The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) today announces the next round of films selected for the 53rd annual event, September 29 through October 5, 2022, a robust slate of feature-length and short films with ties to Tennessee. With a total of nearly thirty films, the state is well represented in this year’s full program, slated to be announced later this month. Previous announcements include an opening night presentation of The Return of Tanya Tucker, as well as four feature films screening in person this year: The Year Between; Acidman; Butterfly in the Sky; and The Civil Dead.

This year’s Tennessee Feature Films are:

  • Alta Valley (dir. Jesse Edwards) – World premiere! To save her dying mother, Lupe, a Mexican-Navajo mechanic bands together with an outlaw cowgirl. Together they must travel across the desert, outrun criminals, and confront a corrupt landowner.

  • Big Old Goofy World: The Story Of Oh Boy Records (dirs. Joshua Britt, Neilson Hubbard) – Oh Boy Records, founded by John Prine, Al Bunetta & Dan Einstein, took a mail order business and turned it into the everyman hero story of one artist believing in himself and his fans to help reinvent the music industry and create a path for today’s artists to stay independent.
  • The Light We Share (dirs. Mattie Waters, Jules Downum) – World Premiere! Every person has a story that is vivid and complex – full of struggle and triumph. This visual-album style film highlights stories from everyday people, inviting us to look at one.

  • Old Friends; A Dogumentary (dir. Gorman Bechard) – The paw-inspiring story of the most beloved animal sanctuary in the world, the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

  • Showbusiness Is My Life, But I Can’t Prove It (dir. GB Shannon) – World premiere! Follows comedian Gary Mule Deer and his 60 year career making people laugh.

  • I Can Feel You Walking (dir. Rachel Lambert) – Two broke and broken neighbors in a South Nashville duplex are tested when a crisis forces them to finally meet.
  • Jacir (dir. Waheed AlQawasmi) – World premiere!  A young Syrian refugee on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee faces the hard truth in chasing the American dream, while living in poverty, witnessing social injustice and his neighbor’s addiction to opioids.

This year’s Tennessee Short Films are:

  • Avi Visits the Court of the King (dir. Jon Kent)
  • Bones (dir.Noah Anthony Mezzacappa)
  • Borrowers & Lenders (dir. Crue Scott Smith)
  • Champagne For One (dir. Seth Iliff)

  • Days Counted (dir. Chandler Gibson)

  • GraceLand (dir. Bonnie Discepolo)

  • Hermie (dir. Anthony Pitsilos)
  • Hi-Tech Service (dir. Allison Inman)

  • In The Balance (dir. Ryan Gentle, Austin Quarles)
  • Lane Five (dir. Matthew Van Sliger)
  • Last Train (dir. Karen Bullis, Kathy Lee Heuston)

  • Lost Art (dir. Leif Ramsey)

  • Loveshake (dir. Caleb Suggs)
  • Morning Chores (dir. Elvis Wilson)
  • One @ A Time (dir. Madeleine Hicks)

  • Rayleigh Scattering (dir. Connor Carroll)
  • Say Again? (dir. Kelley Bell)

  • Sheet Music (dir. Jaran Huggins)
  • Switch (dir. JT McCreery)

  • Ten By Ten (dir. Jami L. Bennett)

  • The Devil Will Run (dir. Noah Glenn)
  • The Hysteresis Loop (dir. Kip Kuben)
  • Urban Retail Space (dir. Kristina Juodenas)

“While we pride ourselves on bringing an exciting slate of films from around the world to Nashville every year, our Tennessee programs are a mainstay in our annual festival,” said Programming Director Lauren Ponto. “The level of local talent, both in front and behind the camera, deserves as wide an audience as possible, and it’s our privilege to be a platform for these deserving films.”

The 53rd Nashville Film Festival, September 29 – October 5, will take place in three venues in and around Nashville, including the Belcourt Theater, the TPAC Andrew Johnson Theater and the historic Franklin Theatre. A portion of this year’s full program will be available to screen virtually for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of home.

The full slate of films and programs selected for the 53rd Nashville Film Festival will be announced in August.

Beyond the traditional film festival, which is slated to feature 125 feature-length and short films across every genre, NashFilm will again host events and programs that highlight the many aspects of filmmaking, including: a Screenwriting Competition (September 30-October 6); a Music  Program (virtual panels, workshops and more, September 29-October 1); the Creators Conference (film industry panels and conversations, September 30 – October -2); and live music performances and new artist showcases throughout the week.

VIP Badges are now on sale for the Nashville Film Festival. For more information and to purchase passes, visit www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.

The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) is a globally recognized nonprofit organization and cultural event presenting the best in world cinema, American independent films and documentaries by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. With Academy Award® qualifying status, the Nashville Film Festival celebrates innovation, music and the many voices of the human spirit through the art of film. Originally founded in 1969, the Nashville Film Festival is one of the first film festivals in the United States and will host its 53rd festival from September 29-October 5, 2022. For more information, visit www.nashfilm.org.