Posted by Larry Gleeson

While many of us have heard of Wilma Rudolph, the sickly child who wore leg braces until the age of 8, who went on to become the first athlete to win three Olympic Gold medals in track and field, most of us have never heard of Edward S. Temple, the coach of the Tennessee State Tigerbelles track team. Mr. Temple and the Tigerbelles is a 40-minute documentary about the legendary track and field coach and a group of 40 African American female athletes who broke the color barrier of the Olympics during the Jim Crow era, snagging 23 medals, 16 of them Gold at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.

The film opens with the sound of a starter pistol and the beginning of a sprint and deftly transitions with a match cut to a black and white archival footage of Wilma Rudolph dominating a 100 meter dash. Voice over narration informs the viewer of the beginning of integration in the United States of America. The Civil Rights movement is emerging and the Tennessee Tigerbelles are dominating world track and field competition.

The story is a non-linear treatment as its attention grabbing opening begs the question of why. As the storyline transgresses back to 1946 and the arrival of Ed Temple on the Tennessee State University (TSU) campus, the viewer in introduced to a man trying to make ends meet for his family teaching and holding a Postal Service job. TSU President Walter Davis noticed something about Mr. Temple and offered him the women’s track coach position. With the job, Mr. Temple was given $300 and two station wagons. The rest as they say is history.

Only this history is being forgotten. Mr. Temple recruited his athletes to come to the historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee (the school merged with University of Tennessee at Nashville, a formerly white institution in 1979) without the enticement of scholarships. Yet, one hundred percent of his athletes graduated. Temple desire to succeed was instilled into his athletes with a tough love. He was at once a coach, a guidance counselor and a father figure. Numerous interviews from his former steeds attest to the fact they owed much of their career success and life success to the principles and life lessons Mr. Temple taught.

The night before an unveiling of a statue dedicated to Mr. Temple, a group of friends and former athletes felt the world needed to know about the Tennessee Tigerbelles and the driving force behind much of their unprecednted success, Edward S. Temple. After spearheading the fundraising, Bo Robertson undertook the Ed Temple Documentary Fund and after bringing on Tom Neff to make the film and Shelly Hay to produce is bringing the vision of bringing the world to Mr. Temple’s historic Tigerbelles.

Barry Rubinow edits the film with some excellent match cuts. The accompany musical score augments and propels the inspirational nature of the film’s message that left several audience members in tears. Mr. Temple and the Tigerbelles is more than a documentary on the Tennessee State Tigerbelles. In its current short form it serves as an historical document of  “the best of the best that America can be.” A must-see film!

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The 50th Anniversary of the Nashville Film Festival is well into its opening weekend. The  Festival App is an excellent tool to plan the Fest! It is available in App stores. A VIP Badge offers the premium festival experience and are available.

Here’s a quick look at upcoming films.

Music Documentaries | Chuck Berry: Directed by John Brewer

Sunday 10/6 2:00 PM

Brewer tells the story of a black preacher’s son who managed to cross the racial divide in 1950’s America with the power of a well-crafted song and a Fender guitar, only to discover that what was on the other side held the organized prejudice of a nation. This is a highly artistic nod to Sin City that shines a light on the facts and phantoms around the story of the Granddaddy of Rock & Roll. Cast: Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, Themetta Berry, Joe Perry, Carles Berry, Stevie Van Zandt. TICKETS

Graveyard Shift | Driven – Dark Comedy/Thriller – Directed by Glenn Payne

In this dark-comedy thriller, Emerson (Casey Dillard) is a ride share driver with nights full of annoyances until she picks up Roger (Richard Speight, Jr.), a mysterious out of towner on a mission to break a multi-generational curse.

This delightful movie handles jobs we hate, self-identity crisis, and coming of age tales all while slashing through legions of demons and reminding us to tip our drivers. It got snark, scares, and a whole lot of heart that pushes the boundaries of what can be done in genre films to give viewers the best ride possible. TICKETS

Documentaries | Gay Chorus: Deep South – Directed by David Charles Rodrigues

Saturday 10/5 12:00 PM

In response to a wave of anti-LGBT laws in Southern states and the divisive 2016 election, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on a tour of the American Deep South. Joined by allies, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, they bring a message of music, love, and acceptance to communities and individuals confronting intolerance. The journey is a celebration of the power of music. TICKETS.

Music Documentaries | Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl – Directed by Amy Goldstein

Saturday 10/5 6:30 PM
Sunday 10/6 12:30 PM

Kate Nash, punk renegade, TV wrestling queen (GLOW), and DIY leader of an all-girl band forgoes money and fame to speak out about gender inequality in the music business and to embolden other young women to find their voice. Cast: Kate Nash, Alicia Warrington, Frederik Thaae, Kate Craig, Tom Biller, Jarrad Kritzstein. TICKETS.

See you at the movies!

(Sourced from press releases provided by NashFest and Alexa Oliphant)

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Nashville Film Festival, celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, began hosting the NashFilm Creators Conference this morning October 4, 2019 with a plethora of highly diverse panels.

Panelist Matt DeLisi showcased some of the latest software and equipment for implementing VR into production, both pre-production and post-production. Audience members were provided an opportunity to operate equipment in a virtual environment. In addition, a VR station was operational for attendees to experience VR.

Coinciding with the Evolving Future of VR in Filmmaking, was the Take A Stand: Films For Social Justice with panelists Blair Durham, Peter Samuelson, Denae Peters.

Coming right on the heels of the first two panels were the overlapping New Voices in LGBTQ Filmmaking featuring filmmakers who are sharing stories stemming from unique experiences and socially marginalized characters and individuals who were previously not considered mainstream material and Evolve Studios: The New Frontier, showcasing a Nashville-based, maverick studio start-up focusing on turn-key production services.

Tonight’s main feature is the much-anticipated documentary on the father of rock-n-roll, Chuck Berry, directed by Jon Brewer. Along with tonight’s screening there will be an opportunity to catch a “sneak peek” of a new ‘Gibson Chuck Berry 1955 ES-350 Tribute’ Guitar. The historically accurate guitar will be available starting October 18, in celebration of the legendary performer’s birthday, at Authorized Gibson Dealers worldwide.

See you at the movies!

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Finishing touches are made for the opening night screening of Taika Waititi’s much-buzzed-about dark comedy JoJo Rabbit for the 50th edition of the Nashville film Festival showcasing the best in music, film and culture.

In addition,  the Creators Conference for industry and film aficionados alike will be taking place tomorrow October 4th and Saturday October 5th.

Stay tuned for more as the party is just getting started!

For more information immediately, including purchasing tickets and passes, please visit: https://nashvillefilmfestival.org/

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Nashville Film Festival, celebrating its 50th Anniversary October 3-12, 2019, unveiled the selections for its Special Presentations category. This year’s special presentations take viewers into the World War II-era perspective of a young German boy who is forced to reconsider the nationalism in which he was raised, a searing behind-the-scenes look at the dissolution of a marriage, and a darkly comedic dive into the life of a struggling comedian and his unlikely friendship with his eccentric dermatologist.

Selections include the dark and clever Hitler comedy Jojo Rabbit, fresh off of its run at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Marriage Story, a raw and honest dive into love and relationships that was a favorite in Toronto as well as the Venice Film Festival. Also featured is the powerful narrative Clemency, winner of the 2019 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, starring Alfre Woodard, a prison warden overseeing death row executions, as she struggles with the justification and morality of the job at hand.

The Special Presentations category will also include Bacurau; By the Grace of God; Foster Boy; A Hidden Life; The Kill Team; and Standing Up, Falling Down. Selections for the Narrative Features program include Alice, The Best of Dorien B., The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, Burning Cane, Dirty God, Eternal Winter, Retrospekt, Saint Frances, Watch List, and This World Won’t Break.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS PROGRAM

BACURAU, directed by Juliano Dornelles & Kleber Mendonça Filho. Bacurau, a small village in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their village has literally vanished from most maps and a UFO-shaped drone starts flying overhead. In a genre-bending twist, a band of armed mercenaries arrive in town picking off the inhabitants one by one. A fierce confrontation takes place when the townspeople turn the tables on the villainous outsiders, banding together by any means necessary to protect and maintain their remote community.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, directed by François Ozon. Based on real events, Francois Ozon’s By the Grace of God is a gripping and urgent story of the survivors who band together to expose and dismantle the French Catholic Church’s code of silence surrounding pastoral abuse.

CLEMENCY, directed by Chinonye Chukwu. Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard). As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.

FOSTER BOY, directed by Youssef Delara. Foster Boy is the truth-based legal drama about a high-powered litigator who takes on the case of disadvantaged African-American young man, starring Matthew Modine and newcomer Shane Paul McGhie. Overcoming their differences and mutual distrust, Modine’s Michael Trainer and McGhie’s Jamal Randolph uncover the abuses of the for-profit foster care system – a real-world reality that inspired the film. Co-Presented in association with the International Black Film Festival.

A HIDDEN LIFE, directed by Terrence Malick. Based on real events, A Hidden Life is the story of an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife Fani and children that keeps his spirit alive.

HONEY BOY, directed by Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach, LoveTrue). From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf based on his own experiences brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health. Fictionalizing his ascent to stardom, and subsequent crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har’el casts Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) and Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased, Manchester by the Sea) as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career.

JOJO RABBIT, directed by Taika Waititi. Writer director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnorok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), brings his signature style of humor and pathos to his latest film, Jojo Rabbit, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy (Roman Griffin Davis as JoJo) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

THE KILL TEAM, directed by Dan Krauss. When Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff), a young soldier in the US invasion of Afghanistan, witnesses other recruits killing innocent civilians under the direction of a sadistic leader, Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgård), he considers reporting them to higher-ups — but the heavily-armed, increasingly violent platoon becomes suspicious that someone in their ranks has turned on them, and Andrew begins to fear that he’ll be the next target.

MARRIAGE STORY, directed by Noah Baumbach. An incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

THE SONG OF NAMES, directed by François Girard. Martin Simmonds (Tim Roth) has been haunted throughout his life by the mysterious disappearance of his “brother” and extraordinary best friend, a Polish Jewish virtuoso violinist, Dovidl Rapaport, who vanished shortly before the 1951 London debut concert that would have launched his brilliant career. Thirty-five years later, Martin discovers that Dovidl (Clive Owen) may still be alive, and sets out on an obsessive intercontinental search to find him and learn why he left. Co-presented with the Nashville Jewish Film Festival.

STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN, directed by Matt Ratner. A struggling stand-up comedian at a crossroads in his life returns to his hometown and finds an unlikely kindred spirit in his pot-smoking dermatologist.

THE TROUBLE WITH YOU, directed by Pierre Salvadori. In a town on the French Riviera, detective Yvonne (Adèle Haenel) is the widow of police chief Santi, a local hero idolized by their young son. When she realizes her husband was not the model of virtue she believed him to be and that an innocent man, Antoine, has spent eight years in prison as Santi’s scapegoat, her world is thrown into turmoil. Yvonne wants to do everything she can to help the young man get back to his life and his wife (Audrey Tautou). Everything, that is, except, exposing the truth. But Antoine is having trouble adjusting to life after prison and soon blows a fuse, leading to a spectacular sequence of events.

The Nashville Film Festival previously announced official program selections for its Narrative Features Competition Program for the 50^th edition of the festival. Selections include Alice, The Best of Dorien B., The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, Burning Cane, Dirty God, Eternal Winter, Retrospekt, Saint Frances, Watch List and This World Won’t Break. Other films include: Ernie & Joe, Bedlam, Rewind, Dark Suns, Seahorse, Gay Chorus: Deep South, Changing the Game, Baracoa, 17 Blocks, Red Dog, What We Left Unfinished, Stuffed, Homemade, The Hot August, I Pastafari: A Flying Spaghetti Monster Story and Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story in the Documentary Competition category.  International Falls, the world premiere of the civil rights era coming-of-age story Tuscaloosa, Speed of Life, Babysplitters, Barbie’s Kenny, Working Man, Inside The Rain, and Hudson as films selected for the U.S. Independents category.  Music documentaries include the world premiere of Chuck Berry by filmmaker Jon Brewer; Born Into the Gig by filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner; Cool Daddio: The Second Youth of R. Stevie Moore from filmmakers Imogen Putler and Monika Baran; and The Sheriff of Mars from filmmakers Jason Ressler and Matthew Woolf for the music documentary.  Additional programming announcements for Nashville Film Festival’s 50^th Anniversary will continue through the end of September.

Passes and Tickets for the 2019 Nashville Film Festival:

VIP Festival badges are now on sale beginning at $295 at www.nashfilm.org.  VIP Badges provide priority access to films, panels and exclusive parties. Single ticket sales for most films and panels are on sale now and available at www.nashfilm.org.

ABOUT NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL: The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) is a globally-recognized non-profit 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 celebrate its 50th Anniversary October 3-12, 2019.  For more information, visit nashfilm.org.

(Source: NashFilm blog)

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) announced that its board of directors has appointed global marketing executive Jason Padgitt as its new Executive Director in a key advancement of its strategic growth plan.

Padgitt joins the Nashville Film Festival following more than 20 years of leadership in the music and entertainment industries with deep experience in high-profile branding, consumer marketing, digital marketing and communications. Most recently, he served as the Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications for Nashville-based Gibson Brands. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and as a leading marketing and PR executive with Los Angeles-based agency, Rogers & Cowan.

“I am extremely excited to lead the Nashville Film Festival into the next stage of development and growth,” said Jason Padgitt.

“This organization has an incredible heritage of discovering and elevating creative talent from all around the world. I look forward to accelerating that success by significantly increasing the organization’s visibility, cultural importance and global reach.”

Padgitt will lead the Nashville Film Festival in growing its brand equity, strengthening its global cultural impact and building engaging year-round programming and world-class experiences for the creative community, membership, audiences and supporting sponsors.

“The board views Jason’s hiring as a defining moment for the organization,” said Jim

Scherer, Nashville Film Festival board president. “It speaks highly of Jason that he was the board’s choice to lead the festival into the future, especially as we approach the festival’s 50^th anniversary year in 2019. He is a talented executive with the heart and desire to see the Nashville Film Festival become a must-attend event for this region and attendees from around the world.”

ABOUT NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
The Nashville Film Festival will celebrate its 50^th annual event Oct. 3-12, 2019. The globally recognized festival presents 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 is widely-recognized as one of the fastest-growing festivals in the U.S. and has screened several Oscar^® winning films including “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” “Curfew,” “Ida,” and “Bear Story.” Oscar nominated films previously featured at the festival include, “Last Men in Aleppo,” “Abacus: Too Small to Jail,” “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” “Dogtooth,” and “Ajami,” among many others. Celebrity honorees and participants have included Oprah Winfrey, Steven Tyler, Susan Sarandon, William H. Macy, Al Gore, Nicole Kidman, Danny Glover and many more.  Additional information on the festival can be found at nashvillefilmfestival.org.

(Source: NashFilm Press Release)

Posted by Larry Gleeson

DIVERSE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PANELS OFFER UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR INSIGHTS, NETWORKING AND CAREER GROWTH – OCTOBER 4-5, 2019 AT THE NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL

The Nashville Film Festival, celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, is proud to be hosting the NashFilm Creators Conference October 4 – 5, 2019. The Creators Conference is an annual event where creative-minded people can connect with their peers, discover the latest industry trends, and expand their networks. The event offers attendees the opportunity to take a look at what is happening in their community as well as engage with film, television, and music industry veterans from all over the country.

The NashFilm Creators Conference combines professional development of a conference with the kinetic energy of a festival. Sessions include intimate conversations and diverse panels covering a range of topics within this ever-changing medium. With Nashville’s unique musical footprint, the conference will also take a deep dive into how music and film work hand-in-hand to tell compelling stories across multiple platforms.

Stay tuned for more!

ABOUT

The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) is a globally-recognized non-profit organization and cultural event presenting the best in the 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.

(Source: NashFilm blog)