cutters | Jack Anderson. USA.
Honorable Mention: The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 | Omar El Zohairy. Egypt.
Watkins Young Filmmaker Award: Poet Against Prejudice | Faiza Almontaser. USA.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film: Alone | Didier Philippe France.
Honorable Mention for Short Film: Primrose Lane | Nick Phillips USA.

GROUND ZERO TENNESSEE FIRST SHORTS
Documentary Award: Muddy Pond | Tyler Jones. TN, USA.
Narrative Award: Trying Not to Explode | Dave Dorsey. TN, USA.

TENNESSEE HORIZON AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORTS
Presented by TN Film, Music & Entertainment Commission and Native Magazine
Winner (tie): Daddy’s Little Girl | Chad McClarnon. TN, USA.
Winner (tie): Usetocould | Drew Maynard. TN, USA.
Steven Goldmann Visionary Award: World of Tomorrow | Don Hertzfeldt.USA.

New Web Series Competition

09/08/2014 Nashville, TN - The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) presented by Nissan, today announced the Official Call for Entries for a new Web Series Competition. With the Nashville Film Festival Film Competition and Screenwriting Competition, the three competitions will draw over 5,000 entries and offer more than $115,000 in cash and prizes. The Calls will close January 14, 2015. Winners of all competitions will be announced at the Nashville Film Festival, April 16 – 25^th, 2015.

WEB SERIES
Grand Jury Prize: 24 Hour Records | Brad Cash | USA.
Honorable Mention: HelLA | Rory Uphold | USA.

“The finalists for this year’s Screenwriting Competition represent the best in undiscovered writing talent,” said Ted Crockett, NaFF Executive Director. “They presented everything from hilarious comedies to terrifying horror films, and we are thrilled to be a venue to jumpstart their careers.” The 65 finalists were selected from nearly 1,300 entries from around the world. The Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition is unique among thousands of screenwriting competitions in the U.S. because it offers a category for young screenwriters as well as more categories for short screenplays than any other competition. The winner of 2014’s Tennessee Screenwriter Short Award is participating in this year’s festival as a feature. “Placing in a screenwriting competition assists up and coming talent with an important step in their careers,” continued Crockett. “It can help them as they establish themselves and their films, whether that’s gaining financing, exposure or both.” Top scripts, selected from NaFF winners, will be read by Blossom Films, Nicole Kidman’s Academy-Award nominated production company; noted casting director, Laray Mayfield; Sycamore Pictures CEO, Ben Nearn; Rich Peluso, Senior Vice President of AFFIRM Films; famed limit-breaking director/producer Harmony Korine; Lewis Bogach, Emmy-winning Vice President of CMT-TV; and Abso Lutely Productions, producer of six current comedy TV hits.

2015 Screenplay Competition Awards

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Best Drama Feature: Oil and Water, written by Alfred Catalfo & Morgan Dudley
Best Drama Feature (Runner-up): Independence Pass, written by Brian MacEvilly
Best Comedy Feature: The Full Irish, written by Brian MacEvilly
Best Comedy Feature (Runner-up): My Bad Day in Hell, written by Eric Carlson
Best Music-Inspired Feature: Blind Boone, written by Moss Hall & Max Morath
Best Music-Inspired Feature (Runner-up): Chris Gaines Saves the World, written by Donald Driscoll
Best Sci-Fi - Feature: No Man’s Land, written by Michelle Davidson & Jeffrey Field
Best Sci-Fi - Feature (Runner-up): Eden, written by Jessica Chou
Best Inspirational Feature: Heart Stringz, written by Barbara Ashdown
Best Inspirational Feature (Runner-up): In-Between, written by Sandra Smith
Best Animated Feature: My Monster Burrufu, written by Alberto Corral
Best Animated Feature (Runner-up): The Mythfitz, written by Nicholas Julius
Best Historical Feature: Kid Convict, written by Julie Umbreit
Best Historical Feature (Runner-up): Samson, written by Shawn Hoffman
Best Family Friendly Feature: Eleven Days, written by Jaginder Singh
Best Family Friendly Feature (Runner-up): Darby Petty and the Lost Treasure, written by DC Sayre
Best Action/Adventure Feature: The Third Bomb, written by Phillip Parker
Best Action/Adventure Feature (Runner-up): Guns and Grace, written by Odin Ozdil
Best Thriller/Horror Feature: A Texas Story, written by David Martin-Porras & Julia Fontana
Best Thriller/Horror Feature (Runner-up): Bad Blood, written by Billie Bates
Best Tennessee Feature: The Last Drop, written by A.D. Smith
Best Tennessee Feature (Runner-up): Sink Swim, written by Elvis Wilson

SHORT SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Best Drama Short: Illuminate, written by Robert Pawloski
Best Drama Short (Runner-up): Which Spoke of Freedom, written by Aria Marrogi & Chris Germiller
Best Comedy Short: U Got Tagged, written by Andrew Roxby
Best Comedy Short (Runner-up): That Other Crazy Thing You Do, written by Michelle Leibel
Best Family Friendly Short: Wiindigoo the Cannibal, written by Michael O’Rourke & Winona LaDuke
Best Family Friendly Short (Runner-up): The Home of Rock, written by Brian MacEvilly
Best Genre Short: Lumen 18, written byDarren Tibbits
Best Genre Short (Runner-up): Guest, written by Charles Dillon Ward
Best Tennessee Short: The Incident at Broadway and Grand, written by Francis Wolff
Best Tennessee Short (Runner-up): The Ice Road, written by Taylor Albertson
Best Young Screenwriter Short: The Pride Club, written by Kirill Dyshlovoy
Best Young Screenwriter Short (Runner-up): The Favor, written byJack Fossett

TELEPLAY (AWARDS)
Comedy Teleplay: Star Pupils, written by Tom Ruprecht
Comedy Teleplay (Runner-up): The Knot, written by Adam Rosenbaum
Drama Teleplay: Long Lost, written by Deanna Shumaker
Drama Teleplay (Runner-up): Limbo, written by Jessica Chou

2015 Screenwriting Competition Finalists

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure Feature: D.T. | Ken Comer
Action/Adventure Feature: Guns and Grace | Odin Ozdil
Action/Adventure Feature: The Third Bomb | Phillip Parker
Animated Feature: My Monster Burrufu | Alberto Corral
Animated Feature: The Mythfitz | Nicholas Julius
Comedy Feature: Alliance | Charlie Robinson & Carla Robinson
Comedy Feature: Canadian Holiday | David Rocchio
Comedy Feature: Miss Loving | Bernard Smith
Comedy Feature: My Bad Day in Hell | Eric Carlson
Comedy Feature: Poe Boys | David Van Hooser
Comedy Feature: The Full Irish | Brian MacEvilly
Drama Feature: Code Blues | Gary Wallach
Drama Feature: Glen Sherley | Joe Rassulo & Robert Gibson
Drama Feature: Independence Pass | Brian MacEvilly
Drama Feature: Oil and Water | Alfred Thomas Catalfo & Morgan Webster Dudley
Drama Feature: Shadowman | Mike Miller
Drama Feature: The Acadian | David Vincent
Drama Feature: The Oracle of Jerald's Bay | Sarah Bewley
Family Friendly Feature: Darby Petty and the Lost Treasure | DC Sayre
Family Friendly Feature: Eleven Days | Jaginder Singh
Family Friendly Feature: The Creepy House | Shoshana Rosenbaum
Historical Feature: In Spite of It All | Rebecca Boyd
Historical Feature: Kid Convict | Julie Umbreit
Historical Feature: Samson: A Savior Will Rise | Shawn Hoffman & Michael Hoffman
Inspirational Feature: Heart Stringz | Barbara Ashdown
Inspirational Feature: In-Between | Sandra Webb Smith
Inspirational Feature: One Small Step | Patrick Sherman
Music Inspired Feature: Blind Boone | Moss Hall & Max Morath
Music Inspired Feature: Chris Gaines Saves the World | Donald Driscoll
Music Inspired Feature: Stride | Rick Whelan
Sci-Fi Feature: Bioterror Conspiracy | Louis Lio
Sci-Fi Feature: Eden | Jessica Chou
Sci-Fi Feature: No Man's Land | Michelle Davidson & Jeffrey Field
Sci-Fi Feature: Populous | Michael Quintero
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: Empathy | Elvis Wilson
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: Sink Swim | Elvis Wilson
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Acadian | David Vincent
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Last Drop | A. D. Smith
Thriller/Horror Feature: A Texas Story | David Martin|Porras & Julia Fontana
Thriller/Horror Feature: Bad Blood | Billie Bates
Thriller/Horror Feature: Empathy | Elvis Wilson
Thriller/Horror Feature: Ginseng | Josh Barkey
Thriller/Horror Feature: Lifers | Phil Burdette
Thriller/Horror Feature: The Apocalypse Chronicles | Nathan Ludwig & Charles Hill
Thriller/Horror Feature: Why the Willow Weeps | Dwight Jolivette
Thriller/Horror Feature: Zombie Ward | Harry Oxnard

SHORT SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Comedy Short: That Other Crazy Thing You Do | Michelle Leibel
Comedy Short: U Got Tagged | Andrew Roxby
Drama Short: Illuminate | Robert Pawloski
Drama Short: Which Spoke of Freedom | Aria Marrogi & Chris Germiller
Family Friendly Short: The Home of Rock | Brian MacEvilly
Family Friendly Short: Wiindigoo the Cannibal | Michael O'Rourke & Winona LaDuke
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Ice Road | Taylor Albertson
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: Incident at Broadway and Grand | Francis Wolff
Genre Short: Guest | Charles Dillon Ward
Genre Short: Lumen 18 | Darren Tibbits
Young Screenwriter Short: The Favor | Jack Fossett
Young Screenwriter Short: The Pride Club | Kirill Dyshlovoy

TELEPLAY (FINALISTS)
Comedy Teleplay: It Could Be Worse, written by Tracy Reilly
Comedy Teleplay: The Knot, written by Adam Rosenbaum
Comedy Teleplay: Star Pupils, written by Tom Ruprecht
Drama Teleplay: Limbo, written by Jessica Chou
Drama Teleplay: Long Lost, written by Deanna Shumaker
Drama Teleplay: Renegades, written by Conway Preston
Drama Teleplay: Tip & Keeper, written by Carol Caldwell

2015 Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalists

COMEDY - SHORT (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Losing Teeth | Kelly Hightower
That Other Crazy Thing You Do | Michelle Leibel
U Got Tagged | Andrew Roxby

FAMILY FRIENDLY - SHORT (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Music Inspired, Animation, Historical, Inspiration, Family
Glasses | Francis Wolff
The Home of Rock | Brian MacEvilly
Wiindigoo the Cannibal | Michael O’Rourke & Winona LaDuke

HISTORICAL - FEATURE (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Agitation | Dianna Zimmerman & Brad Jost
Donaldina: Based on True Events in the Life of Donaldina Cameron | Carol Hall
Grace | Jeffrey Allen Russel & Lynda Lemberg
In Spite of It All | Rebecca Boyd
Kid Convict | Julie Umbreit
Oil and Water | Alfred Thomas Catalfo & Morgan Webster Dudley
Samson | Shawn Hoffman
Victoria of Murray Hill | Kate Danaher & Robert Rivenbark

TENNESSEE - SHORT (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Going Postal | Francis Wolff
Incident at Broadway and Grand | Francis Wolff

GENRE - SHORT (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure, Thriller/Horror, Science Fiction
Guest | Charles Dillon Ward
Lumen 18 | Darren Tibbits
Phase 6 | Jeff Dolan
Uninvited | Helena Ellison

YOUNG SCREENWRITER - SHORT (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Menagerie | Hollie West
The Favor | Jack Fossett
The Pride Club | Kirill Dyshlovoy

2015 Teleplay Competition Semi-Finalists

TELEPLAY (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Comedy Teleplay: It Could Be Worse | Tracy Reilly
Comedy Teleplay: Likes & Follows | Jason Kessler
Comedy Teleplay: Monster Suit Blues | Jeff Haber & Russell Costanzo
Comedy Teleplay: Star Pupils | Tom Ruprecht
Comedy Teleplay: The Carr Lot | Nancy Rechtman
Comedy Teleplay: The Knot | Adam Rosenbaum
Drama Teleplay: Eidola | Robert Herold
Drama Teleplay: How Jane Austen Ruined My Life | Teresa Warner
Drama Teleplay: Jackie Fox | Keith Davidson
Drama Teleplay: Limbo | Jessica Chou
Drama Teleplay: Long Lost | Deanna Shumaker
Drama Teleplay: Renegades | Conway Preston
Drama Teleplay: Stimulant | Lance Wayne
Drama Teleplay: The Resurrection Man | Brian Powell & Gina Powell
Drama Teleplay: Tip & Keeper | Carol Caldwell

Full 2015 Gallery

All 2015 Videos

2015 Youtube Playlist

2014 Festival

Feature Films

TENNESSEE FIRST COMPETITION
Banjo Romantika: American Bluegrass Music & The Czech Imagination | Director: Shara Lange | USA | 65 min.
Beautiful Jim | Director: Rex Jones | USA | 53 min.
Closer to God | Director: Billy Senese | USA | 84 min. | WORLD PREMIERE.
A Decade With an Unsigned Rock Band | Director: Criss Cheatham | USA | 81 min. | WORLD PREMIERE.
Riser: Dierks Bentley | Director: Wes Edwards | USA | 45 min.
Something, Anything | Director: Paul Harrill | USA | 88 min.

Short Films

The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) today announced the complete line-up for Short Films in Competition to be screened at the 45th annual Festival, April 17 – 26. NaFF will screen 157 short films from 33 countries in categories ranging from narrative, experimental, animated, young filmmakers, and Tennessee shorts. A record-breaking 2,347 short films were submitted. The 2014 lineup includes works starring Michael Cera, Amanda Seyfried, Anna Chlumsky, Michelle Rodriguez and Ben Schwartz. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extended its qualification for NaFF Shorts in 2014. For the first time, shorts in the documentary category qualify for Academy Award consideration, in addition to narrative and animation shorts, which have qualified in past years. “Because of our Academy Award qualifier status, we tend to receive an impressive number of short film entries each year,” said Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “It means that our film goers will see quality short films and they may see shorts that go on to win Oscars. For example, our 2013 Live Action winner, Curfew, and our 2012 Animated Winner, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, both came through Nashville.” This year, NaFF expands to two locations. Short films will be screened at Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 and on the NaFF outdoor theater at Nissan Multicultural Village (Walk of Fame Park) in downtown Nashville. Like other major film festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca, NaFF is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased to any of 200 events, including films, panel discussions, and parties on the Nashville Film Festival website. NaFF brings in filmmakers, celebrities, and industry insiders to mingle with people who enjoy film on the big screen. The Short Films in Competition include:

LIVE ACTION SHORTS IN COMPETITION – ACADEMY AWARD™ QUALIFYING CATEGORY
Afronauts | Director: Frances Bodomo. USA. 14 minutes. It's July 16, 1969: America is preparing to launch Apollo 11. Thousands of miles away, the Zambia Space Academy hopes to beat America to the moon in this film inspired by true events.

The Amber Amulet | Director: Matthew Moore. Australia. 22 minutes. This is the story of a superhero, a beagle, an amulet made of amber, and the potential that is locked inside all of us.
The Audition | Director: Michael Haussman. Italy. 11 minutes. This scene begins as a playful challenge between two actors. What happens seems unplanned - as emotions become involved and they fall in love. The audience asks: Is this real? Or just really good acting?
Baby Mary | Director: Kris Swanberg. USA. 9 minutes. An eight-year-old girl living on the west side of Chicago finds a neglected toddler and decides to take her home.
Balance | Director: Mark Ram. Netherlands. 11 minutes. Friends Henderson and Morris are climbing a mountain, connected by a rope. They take an easy passage, but a loss of oversight leads to Henderson's fall. Morris cannot prevent falling too. Seconds later he finds himself hanging above an abyss, realizing the balance is unstable.
Bernard the Great | Director: Philippe Lupien, Marie-Helene Viens. Canada. 10 minutes. It’s Bernard's birthday, but he doesn’t want to grow up. At 10 years old, he invents a suit that stops his growth. But everything will not work out as he planned… Being different is not as simple as he thought.
Best | Director: William Oldroyd. United Kingdom. 3 minutes. With his wedding only moments away, a man and his best friend confront their future.
The Big House | Director: Musa Syeed. Yemen. 5 minutes. A young Yemeni boy ventures out of his cramped apartment and finds a key to the empty mansion down the street, where he lets his imagination run wild.
Box Walk | Director: Tony Fulgham. USA. 16 minutes. A quiet thirteen-year-old and his stepfather track down a wounded deer as the boy learns that doing the right thing is rarely easy and rarely clear.
The Bravest, the Boldest | Director: Moon Molson. USA. 17 minutes. Two Army Casualty Notification Officers arrive at the Harlem projects to deliver Sayeeda Porter some news about her son serving in the war in the Middle East. But whatever it is they have to say, Sayeeda ain't trying to hear it.
Burger | Director: Magnus Mork. Norway / United Kingdom. 11 minutes. It's a late night in a burger bar in Wales...
Butter Lamp | Director: Hu Wei. France / China. 16 minutes. A photographer weaves unique links among nomadic families.
Catherine | Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp. USA. 13 minutes. Catherine returns to work after a hiatus.
Chapel Perilous | Director: Matthew Lessner. USA. 13 minutes. Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, a new short film by Matthew Lessner with Kris Park, David Henry Gerson, Bobby McGee and music by Sun Araw!
Claire | Director: Cate Smierciak. Germany. 14 minutes. Alone on her first night in Berlin, a shy young woman gathers the courage to go out on her own, but after meeting a few locals at the corner bar, she is faced with more adventure than she bargained for.
Crystal | Director: Chell Stephen. Canada. 17 minutes. Cursed with a real crumby attitude and a boring-ass hometown, 17-year-old Crystal relies on her passion for dance to escape the mundane life of rural Ontario and pursue her out-sized dream of being a pop superstar.
The Cyclist | Director: Christopher Bryan. USA. 7 minutes. An emotional, visceral short film about the memories a man takes with him on his final ride.
Dig | Director: Toby Halbrooks. USA. 10 minutes. A young girl watches her father dig a hole in their backyard. Mystified about his purpose, the neighborhood comes to watch.
Dog Food | Director: Brian Crano. USA. 18 minutes. When Declan loses his dog and best friend Ralphie, his life starts to unravel.
Dotty | Director: Mick Andrews, Brett O'Gorman. New Zealand. 11 minutes. A stubborn old lady struggles to send a text message to her daughter.
The Earth, the Way I Left It | Director: Jeff Pinilla. USA. 18 minutes. A child coping with death in the family is visited by a stranger from the stars. This is a tale of youth preserving innocence through imagination.
Exchange & Mart | Director: Cara Connolly, Martin Clark. United Kingdom. 15 minutes. A remote boarding school in the Scottish highlands is home to Reg, a lonely and yearning teenage girl. When Reg is required to fight in the woods, she knows what she must do.
First Baptist | Director:Nedra McClyde, Jamund Washington. USA. 20 minutes. A young Southern Baptist choir soloist fights for the right for his place.
A First Date | Director: Alex Weinress. Australia. 8 minutes. A serial online dater is ready to throw in the towel. She has one more online date lined up but fears another first date might be her last.
Floating Sunflowers | Director: Francisco Solorzano. USA. 12 minutes. A still-life painter (Anna Chlumsky), and an author, are caught in an emotional winter but find solace in the possibility of love.
Funnel | Director: Andre Hyland. USA. 8 minutes. When a man's car breaks down, he finds himself on a quest for a funnel.
Future Self | Director: Ezra Godden. USA. 17 minutes. A sharp, ambitious boy is deeply underwhelmed when he meets a carefree, bizarre looking weirdo claiming to be his future self.
Gaspé Copper | Director: Alexis Fortier-Gauthier. Canada. 14 minutes. Murdochville,1957. A family is forced to move, as the father, pained by a long miners’ strike, finds a new job in the city.
Good Morning | Director: Peter Knegt, Stephen Dunn. Canada. 10 minutes. What happens when you wake up remarkably hungover on the morning after your 30th birthday to find that there’s a teenager sleeping on your couch (but thankfully not in your bed)?
A Good Story | Director: Martin-Christopher Bode. Germany. 20 minutes. When Helga Landowsky discovers a broken jug in an antiques store near the German/Polish border, she wants to have it at any cost.
Gregory Go Boom | Director: Janicza Bravo. USA. 18 minutes. A paraplegic man (Michael Cera) leaves home to be on his own.
I'm a Mitzvah | Director: Ben Berman. USA. 19 minutes. A young American man spends one last night with his deceased friend while stranded in rural Mexico.
The Immaculate Reception | Director: Charlotte Glynn. USA. 17 minutes. It's 1972 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sixteen-year-old Joey has the chance to prove himself when his crush ends up at his house to watch the infamous football game between the Steelers and the Raiders.
Jonathan's Chest | Director: Christopher Radcliff. USA. 14 minutes. Everything changes one night for Alex, a troubled teenager, when he is visited by a boy claiming to be his brother -- who disappeared years earlier.
Kekasih | Director: Diffan Sina Norman. Malaysia. 9 minutes. While pursuing his late wife, a botanical professor encounters a divine presence that will transform him forever.
Krisha | Director: Trey Edward Shults. USA. 15 minutes. When Krisha decides to join her family for a holiday dinner, tensions escalate and she struggles to keep her own demons at bay.
The Last Time I Saw Richard | Director: Nicholas Verso. Australia. 22 minutes. In the winter of 1995, a friendship forms between two boys forced to share a room in a teen mental health clinic.
Life's a Bitch | Director: Francois Jaros. Canada. 5 minutes. Philip is going through a difficult and painful break-up.
MeTube: August sings Carmen 'Habanera' | Director: Daniel Moshel. Austria. 4 minutes. MeTube, a homage to thousands of ambitious YouTube users and video bloggers, gifted and less gifted self-promoters on the internet, has attracted international attention.
My Sense of Modesty | Director: Sébastien Bailly. France. 20 minutes. Hafsia, a student in Art History, is going to have to remove her hijab for an oral exam. She goes to the Louvre Museum to view the painting that she has to comment on.
Mystery | Director: Chema García Ibarra. Mexico. 12 minutes. They say that if you put your ear to the back of his neck, you can hear the Virgin talk.
The Opportunist | Director: David Lassiter. USA. 15 minutes. A night in the life of social shape-shifter addicted to the visceral thrill of invading the lives of others.
The Party | Director: Astrid Thorvaldsen, Ingvild Dagestad. Norway. 7 minutes. The party is over.
Person to Person | Director: Dustin Guy Defa. USA. 18 minutes. Waking up the morning after hosting a party, a man discovers a stranger passed out on his floor. He spends the rest of the day trying to convince her to leave.
Pour Retourner | Director: Scooter Corkle. Canada. 13 minutes. A talented prison chef with the respect of his fellow inmates is paroled to a world that does not want him.
Rat Pack Rat | Director: Todd Rohal. USA. 19 minutes. A Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonator, hired to visit with a loyal Rat Pack fan, finds himself delivering last rites at the boy's bedside.
Rhino Full Throttle | Director: Erik Schmitt. Germany. 15 minutes. What is the city made of?
Sequence | Director: Charles Torrens. USA. 20 minutes. A man wakes up one morning to realize the entire world has dreamed about him the night before.
Sevilla | Director: Bram Schouw. Netherlands. 11 minutes. Three youngsters make a road trip that will change their lives forever.
Social Butterfly | Director: Lauren Wolkstein. France / USA. 15 minutes. A 30-year-old American woman enters into a teenage party in the South of France. Some of the guests wonder who she is and what she is doing there.
Syndromeda | Director: Patrik Eklund. Sweden. 22 minutes. Leif wakes up on the road—naked and bloody—with no memory of what has happened. No one believes him when he claims he was abducted by aliens.
Take Me to the Front | Director: Stefano Pietrocola. United Kingdom. 13 minutes. A British photojournalist covers the Bosnian War. How far will he go for his art? Where will he draw the line between documentation and intervention?
The Third Wheel | Director: Adam Lustick. USA. 6 minutes. In the crazy world of online dating, Gabrielle finds herself on a date with a pretty cute guy, Mark, and his psycho ex-girlfriend, Amy.
This Way Out | Director: Staten Cousins-Roe. United Kingdom. 18 minutes. The oddball owner of a struggling euthanasia center has ten days to increase client numbers or face closure.
Tryouts | Director: Susana Casares. USA. 14 minutes. Being a teenager isn't easy, especially for Nayla, a Muslim-American girl who wants to join her high school's cheerleading squad.
Unogumbe (Noye's Fluddle) | Director: Mark Dornford-May. South Africa. 35 minutes. An adaptation of Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde moving the action from medieval England to present-day South Africa, where the background and poverty of the township is a striking metaphor for man's inhumanity to man.
Verbatim | Director: Brett Weiner. USA. 7 minutes. A jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to figure out if a dim-witted government employee has ever used a photocopier.
Vikingar | Director: Magali Magistry. Iceland / Denmark. 14 minutes. Iceland, year 1000. Magnus, a fearless Viking warrior, confronts Bjarni the Berserker who abducted his wife and child. Their rivalry is only beginning.
The Voice Thief | Director: Adan Jodorowsky. USA / France / Chile. 26 minutes. When an opera singer loses her voice, her husband embarks on an odyssey through Miami's dark underworld to recover it through supernatural means.
Wakening | Director: Danis Goulet. Canada. 9 minutes. In the near future, the environment has been destroyed and society suffocates under a brutal military occupation. A lone Cree wanderer Weesakechak searches an urban war zone to find the ancient and dangerous Weetigo to help fight against the occupiers.
We Keep On Dancing | Director: Jessica Barclay Lawton. Australia. 9 minutes. Two distinctly disparate characters come together over a broken down Volkswagen Beetle in this sweet, amusing tale of love, loss and… car trouble.
Wedding Night | Director: Jenni Toivoniemi. Finland. 7 minutes. A young Mormon couple’s wedding night is a surprise for both of them.
Whale Valley | Director: Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson. Iceland / Demark. 15 minutes. Two brothers living in a remote Icelandic fjord with their parents take a journey that will mark a turning point in their lives.

ANIMATED SHORTS IN COMPETITION – ACADEMY AWARD™ QUALIFYING CATEGORY
Allergy to Originality | Director: Drew Christie. USA. 5 minutes. A humorous, animated Op-Doc for the New York Times explores the rich history of adaptation, plagiarism, and other forms of appropriation in art.
Animation Hotline, 2012 | Director: Dustin Grella. USA. 6 minutes. Animation Hotline, uses anonymous messages left on the artist's voicemail to provide the content for these sometimes insightful, sometimes bizarre, micro-shorts.
Astigmatismo | Director: Nicolai Troshinsky. Spain. 4 minutes. A boy, having lost his glasses, can only see one thing in focus at a time. His sight gets attracted by the sounds that surround him. He will have to explore a blurry world of unknown places and strange characters.
Bear Me | Director: Kasia Wilk. Germany. 6 minutes. Love and other strange things...Bear me is a funny animation film about love, a normal course of life and everything else a relationship can offer - but in an idealistic perception.
Blame It On the Seagull | Director: Julie Engaas. Norway. 13 minutes An animated documentary about Pelle Sandstrak and the way he showed the first signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s syndrome as a teenager.
Caminandes: Gran Dillama | Director: Pablo Vazquez. Netherlands. 3 minutes. A young llama named Koro discovers that the grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence). Getting there turns out to be harder than expected.
A Cautionary Tail | Director: Simon Rippingale. Australia. 15 minutes. A little girl is born with a tail that expresses her emotions. But when she grows up she must choose between conformity and self-expression. Starring Cate Blanchett.
Confusion Through Sand | Director: Danny Madden. USA. 12 minutes. A nineteen year old kid finds himself alone in a hostile desert, scared as hell and trained to react.
Francis | Director: Richard Hickey. United Kingdom. 7 minutes. A young boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago spent his vacations in Quetico Provincial Park, on the border of Minnesota and Canada. But he won't be going back any day soon, not after what happened to a girl called Francis Brandywine.
Friendship All-Stars of Friendship | Director: Dan Lippert, Harry Chaskin, Justin Michael. USA. 3 minutes. A stop-motion animated series following the gloriously mundane lives of celebrity roommates who all happen to live in the same building. In this episode, Ron Perlman shows off his new sunglasses to Guillermo del Toro.
Imposter | Director: Elie Chapuis. Switerland. 7 minutes. In a city at night, a human-shaped deer tries to steal a man's identity by taking his head off.
Junkyard | Director: Hisko Hulsing. Netherlands. 18 minutes. A man is being robbed and stabbed by a junkie. In the last second before he dies, a youth friendship flashes before his eyes.
Me + Her | Director: Joseph Oxford. USA. 12 minutes. When Jack and Jill of Cardboard City are separated by Jill's untimely death, Jack goes on a journey to mend his (literally) broken heart.
Mia | Director: Wouter Bongaerts. Belgium. 9 minutes. 7-year-old Mia tries to liberate her overworked mother from the grasp of an overpopulated metropolis. In her quest, she unlocks the hidden secrets that make the world turn.
Places Where We Lived | Director: Bernardo Britto. USA. 7 minutes. A man wakes up with a weird feeling. His parents are selling his childhood home.
The Sad House | Director: Sofia Carrillo. Mexico. 13 minutes. The story of a family told through objects found in junk shops and flea markets.
Sausage | Director: Robert Grieves. United Kingdom. 7 minutes. The idyllic world of two artisan stallholders is invaded by a devious fast-food vendor whose devious methods provoke life changing events.
SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue! | Director: Brent Young. USA. 8 minutes. When Bikini Bottom's jellyfish population is threatened by Plankton's maniacal plans, it's up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to save the day.
Strings | Director: Pedro Solis Garcia. Spain. 11 minutes. Maria’s routine at school is altered by the arrival of a very special child. Soon, they become close friends.
Yearbook | Director: Bernardo Britto. USA. 6 minutes. A man is hired to compile the definitive history of human existence before the planet blows up.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS IN COMPETITION – ACADEMY AWARD™ QUALIFYING CATEGORY
Choreography | Director: Ashley Sabin, David Redmon. USA. 8 minutes. Donkeys actively look back at the filmmaker’s gaze in Choreography, an experiential documentary that inverts a vérité or observational approach by showing everyday moments of how donkeys avoid becoming “caught” and transformed into an “unaware” or “natural” image.
Flo | Director: Riley Hooper. USA . 10 minutes. In the face of Multiple Sclerosis, lung cancer and visual impairment, photographer Flo Fox has continued to pursue her art and has maintained her adventurous, feisty spirit and dirty sense of humor. No longer able to even hold a camera, she has her attendants take photos for her.
Gordie | Director: Traolach Ó Murchú. Ireland. 10 minutes. An intimate self-authored documentary, Gordie tells the story of a Tlingit First Nation man living with the trauma of a devastating childhood event. Forgiveness is found in the coldest truths.
Hacked Circuit | Director: Deborah Stratman. USA. 16 minutes. Multiple layers of fabrication and imposition are laid bare by this fluidly choreographed, single-shot embodiment of control. Sonic surveillance meets the black art of foley.
A Hole in the Sky | Director: Alex Lora, Antonio Tibaldi. Spain / Somolia. 10 minutes. Young Alifa looks up at the Somali sky. She thinks about her daily life as a shepherdess... She knows that the day that will change her life forever is about to come.
The Home Team | Director: Joshua Seftel. USA. 9 minutes. What’s in the water of Murray, Kentucky that such a small, tight-knit town is home to such an extraordinary basketball team? Murray’s love for the home team runs deep, and on the night of the big game, a single act of generosity changes everything.
The Last Days of Peter Bergmann | Director: Ciaran Cassidy. Ireland. 20 minutes. In the summer of 2009, a man calling himself Peter Bergmann arrived in Sligo Town. Over his final three days, he would go to great lengths to ensure no one would ever discover who he was or where he came from.
The Lion's Mouth Opens | Director: Lucy Walker . USA. 15 minutes. A stunningly courageous young actor, Marianna Palka, confronts her risk of Huntington's Disease. Love. Love. Love. | Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram. Russia. 12 minutes. Through the endless winters, every year, her love takes new shapes and forms.
Notes on Blindness | Director: Peter Middleton, James Spinney. United Kingdom. 14 minutes. In 1983, following a decade of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull lost all traces of light sensation. For the next three years he would keep a diary on audio cassette - over sixteen hours in total - a unique and insightful meditation on memory, consciousness and perception.
Skate Yrself Clean | Director: Janna Jude Brown. USA. 7 minutes. Part documentary, part music video, meet the ever-joyful Ricky Lee Robinson: professional floor cleaner by day, beloved freestyle rollerskater by night.
Stumped | Director: Robin Berghaus. USA. 10 minutes. When a filmmaker suddenly finds himself a quadrilateral amputee, he adapts to a world he never could have imagined, and finds a new creative outlet in stand-up comedy.
Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns | Director: Joe Callander. USA. 2 minutes. Love is swapping clips with your spouse in the middle of a three gun problem.
Who Shot Rock & Roll: The Film | Director: Steven Kochones. USA. 37 minutes. Hear the stories behind rock’s most enduring images. This film spotlights the work of acclaimed rock photographers through interviews, photographs and never-before-seen footage covering 50 years of rock and roll.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS IN COMPETITION
Brimstone Line | Director: Chris Kennedy. Canada. 10 minutes. Three grids are placed along the Credit River in rural Ontario to intensify our sense of the zoom, narrowing vision and flattening space.
Cherries | Director: Friedl vom Gröller. Austria. 3 minutes. A salon piece in black and white. The filmmaker circles the amorous play. Gestures and blurs, intuitively precise in-camera edits condense the situation of debauchery and digression.
Confessions with An Open Curtain | Director: Eli Cortiñas. Austria. 6 minutes. "Funny business, a woman´s career, the things you drop on the way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you will need them again when you get back to being a woman. There is one career all females have in common whether we like it or not: Being a woman. “
Dry Standpipe | Director: Wojciech Bakowski. Poland. 12 minutes. A startlingly raw interlaced video collage by celebrated Polish artist, musician and poet Wojciech Bakowski.
from left to right, top to bottom | Director: Flora Watzal. Austria. 15 minutes. Ever since early performance art, the camera has stood ready as recording apparatus. Film and video seem to be the most suitable medium for playing back the movements of bodies in space and over time, complex processes and narrative entanglements. Yet what happens in the opposite case, when the space performs and along with it, the recording apparatus?
LIVEPAN | Director: Sasha Pirker. Austria. 2 minutes. Unobserved production forms, no escape, deadpan, the stoic expression of the body/object comic—as we know from Buster Keaton—develops to the livepan of everyday routine.
Minimal Vandalism | Director: Kay Walkowiak. Austria. 4 minutes. Touching art objects in an exhibition space is usually not allowed. Not so in Kay Walkowiak´s Minimal Vandalism, where this prohibition is practically stomped on.
Picture Perfect Pyramid | Director: Johann Lurf. Austria. 5 minutes. Picture Perfect Pyramid is a 16mm film which in counter-clockwise spirals, circles a large pyramid structure that was built on the outskirts of Vienna in 1983. Using twenty-four positions the film was shot over the course of an entire day, with one shot per hour.
Redemption | Director: Miguel Gomes. Portugal. 26 minutes. Where and when have four poor individuals begun searching for redemption?
Reign of Silence | Director: Lukas Marxt. Austria. 7 minutes. Reign of Silence records a human intervention in nature, a barren landscape that’s strangely surreal, where humans aren´t really expected.

COLLEGE STUDENT FILM COMPETITION
1%ers | Director: Francesca de Sola. USA. 17 minutes. A famous actress (Michelle Rodriguez) and her co-star (Rie Rasmussen) break away from their Hollywood bubble and head to a locals dive bar in pursuit of something 'real'. Things take a dark and violent turn when they clash with a group of outlaw bikers over a poker game.
All God's Creatures | Director: Brendon McDonall. Australia. 20 minutes. Having just lost their father, brothers Asher and Charlie's already fragile relationship undergoes a test of almost mythic proportions when one of them commits an act of mindless cruelty.
Even Cowboys Get to Cry | Director: Mees Peijnenburg. Netherlands. 20 minutes. A film about losing our youth, loneliness, violence and guilt: an homage to friendship.
Helpless | Director: Christene Hurley. USA. 8 minutes. Leah confesses her true feelings to Chayse in the school library while unknown malice lurks in the hallways.
H’mong Sisters | Director: Jeff Wong. Singapore / Vietnam. 14 minutes. Among the indigenous tribes in the mountains of Vietnam, 13-year old Mu thinks she knows everything her 16-year old sister Paj, a tour guide, knows - until they encounter a sex tourist.
Into The Silent Sea | Director: Andrej Landin. USA. 25 minutes. Under desperate circumstances, and across vast distances, an intense connection is made.
Miss Todd | Director: Kristina Yee. United Kingdom. 13 minutes. It's 1909, and the whole world is waking to the possibilities of flight. Miss Todd dreams of flying, but she's got more than gravity holding her down. This is the story of her determination, her perseverance, and her passion.
Noah | Director: Patrick Cederberg, Walter Woodman. Canada. 18 minutes. In a story that plays out entirely on a teenager's computer screen, Noah follows its eponymous protagonist as his relationship takes a rapid turn for the worse in this fascinating study of behavior (and romance) in the digital age.
The Pink Helmet Posse | Director: Kristelle Laroche, Benjamin Mullinkosson. USA. 9 minutes. Three pink tutus. Three pink helmets. Three pink skateboards. Bella, Sierra and Rella prove that skateboarding is not just for boys.
Rabbit and Deer | Director: Péter Vácz. Hungary. 17 minutes. The friendship of Rabbit and Deer is put to the test by Deer's new obsession to find the formula for the 3rd dimension...
Silent | Director: Jaco Dukes. USA. 9 minutes. A Jewish man deals with memories from World War II, when he was in line with other prisoners to be executed by a Nazi soldier.
Still Got Lives | Director: Jan-Gerrit Seyler. Germany. 23 minutes. Marco and Lisa are in love. Online, they fight side by side against dreadful monsters. However, Lisa refuses to meet Marco in real life. When one day she stops showing up for the game, Marco decides to go searching for her.
Symphony no. 42 | Director: Réka Bucsi. Hungary. 10 minutes. The film presents 47 observations in the irrational connections between human and nature.

YOUNG FILMMAKERS COMPETITION
Among Flowers | Director: 2013 Watkins Pre-College Film Students. USA. 11 minutes. A teen girl, Lily, is resistant to therapy sessions until her persistent doctor, Dr. Jennings, finds a way to connect to and talk about her grief. On the verge of a breakthrough, Jennings hits a roadblock, leaving Lily's future unknown.
As We Get Older | Director: Silas Connolly. USA. 6 minutes. Drug and alcohol usage are questioned as a solution to adolescent emptiness and inner conflict through graphic depiction of one teen’s night of moral dissipation.
Bongo | Director: Evan Sennett. USA. 5 minutes. A curious looking boy, named Bongo, watches a couple dance.
Carry Over | Director: Ryan Hopkinson. USA. 8 minutes. Northview High School's football team attempt to lead their school to the playoffs for the first time in school history in this youth-directed documentary.
Cookie Wars | Director: Natasha Lasky. USA. 6 minutes. An ambitious mother has hired a ringer to help her sell Girl Scout cookies while her real daughter has plans of her own. The battle is on!
Epitaph | Director: Charles Blecker. USA. 6 minutes. An unusual boy, Billy Coffin, takes his name seriously and prepares for the inevitable.
The Farm | Director: Malone Lumarda. USA. 10 minutes. A wanderer stumbles across a seemingly abandoned farm and discovers he is not alone.
In Fiction | Director: Andrew Robbin. USA. 7 minutes. A writer finds himself in a bind with his wife when a character he's created begins to take over his life.
Overflow | Director: Ruby Drake. USA. 7 minutes. Two girls try to work through an unexpected crisis in their friendship.
Slender: The Film | Director: Rod Myers, Sam Slocum. USA. 9 minutes. Teenage boy Steven Shepard, determined to find the cause of the accident that killed his mother, starts on a journey into the woods with his three friends to kill what he thinks did it.
Three Tiny Films from Saint Ann's School | Directors: Gregory Eagan, Laura Brown, Cullen Girolamo. USA. 6 minutes. These three films -- "Irresolution" by Gregory Eagan, "Go Fish" by Laura Brown, and "Director's Cut" by Cullen Girolamo -- all under two minutes, were shot on 16mm color negative by students in a 3rd year production class at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn. These films are silent, each with an original score.

Feature Film Awards

GIBSON MUSIC CITY/MUSIC FILMS
Grand Jury Prize: Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me, directed by James Keach (USA)
Honorable Mention: The Ballad of Shovels and Rope, directed by Jace Freeman (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Art and Activism: Alive Inside (USA)

The Gibson Music City/Music Films Grand Jury Award went to Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me, for sharing such an, "intimate and honest portrayal of a music legend's battle with Alzheimer's, Glen Campbell… I'll Be Me captures a family's commitment to love and laugh through the adversity of a debilitating disease."

The Gibson Music Films/Music City Competition Jury presented two awards tonight that truly celebrate the culture and heritage of Nashville. Juror, Joe Pacheco, a New York City based Director and Producer, said, "This year's 'Music Films/Music City' competition presented an impressive slate of films."

The jury also awarded an Honorable Mention to Jace Freeman and Sean Clark for their film, The Ballad of Shovels and Rope that also won the Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature.

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Club Sandwich, directed by Fernando Eimbcke (Mexico)
Honorable Mention: Little Brother, directed by Serik Aprimov (Kazakhstan)
Best Actor: Manolis Mavromatakis, for The Enemy Within (Greece)
Best Actress: Britt Robertson, for Undiscovered Gyrl (Ask Me Anything) (USA)
Film Musicians Secondary Market Fund Best Music in a Feature Film: Undiscovered Gyrl Louise LaQuire Award for
Best Screenplay: Bernard Attal, The Invisible Collection (Brazil)
Special Jury Prize for Original Vision: Joel Potrykus, Buzzard (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Cultural Significance: Maryna Er Gorbach & Mehmet Bahadir Er, Love Me (Ukraine / Turkey)

The Bridgestone Narrative Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich, described as a, "...poignant and well paced coming of age film that is both sensitive and laugh out loud funny." by Bridgestone Narrative Grand juror, Brad Horvath, a Toronto producer.

The Bridgestone Narrative Grand Jury further expressed that the films insight into adolescence and separation anxiety made it a distinct pleasure to watch. Juror Meghan Wurtz of New York City based Film Movement, said, "We look forward to more films from this incredible director in the years to come."

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Besa: The Promise, directed by Rachel Goslins (USA / Albania)
Honorable Mention: Happy Valley, directed by Amir Bar-Lev (USA)
Special Jury Prize for Investigative Filmmaking: Kate Logan, for Kidnapped for Christ (USA)

The Documentary Competition awarded the Grand Jury Prize to Rachel Goslins, the director of BESA: The Promise. "An inspiring work that sheds light on one of the darkest events in human history" said, Documentary Competition juror, Mark Rabinowitz, of Platform Media Group. "The film examines the power of a promise and uses an emotional and deeply personal story to reveal a cultural code and strength of integrity that is sorely needed in the world today…" added juror Allison Inman of Nashville's Belcourt Theatre.

The Honorable Mention award for the Documentary Competition went to Happy Valley, in which juror, Ben Hall of Nashville's WTVF said, "...was a meticulous piece of documentary journalism which expertly examines how even the most heinous of crimes...can affect people in disparate and surprising ways."

The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Kidnapped for Christ, which the Jury described as a "courageous investigative film, which sheds light on a little-known epidemic."

NEW DIRECTORS NARRATIVE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Before I Disappear, directed by Shawn Christensen (USA)
Honorable Mention: 1982, directed by Tommy Oliver (USA)
Honorable Mention: Drunktown’s Finest, directed by Sydney Freeland (USA)
Best Actor: Jeremiah Bitsui, Drunktown’s Finest (USA)
Best Actress: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Medeas (USA / Mexico / Italy)

The New Directors Narrative Competition awarded five awards tonight. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded based on the fundamental elements of filmmaking: storytelling, photography, character development, editing, and pacing, as well as surprises, twists and turns and originality, according to juror, Michael Chieffo, an actor and producer in Los Angeles.

Before I Disappear took home the Grand Jury Prize, which "held us in suspense and compelled us to wonder," said, Los Angeles based actress, Beth Grant.

GROUND ZERO TN SPIRIT COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize – Feature: The Ballad of Shovels and Rope, directed by Jace Freeman
Honorable Mention: Something, Anything, Paul Harrill

GRAVEYARD SHIFT COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize for Feature Film: Wetlands
Honorable Mention for Feature Film: You and the Night
Best Actor: Eric Cantona, You and the Night
Best Actress: Carla Juri, Wetlands and Robin Wright, The Congress (Tie)
Grand Jury Prize for Short Film: The Voice Thief
Honorable Mention for Short Film: Kekasih
Special Jury Prize for Direction: - The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears
Special Jury Prize for Cinematography: The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, Manuel Dacosse Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani

The 2014 Graveyard Shift truly spanned the whole world both literally (the countries represented) and figuratively (the ideas encompassed). “The visions it presented were provocative, intriguing, horrifying, and beautiful, and spoke volumes as to the conceptual diversity of World Cinema and the limitless possibilities that a creative mind and an inspired crew can create,” remarked juror Jason Shawhan.

In addition to the Feature Film Award Winners, NaFF proudly announced additional awards for variety of eligible films tonight. Juror Amy Webb added, "Thank you to the Nashville Film Festival for exposing us to stories from so many countries and cultures. We hope this tradition continues."

SPECIAL FEATURE AWARDS
Special Jury Prize for Art and Activism: Alive Inside: A Film About Memory and Music
Special Jury Prize for GLBT Filmmaking: The Case Against 8 - Ben Cotner & Ryan White
Best Original Song in a Feature Film: “Davina” from I Believe in Unicorns - Sasha Gordon, Composer
Best Feature Film by a Woman | Presented by WIFT: The Winding Stream
Best Short Directed by a Woman | Presented by WIFT: Helpless
NPT Human Spirit Award: The Starfish Throwers
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award: The Invisible Collection
Lipscomb Ecumenical Prize: Ida

Short Film Awards

“We had more short films entered in our festival this year, than ever before, said NaFF Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “Word has gotten around to filmmakers that NaFF is THE festival to enter because winners in the short documentary, narrative and animation competitions are automatically given Academy Award consideration. As an Academy Award Qualifying festival, several of NaFF films have gone on to earn nominations, including: Academy Award-winner Shawn Christensen for Curfew, Sean Durkin for Mary Last Seen, Jamie Travis for The Armoire, and Denis Villeneuve for Next Floor. Recent NaFF selections that went on to Oscar nominations include: Buzkashi Boys, Kavi, Miracle Fish, The Pig, Instead of Abracadbra, and West Bank Story.

NARRATIVE SHORTS
Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short: Rhino Full Throttle, Erik Schmitt (Germany)*
Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Short: Afronauts, Frances Bodomo (USA)
Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Short: I’m a Mitzvah, Ben Berman (USA)

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short: The Last Days of Peter Bergmann, Ciaran Cassidy (Ireland)*
Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short: Love. Love. Love. – Sandhya Daisy Sundaram

ANIMATION SHORTS
Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short: Rabbit and Deer, Peter Vacz (Hungary)*
Honorable Mention for Best Animated Short: Yearbook, Bernardo Britto (USA)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTING
Ed Oxenbould: The Amber Amulet & All God’s Creatures

WOMEN IN FILM & TV
Helpless – Christene Hurley

STUDENT SHORTS
Grand Jury Prize: Pink Helmet Posse, Kristelle Laroche, Benjamin Mullincosson
Honorable Mention: Into the Silent Sea, Andrej Landin

YOUNG FILMMAKER
Overflow – Ruby Drake

TN SHORTS FINALISTS
TN Horizon Audience Award for Best Short: Lower Broads, Drew Langer
Runner Up: Elvis Loses His Excess…, Riley Hooper
Runner Up: Sorry About Tomorrow, Motke Dapp
Runner Up: Bear With Me, Chad McClarnon

GROUND ZERO TN SPIRIT COMPEITION
Grand Jury Prize – Narrative Short: Shadowland, Steven Wesley Miller
Grand Jury Prize – Documentary Short: Straight Up: Tennessee Whiskey, Eric Byford

First Annual Screenwriting Competition Awards

2014 Screenplay Competition Awards

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Action/Adventure Feature: Will Powers | Andrew Eisen
Action/Adventure Feature (Runner-Up): In Debt Deep | Andrew Brown
Animation Feature: Tank’s | Randall C. Willis
Animation Feature (Runner-Up): The Princess Honeybee | James McFarlane
Comedy Feature: hAPPy | Sam Friedlander
Comedy Feature (Runner-Up): Male Order | Amanda Darling
Comedy Feature: hAPPy | Sam Friedlander
Comedy Feature (Runner-Up): Male Order | Amanda Darling
Drama Feature: Little Silver Heart | Lonas Taylor
Drama Feature (Runner-Up): Vulture’s Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo
Family Feature: Yes, Bub | Elisabeth Annacone
Family Feature (Runner-Up): The Spirit Flyer | Jonathan Vermeer & Bart Morse
Historical Feature: The Poem | Dawn Wise
Historical Feature (Runner-Up): Newton’s Laws of Emotion | Eugene Ramos
Inspirational Feature: Bring It Home | Kari Redmond & Ben Davies
Inspirational Feature (Runner-Up): William, Will You Dance? | Mary Huckstep
Music-Inspired Feature: Dead Man Blues | Jefferson McClure
Music-Inspired Feature (Runner-Up): Man at the Top | Larry Shulruff
Sci-Fi Feature: Heroman | Timucin Leflef
Sci-Fi Feature (Runner-Up): The Beginning | Elise Carr & Dennis Carr
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: Driving Top Down | Elvis Wilson
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature (Runner-Up): The Sound of the Sword | Ryan Estabrooks and Amber Bartlett
Thriller/Horror Feature: Vulture’s Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo
Thriller/Horror Feature (Runner-Up): Sold! | Allen C. Gardner

SHORT SCREENPLAY (AWARDS)
Action/Adventure Short: The Ten Mile | Tarp Jones
Action/Adventure Short (Runner-Up): Celara Electric | Lee McQueen
Animation Short: The Hunter | Wade Balance
Animation Short (Runner-Up): The Dreamscape Aquarium | David Serra
Comedy Short: The Bride of Frankie | Devi Snively
Comedy Short (Runner-Up): Power Wash | Linda Rumney
Drama Short: The Lost Cause | Jeffrey Rubin
Drama Short (Runner-Up): Cocaine Eyes | Alexander Briley
Family Short: Pipe Dream | Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Family Short (Runner-Up): Escape | Diana Zimmerman & Brad Jost
Historical Short: Scorched Earth | Skye Lynch
Inspirational Short: Long Distance Call | Sussu Laaksonen
Inspirational Short (Runner-Up): Shit-House Crazy | Julie Akeret
Music-Inspired Short Winner: A Certain Romance | Anthony Cawood
Sci-Fi Short: Every Lady Has A Silver Lining | Tishema Jones Al-Amin
Sci-Fi Short (Runner-Up): In A Forest | Ryan Sprague
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention | Melissa Anderson Sweazy
Tennessee Screenwriter Short (Runner-Up): Mulligan | Caleb Stallings
Thriller/Horror Short: The Ants Go Marching | Charles Dillon Ward
Thriller/Horror Short (Runner-Up): Memento | Stuart Creque
Young Screenwriter Short: Family Portrait | Michael Flynn
Young Screenwriter Short (Runner-Up): Outpost Bravo | Joshua Taylor

TELEPLAY (AWARDS)
TV Comedy Pilot: Roomies | Kristin Cantrell
TV Comedy Pilot (Runner-Up): Foxy Naught | Karen Rouse
TV Drama Pilot: Ordnung | Aaron Rollins
TV Drama Pilot (Runner-Up): Valleywood | Grete Heinemann

2014 Screenplay Competition Finalists

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure Feature: Buck McAlister and The Hand of God | Nick Mertens
Action/Adventure Feature: Buried South of Galatians | Stephen Hoover
Action/Adventure Feature: In Debt Deep | Andrew Brown
Action/Adventure Feature: The Myth of the Western Dragons | John T. Frederick
Action/Adventure Feature: Will Powers | Andrew Eisen
Animation Feature: Lost Dog | Jeff DeVuono
Animation Feature: Tank's | Randall C Willis
Animation Feature: The Princess
Animation Feature: Honeybee | James McFarlane
Comedy Feature: hAPPy | Sam Friedlander
Comedy Feature: Male Order | Amanda Darling
Comedy Feature: Misfortune Cookie | Amanda Darling
Drama Feature: Children of Honor | Amanda Darling
Drama Feature: Little Silver Heart | Lonas Taylor
Drama Feature: The Executioner | Danielle Barros
Drama Feature: The Translation | David Abram
Drama Feature: Vulture's Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo
Family Feature: Coincidental Miracles | Heather Hughes and Kate Wharton
Family Feature: The Key to Nede - An Adventure Begins| Karisa Ewinger
Family Feature: The Spirit Flyer | Jonathan Vermeer and Bart Morse
Family Feature: Yes, Bub | Elisabeth Annacone
Historical Feature: Billy | Peter Meech
Historical Feature: More Precious | LeAnn Morris
Historical Feature: Newton's Laws of Emotion | Eugene Ramos
Historical Feature: The Poem | Dawn Wise
Historical Feature: Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams | David Rousseve
Inspirational Feature: Be My Eyes | Dustin Stevens
Inspirational Feature: Bring it Home | Kari Redmond and Ben Davies
Inspirational Feature: William, Will You Dance? | Mary Huckstep
Music Inspired Feature: Dead Man Blues | Jefferson McClure
Music Inspired Feature: Man at at the Top | Larry Shulruff
Music Inspired Feature: Soup Sandwich | Sabrina Siebert
Sci-Fi Feature: Heroman | Timucin Leflef
Sci-Fi Feature: Project Guile| Dustin Kahia
Sci-Fi Feature: The Beginning | Elise Carr and Dennis Carr
Sci-Fi Feature: Time and Again | Stuart Creque
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: Driving Top Down | Elvis Wilson
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Acadian | David Vincent
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Sound of the Sword | Ryan Estabrooks and Amber Bartlett
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Vilification of Ruth Dunn | Taylor Albertson
Thriller/Horror Feature: Horror Comic | Stephen Hoover
Thriller/Horror Feature: Sold | Allen C. Gardner
Thriller/Horror Feature: The Righteous Man | Andrew Mescher
Thriller/Horror Feature: Vulture's Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo

SHORT SCREENPLAY (FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure Short: Celara Electric | Lee McQueen
Action/Adventure Short: The Ten Mile | Tarp Jones
Animation Short: Lily, the Saddest Girl in the World | Darren Barker
Animation Short: The Dreamscape Aquarium | David Serra
Animation Short: The Hunter | Wade Ballance
Comedy Short: If You Go There | Stacy Alynn
Comedy Short: Power Wash | Linda Rumney
Comedy Short: The Bride of Frankie | Devi Snively
Drama Short: Cocaine Eyes | Alexander Briley
Drama Short: The Lost Cause | Jeffrey Rubin
Drama Short: You're a Good Guy, Eli | Cornelius Murphy
Family Short: Escape | Dianna Zimmerman and Brad Jost
Family Short: Pipe Dream | Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Family Short: The Barking Spider | Robert Gately and Lois Gately
Historical Short: Scorched Earth | Skye Lynch
Inspirational Short: Long Distance Call | Sussu Laaksonen
Inspirational Short: Shit-house Crazy | Julie Akeret and Will Daniel
Music Inspired Short: A Certain Romance | Anthony Cawood
Sci-Fi Short: Every Lady Has A Silver Lining | Tishehma Jones-AlAmin
Sci-Fi Short: In a Forest | Ryan Sprague
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: Mulligan | Caleb Stallings
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention | Melissa Sweazy
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Holler | Drew Maynard
Thriller/Horror Short: Behind You | Nathan Ludwig
Thriller/Horror Short: Memento Mori | Stuart Creque
Thriller/Horror Short: The Ants Go Marching | Charles Dillon Ward
Young Screenwriter Short: Family Portrait | Michael Flynn
Young Screenwriter Short: Outpost Bravo | Joshua Taylor

TELEPLAY (FINALISTS)
Drama Pilot: Ordnung | Aaron Rollins
Drama Pilot: The Girl From Here | Jackson Wickham
Drama Pilot: Valleywood | Grete Heinemann
Comedy Pilot: Cherub Court 'I smite you' | Sam Boseley
Comedy Pilot: Foxy Naught | Karen Rouse
Comedy Pilot: Roomies | Kristin Cantrell

2014 Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalists

FEATURE SCREENPLAY (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure Feature: Storm Dragons | Leonardo Reis
Action/Adventure Feature: Buck McAlister and The Hand of God | Nick Mertens
Action/Adventure Feature: Buried South of Galatians | Stephen Hoover
Action/Adventure Feature: Death At A Distance | Martin Bernard Foley
Action/Adventure Feature: In Debt Deep | Andrew Brown
Action/Adventure Feature: Survival of the Fittest | Jeff Affrunti
Action/Adventure Feature: The Future Force | Ed Vela
Action/Adventure Feature: The Myth of the Western Dragons | John T. Frederick
Action/Adventure Feature: Underground Light | LeAnn Morris
Action/Adventure Feature: Will Powers | Andrew Eisen
Animation Feature: Lost Dog | Jeff DeVuono
Animation Feature: Tank's | Randall C Willis
Animation Feature: The Princess Honeybee | James McFarlane
Comedy Feature: Adult Education | James Watts
Comedy Feature: Ain't That A Kick In The Head | Robert N. Skir
Comedy Feature: Blind as a Batshit Crazy | Stacey Davis
Comedy Feature: Death At The Party | Justin Marshall
Comedy Feature: Easy Boy | Alana Harrison and Drew Callander
Comedy Feature: Foreign America | Nahreen Tarzi
Comedy Feature: Grain | Benjamin Skipworth
Comedy Feature: hAPPy | Sam Friedlander
Comedy Feature: Headless | John T. Frederick
Comedy Feature: Home Cooked | Roi Tamkin and Leanna Adams
Comedy Feature: Ladies In Black | Erica Warnock
Comedy Feature: Male Order | Amanda Darling
Comedy Feature: Man at the Top | Larry Shulruff
Comedy Feature: Mel's Baby | Barbara Albers Jackson
Comedy Feature: Misfortune Cookie | Amanda Darling
Comedy Feature: Miss 'n You | Larry Postel
Comedy Feature: Moving Mama | Gail Jenner and Patricia Peterson
Comedy Feature: Potty Mouths | Clint Fletcher
Comedy Feature: Super/Market | David Paster
Comedy Feature: The Replacement | Mark Simborg
Comedy Feature: Too Cool for School | Chuck Zigman
Comedy Feature: Touchdown | Ela Their
Drama Feature: "D. T." | Ken Comer
Drama Feature: Albert & Kim | Bob Saenz and Tom Donald
Drama Feature: Chasing Death | Andrew Mescher
Drama Feature: Children of Honor | Amanda Darling
Drama Feature: Deadline | Kevin Rrexroat
Drama Feature: Elvis & Jesse | Gary Porpora
Drama Feature: Evening at Lincoln's Feet | Denis Whitburn
Drama Feature: Hacktivist | Chip Taylor
Drama Feature: Hellbent | Tjardus Greidanus
Drama Feature: Jihad | Ross Durbin
Drama Feature: Le Mécano | Lukas Hassel
Drama Feature: Little Silver Heart | Lonas Taylor
Drama Feature: Neighbors (The Feature) | Rachel Goldberg and Jonathan Pope Evans
Drama Feature: Nightshade | Linda Wiley
Drama Feature: Off White | Michelle Davidson
Drama Feature: Purple Passages | Annie Kananack
Drama Feature: The Evolution | Colin Garvey
Drama Feature: The Executioner | Danielle Barros
Drama Feature: The Lonely Road | Nicole Donadio
Drama Feature: The Trade | C.M. Robinson
Drama Feature: The Translation | David Abram
Drama Feature: Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams | David Rousseve
Drama Feature: Vulture's Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo
Family Feature: Coincidental Miracles | Heather Hughes and Kate Wharton
Family Feature: The Key to Nede - An Adventure Begins | Karisa Ewinger
Family Feature: The Spirit Flyer | Jonathan Vermeer and Bart Morse
Family Feature: Yes, Bub | Elisabeth Annacone
Historical Feature: Billy | Peter Meech
Historical Feature: More Precious | LeAnn Morris
Historical Feature: Newton's Laws of Emotion | Eugene Ramos
Historical Feature: The Poem | Dawn Wise
Historical Feature: Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams | David Rousseve
Inspirational Feature: Be My Eyes | Dustin Stevens
Inspirational Feature: Bring it Home | Kari Redmond and Ben Davies
Inspirational Feature: William, Will You Dance? | Mary Huckstep
Music Inspired Feature: Dead Man Blues | Jefferson McClure
Music Inspired Feature: Man at at the Top | Larry Shulruff
Music Inspired Feature: Soup Sandwich | Sabrina Siebert
Sci-Fi Feature: Heroman | Timucin Leflef
Sci-Fi Feature: Project Guile | Dustin Kahia
Sci-Fi Feature: The Beginning | Elise Carr and Dennis Carr
Sci-Fi Feature: Time and Again | Stuart Creque
Sci-Fi Feature: Home World | Joshua Sall
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: Driving Top Down | Elvis Wilson
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Acadian | David Vincent
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Sound of the Sword | Ryan Estabrooks and Amber Bartlett
Tennessee Screenwriter Feature: The Vilification of Ruth Dunn | Taylor Albertson
Thriller/Horror Feature: Horror Comic | Stephen Hoover
Thriller/Horror Feature: Miss Diagnosis | Derek Dubois
Thriller/Horror Feature: Raven Nichols | Heather Ostrove
Thriller/Horror Feature: Ship of the Dead | Robert Kois
Thriller/Horror Feature: Sold | Allen C. Gardner
Thriller/Horror Feature: Spooks | Danny Nowlin
Thriller/Horror Feature: Stay In Shadow | Daniel Stawanski and David Weston
Thriller/Horror Feature: The Latchkey Child | Rupinder Malhotra and Aaron Ber
Thriller/Horror Feature: The Righteous Man | Andrew Mescher
Thriller/Horror Feature: Vulture's Row | Alfred Thomas Catalfo

SHORT SCREENPLAY (SEMI-FINALISTS)
Action/Adventure Short: Celara Electric | Lee McQueen
Action/Adventure Short: The Ten Mile | Tarp Jones
Animation Short: Lily, the Saddest Girl in the World | Darren Barker
Animation Short: The Dreamscape Aquarium | David Serra
Animation Short: The Hunter | Wade Ballance
Comedy Short: If You Go There | Stacy Alynn
Comedy Short: Power Wash | Linda Rumney
Comedy Short: The Bride of Frankie | Devi Snively
Drama Short: Cocaine Eyes | Alexander Briley
Drama Short: Little Hands | Ross Knight
Drama Short: Mean Creek | Dan Goforth
Drama Short: Pike Dream | Nicola Hosking
Drama Short: Shylock '35 | Jeffrey Rubin
Drama Short: Tata | Markus Mueller
Drama Short: The Bravest, the Boldest | Moon Molson and Eric Fallen
Drama Short: The Dead Shift | C.J. Wells
Drama Short: The Lost Cause | Jeffrey Rubin
Drama Short: You're a Good Guy, Eli | Cornelius Murphy
Drama Short: Willie | Patricia Holt
Family Short: Escape | Dianna Zimmerman and Brad Jost
Family Short: Pipe Dream | Sundae Jahant-Osborn
Family Short: The Barking Spider | Robert Gately and Lois Gately
Historical Short: Scorched Earth | Skye Lynch
Inspirational Short: Long Distance Call | Sussu Laaksonen
Inspirational Short: Shit-house Crazy | Julie Akeret and Will Daniel
Inspirational Short: The Two In Waiting | Anton Stroganov
Music Inspired Short: A Certain Romance | Anthony Cawood
Sci-Fi Short: Every Lady Has A Silver Lining | Tishehma Jones-AlAmin
Sci-Fi Short: In a Forest | Ryan Sprague
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: Mulligan | Caleb Stallings
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention | Melissa Sweazy
Tennessee Screenwriter Short: The Holler | Drew Maynard
Thriller/Horror Short: Behind You | Nathan Ludwig
Thriller/Horror Short: Memento Mori | Stuart Creque
Thriller/Horror Short: The Ants Go Marching | Charles Dillon Ward
Young Screenwriter Short: Family Portrait | Michael Flynn
Young Screenwriter Short: Outpost Bravo | Joshua Taylor
Young Screenwriter Short: An Opportunity | Abby Keith

Announcements

2014 Award Winners

Full 2014 Gallery

All 2014 Videos

2014 Youtube Playlist

2013 Festival

2013 NashFilm Artwork

Feature Films

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
These carefully selected films reveal truths about the world we live in, and tell stories of courage, hilarity, hardship, and rebellion.

KURDISH FEATURE SEGMENT
NaFF, in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, screened the 15 Kurdish films during a three day Celebration of Kurdish Films on April 19, 20, and 21, and offered a reception for dignitaries, opening and closing night parties, plus master classes and panel discussions for filmmakers led by members of the Academy’s International Outreach Committee.

Eyub Ramazan, General Manager for Arts, Culture and Youth, Duhok hopes “the event will build a bridge of collaboration between the American and Kurdish filmmakers.” Additionally, Ramazan underscored the importance of the event, “for the Kurdish community in Nashville to see the level their cinema has reached nowadays.” Nashville-Kurdish organizer, Govand Akreyi-Wani said “The Kurds have been an oppressed people. To see films by our people in our own language here in Nashville – it is just a big door opening for us.”

The Celebration of Kurdish Films is a natural result of NaFF’s outreach efforts conducted with support from the Academy. In 2008, NaFF was awarded a $75,000 multi-year festival grant to expand its reach to Nashville’s diverse populations. NaFF has also been named an Academy Award® Short Film Qualifying Festival, which enables short films that win at NaFF to be given automatic Academy eligibility.

"The Academy is proud to work with NaFF to bring Kurdish films and filmmakers to the U.S., and in particular to Nashville, with its vibrant and growing local Kurdish audience,” said Academy Director of Exhibitions and Special Events, Ellen Harrington. “This is also a logical extension of the Academy's International Outreach work, in particular our projects in the Middle East. We are happy to partner with important film festivals, like NaFF, who honor, as we do, the courageous and passionate movies being made by filmmakers around the world."

MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY FEATURE COMPETITION
These documentary films about music and musicians cover a full range of musical genres: from rock and roll and hip hop, to boys’ choirs and classic country.

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
The Nashville Film Festival has become one of the premier showcases for the best new work of American and international filmmakers. The festival screens films that represent the creative risk filmmakers take to tell powerful and important stories in innovative ways.

NEW DIRECTORS FEATURE COMPETITION
In 2013, women filmmakers made great strides as there were more women filmmakers entered than ever before in NaFF’s history. “I’m excited that we have so many outstanding women filmmakers this year,” said Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “Over all we have about 30% representation, compared to fewer than 10% in previous years.” Owens joined the Nashville Film Festival in 2008. This year’s NaFF is his 6^th Nashville Film Festival as Artistic Director.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
These feature-length film events include Opening and Closing Night celebrations, and film favorites from the latest Toronto and Sundance Film Festivals.

Short Films

Nashville, TN - The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) features short films from 35 countries, in categories ranging from narrative, experimental, animated, young filmmakers, and Tennessee shorts.

The Festival features 168 short films this year, including works by Shia LaBeouf, Joan Chen, Albert Maysles, and Morgan Spurlock. Short films for the 2013 NaFF, presented by Nissan, were selected from a record breaking 2156 shorts submitted. NaFF is one of only 24 film festivals in the United States designated as an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. Winners of the narrative and animation short competitions are automatically qualified for Academy Award consideration.

“Because of our Academy Award qualifier status, we tend to receive an impressive amount of short film entries each year,” said Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “This year we had more submissions than ever before. The films we selected represent every corner of the world, from the United Kingdom, Israel, and Spain to Slovenia, China, and Iraq. It will be like a mini World Cinema category with ten times as many films!”

The Nashville Film Festival, like other major film festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca, is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased to any of 200 events, including films, panel discussions, and parties. NaFF brings in filmmakers, celebrities, and industry insiders to mingle with people who enjoy film on the big screen.

ANIMATION SHORTS COMPETITION
(Winning short is eligible for Academy Award consideration)

NARRATIVE SHORTS COMPETITION
(Winning short is eligible for Academy Award consideration)

Nashville Film Festival 2013 Winners Announced

Nashville, TN-- The Nashville Film Festival is coming to a close, and tonight the winners were announced at the Greenhouse Bar awards ceremony. Artistic Director Brian Owens presented the awards.

Taking the big prizes, with two awards each, were Breakfast with Curtis, directed by Laura Colella, This is Martin Bonner, directed by Chad Hardigan, and Nairobi Half Life, directed by David “Tosh” Gitonga. The winner of the Bridgestone Narrative Competition was the opening Kurdish film If You Die, I Will Kill You, directed by Hiner Saleem.

The 2013 Nashville Film Festival hosted a total of 263 films from 50 countries, in categories ranging from Narrative Feature, Documentary, Short Films, Music City, New Director, Special Presentations, Graveyard Shift, Tennessee First, World Cinema, and for the first time, a special Kurdish category was added as part of a mini 3-day Celebration of Kurdish Film. All of the films were selected from over 3,000 submissions, a record number for NaFF.

Feature Film Awards

BRIDGESTONE NARRATIVE COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: If You Die, I Will Kill You, directed by Hiner Saleem
Honorable Mention: Breakfast With Curtis, directed by Laura Colella
Best Actor: Paul Eenhoorn in This is Martin Bonner
Best Actress: Jane Adams in All the Light in the Sky

Louis LeQuire Award for Best Screenplay: Pit Stop, written by Yen Tan, David Lowery
Best Use of Music: 3 - Sebastián, Del Muro Eiras
Original Song: “The One That Got Away” by Neil Oldham, from I Used to be Darker
Special Jury Prize for Promising Actor: Silas Yelich in The Cold Lands
Special Prize Best Ensemble: Cast of Breakfast with Curtis

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Far Out Isn’t Far Enough - The Tomi Ungerer Story, directed by Brad Bernstein
Honorable Mentions (tie): Plimpton!, Starring George Plimpton as Himself directed by Tom Bean and Luke Poling
Honorable Mentions (tie): After Tiller, directed by Martha Stone and Lana Wilson
Special Jury Prize for Vigilance in Filmmaking: These Birds Walk, directed by Bassam Tariq and Omar Mullick

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Nairobi Half Life, directed by David “Tosh” Gitonga
Honorable Mention: Out in the Dark, directed by Michael Mayer
Best Actor: Joseph Wairimu in Nairobi Half Life
Best Actress: Gina Piersanti in It Felt Like Love
Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble: Cast of This is Where We Live

GIBSON MUSIC FILMS/MUSIC CITY COMPETITION
Grand Jury Prize: Die Thomaner: A Year in the Life of the St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig, directed by Günter Atteln
Honorable Mention: Muscle Shoals, directed by Greg “Freddy” Camalier
Special Jury Prize for Cultural Significance: This Ain’t No Mouse Music, directed by Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling

GROUND ZERO TENNESSEE SPIRIT AWARDS
Feature: Nashville 2012, directed by Jace Freeman & Sean Clark
Short Narrative: Wild Sands, directed by Warren Lewis Allen and William Scott Stewart
Documentary: Another Corner, directed by Josh Harrell

Short Film Awards

Best Live Action Short: Hatch, directed by Christoph Kuschnig
Live Action Short - Honorable Mention: Peter at the End, directed by Russ Lamoureux
Best Animated Short: Oh, Willy, directed by Sunil Narkar
Animated Short - Honorable Mention: Noodle Fish, directed by Jin Man Kim
Best Documentary Short: A Story for the Modlins, directed by Sergio Oksman
Documentary Short - Honorable Mention: I Think this is the Closest to How the Footage Looked, directed by Yuval Hameiri and Michal Vaknin
Best Experimental Short: Workers Leaving the Factory (Again), directed by Katharina Gruzei
Experimental Short - Honorable Mention: Salmon, directed by Alfredo Covelli
Best Student Short: I Think this is the Closest to How the Footage Looked, directed by Yuval Hameiri and Michal Vaknin
Student Short - Honorable Mention: Behind the Mirrors, directed by Julio O. Ramos
Watkins Young Filmmaker Shorts: The Purple Story, directed by Mateusz Madry

OTHER SPONSORED AWARDS
Mike Curb Career Achievement Award in Film Music: Clint Mansell
Film Musician Secondary Market Fund (FMSM) Award: This is Martin Bonner, directed by Chad Hardigan and composed by Keegan DeWitt
NPT Human Spirit Award: Remote Area Medical, directed by Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman
Women in Film & Television Award: Words of Witness, directed by Mai Iskander
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award: A Lovely Day, directed by Kerry Gawryn

Nashville Film Festival (NaFF), April 18 – 25, 2013, presented by Nissan, brings the world to Nashville in an 8-day celebration of film. Attended by filmmakers and industry insiders, and open to the public, NaFF screens more than 200 films from nearly 50 countries. NaFF celebrates the diversity of the human voice and vision by curating program segments to include Latino, Black, GLBT, Jewish and Kurdish films. Founded in 1969 by Mary Jane Coleman, it is one of the oldest (44-years) film festivals in the U.S. As an Academy Award Qualifying Event, NaFF draws filmmakers and celebrity guests to its red carpet at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16. The Festival annually garners notice from the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal online, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Festival Today, IndieWire, Variety, Billboard, New York and Script Magazine.

Full 2013 Gallery

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All 2013 Videos

2013 Youtube Playlist