The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, was established in 1969. It is the longest-running film festival in the American South and among the oldest in the United States.
In 2024, the festival received more than 3,800 submissions from over 100 countries and programmed 183 films. Attendance has grown to nearly 15,000.
The festival offers 15 film competition categories, with Academy Award qualifying status in the narrative, documentary, and animated short categories, as well as Screenwriting and Pitch Competitions. In addition to seven days of film screenings, the festival provides industry panels, networking events, music showcases, parties and receptions.
Program and focus The Nashville Film Festival showcases feature films, short films, music videos, and episodic projects from across the globe, with specific competition categories for Tennessee and student filmmakers. The program highlights many genres, including narrative, documentary, music documentary, drama, comedy, experimental, animation, and horror.
Because Nashville is known as "Music City," a major focus of the festival is music programming. In addition to unique competition categories like Music Documentary Features and Music Videos, NashFilm presents showcases, workshops, and other events bringing songwriters, composers, and music industry professionals together with filmmakers to promote collaboration.
In addition to producing the annual festival, NashFilm is a 501(c)(3) arts advocacy organization that serves the local community through year-round programs, including film education screenings for public school students, a summer film camp for high schoolers, and free outdoor film screenings for locals.
History Founder Mary Jane Coleman began the Sinking Creek Film Celebration in East Tennessee in 1969. The festival was later moved to Nashville. In 1998, the name was changed to the Nashville Independent Film Festival and shortened to Nashville Film Festival in 2003. It is currently held across seven days in September at venues across Nashville.
Reception The festival was voted as one of the "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" by MovieMaker in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, and by Dread Central as one of the "90 Best Genre Film Festivals on Earth" in 2025 for its sidebar Graveyard Shift Shorts.
Winners
Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize Year Film Director 2015 Monument to Michael Jackson Darko Lungolov 2014Club Sandwich Fernando Eimbcke2013If You Die, I Will Kill YouHiner Saleem2012The DynamiterMatthew Gordon2011WeekendAndrew Haigh2010HipstersValery Todorovsky Best Actress Year Actress Film 2015 Geraldine Chaplin Sand Dollars 2014Britt Robertson Undiscovered Gyrl2013Jane AdamsAll the Light in the Sky2012Alia ShawkatThat's What She Said2011Guadalupe AlonsoThe Last Summer of La Boyita2010Paprika SteenApplause Best Actor Year Actor Film 2015Boris Milivojevic Monument to Michael Jackson 2014Manolis MavromatakisThe Enemy Within2013Silas YelichThe Cold Lands2012William RuffinThe Dynamiter2011Tom CullenWeekend2010Anton ShaginHipsters Best Screenplay Year Film Screenwriter(s) 2015 Margarita, with a Straw Shonali Bose 2014 The Invisible Collection Bernard Attal 2013Pit StopYen Tan, David Lowery2012Supporting CharactersTarik Lowe, Daniel Schechter Regal Cinemas / Nashville Film Festival Dreammaker Award Year Film Director 2009 Make-out with Violence The Deagol Brothers 2008 Two embraces Enrique Begne 2007 Small engine repair Niall Heery 2006 2005 Midwinter Night's Dream Goran Paskaljevic 2004 Take Out Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou
Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature Year Film Director 2009That Evening Sun Scott Teems 2008 Cook County David Pomes 2007 Randy and the Mob Ray McKinnon 2006 Live and Become Radu Mihaileanu 2005 The Aryan Couple John Daly Hustle & Flow Craig Brewer Loggerheads Tim Kirkman The Thing About My Folks Raymond De Felitta 2004 Saved! Brian Dannelly
Graveyard Shift Competition Grand Jury Prize Year Film Director 2017 A Closer Walk with Thee John C. Clark, Brie Williams 2016The Lure Agnieszka Smoczynska2015Alleluia They Look Like PeopleFabrice du Welz Perry Blackshear2014WetlandsDavid Wnendt Best Actor Year Actor Film 2017 Aj Knight A Closer Walk with Thee 2016Adrian Țofei Be My Cat: A Film for Anne2015MacLeod AndrewsThey Look Like People2014Jan BijvoetBorgman
Best Actress Year Actor Film 2017 Suela Bako Bloodlines 2016Marta Mazurek The Lure2015Amy EversonFelt2014Robin Wright Carla JuriThe Congress Wetlands
Documentary Competition Best Documentary Feature Year Film Director 2025 The Gas Station Attendant Karla Murthy 2015 Frame by Frame Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpeli 2014 BESA: The Promise Rachel Goslins 2013 Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Brad Bernstein 2012 Salaam Dunk David Fine 2011 If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front Marshall Curry 2010 Racing Dreams Marshall Curry 2009 Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies Yulene Olaizola 2008 Shake the Devil off Peter Entell 2007 Banished Marco Williams 2006 The Trials Of Darryl Hunt Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg A lion in the house Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert 2005 The Real Dirt on Farmer John Taggart Siegel 2004Born into Brothels Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski
Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature Year Film Director 2020 Wildflower Matt Smuckler 2015 In My Father's House Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg 2009Rock Prophecies John Chester 2008 Sons of Lwala Barry Simmons 2007 The Clinton 12 Keith McDaniel 2006 Chances: The Women of Magdalene Tom Neff 2005 Cowboy Jack's Home Movies (or, Shakespeare was a big George Jones fan) Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville 2004Born into Brothels Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski
Impact of Music Award Year Film Director 2009 Youssou Ndour: I bring what I Love Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi 2008 Young@Heart Stephen Walker 2007 Gypsy Caravan Jasmine Dellal 2006 The Refugee All-Stars Zach Niles, Banker White 2005 Rhythm Is It! Thomas Grube & Enrique Sanchez Lansch 2004 Give me your hand Heddy Honigmann
Tennessee Independent Spirit Award for the Best Feature-Length Film Directed By a Tennessee Resident Year Film Director 2009Make-utu with Violence The Deagol Brothers 2008 Sons of Lwala Barry Simmons 2007 Adrenaline Robert S. Lynn 2006 Chances: The Women of Magdalene Tom Neff 2005 Cowboy Jack's Home Movies (or, Shakespeare was a big George Jones fan) Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville 2004 The Royal Academy Tony Cane-Honeysett
Shorts Best Narrative Short Year Film Director 2015 Daytimer Riz Ahmed 2014 Rhino Full Throttle Erik Schmitt 2013 Hatch Christoph Kuschnig 2012 Curfew Shawn Christensen 2011 Mary Last Seen Sean Durkin 2010 The Armoire Jamie Travis 2009 Next Floor Denis Villeneuve 2008 I love Sarah Jane Spencer Susser 2007 The Last Dog in Rwanda Jens Assur 2006 Doll no. 639 Andras György Desi 2005 In the morning Danielle Lurie 2004 Deep Silence Gustavo Loza
Best Animated Short Year Film Director 2015 Bear Story Gabriel Osorio 2014 Rabbit and Deer Péter Vácz 2013 Oh, Willy... Emma Swaef & Marc Roels 2012 Dripped Leo Verrier 2011 Something Left, Something Taken Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata 2010 The Spine Chris Landreth 2009I Am So Proud Of You Don Hertzfeldt 2008 Madame Tutli-Putli Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowksi 2007 Dreams and Desires- Family Ties Joanna Quinn 2006 City Paradise Gaelle Denis 2005 The Tree Officer Neil Jack 2004 Hello Jonathon Nix
Best Documentary Short Year Film Director 2015 La Vie en rose comme dans les films Christophe M. Saber 2014 The Last Days of Peter BergmannCiaran Cassidy 2013 A Story for the Modlins Sergio Oksman 2012 Meaning of Robots Matt Lenski 2011 Bye Bye Now! Aideen O'Sullivan 2010 Q&A The Rauch Brothers 2009 The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 Adam Pertofsky 2008 My olympic summer Daniel Robin 2007 Fighting Cholitas Mariam Jobrani 2006 The Tribe Tiffany Shlain 2005 Small Town Secrets Katherine Legget 2004 African American Askia Holloway
Best Experimental Short Year Film Director 2015 (null) Michael Lange, David Gesslbauer 2014 Confessions With an Open Curtain Eli Cortinas 2013 Workers Leaving the Factory (Again) Katharina Gruzei 2012 All the Lines Flow Out Charles Lim 2011 All Flowers in Time Jonathan Caouette 2010 Feeder Joseph Ernst 2009 Hallelujah! Gorilla revival Jason LaRay Keener, Jeremiah Ledbetter 2008 SEVILLA → ∞ 06 Olivo Barbieri 2007 3 Minutes Christopher Brunner 2006 Careless Reef - Abu Kifan Gerard Holthuis 2005 Layette Ariana Gerstein 2004 Papillon d'amour Nicolas Provost
Golden Opportunity Award for Best College Student Short Year Film Director 2015 Wire Cutters Jack Anderson 2014 The Pink Helmet Posse Kristelle Laroche & Benjamin Mullincosson 2013 I Think This is the Closest to How the Footage Looked Yuval Hameiri 2012 Bian Zi Chun-Yi Hsieh 2011 Deeper Than Yesterday Ariel Kleeman 2010 The City in the Sky Giacomo Climini 2009 Walnut Amy Gebhardt 2008 The Execution of Solomon Harris Wyatt Garfield & Ed Yonaitis 2007 Bitch Lilah Vandenburgh 2006 Lucky Avie Luthra 2005 Victoria para Chino Cary Fukunaga 2004 Savior Erla Skuladottir
Best College Student Animation Year Film Director 2007 The Wraith of Cobble Hill Adam Parrish King 2006 She She She She's a Bombshell Ben Levin 2005 Backseat Bingo Liz Blazer 2004 Pedantphilia Sandra Cheng
Best Young Filmmaker Year Film Director 2009 Eye for an eye Arni Beinteinn Arnason 2008 Western spaghetti Joseph Procopio 2007 Drive Joseph Procopio 2006 Shoes Jake Sawyer 2005 And then everything I saw, I liked Ariel Jackson, Ashley Rutledge, Emily Brisbon 2004 Jai-Yen: Cool Heart Daniel Howard
Tennessee Independent Spirit Award for the Best Short-Form Directed By a Tennessee Resident Year Film Director 2009 Jennifer Stewart Copeland 2008 Blindsided Drew Langer
Music videos
Best Music Video by a Nashville Filmmaker Year Film Director 2007 You don't know me Jason Satterlund 2006 Apparitions of melody - Kids in the way Blake McClure & The Brads 2005 When I think about cheatin' Robert Deaton, George Flanigen & Marc Oswald
Best Music Video by a Non-Nashville Filmmaker Year Film Director 2007 Jumbo in the modernworld minivegas 2006 When in Rome Nickel Creek, Dir. Dean Karr 2005 Whiskey Lullaby Rick Schroder
Best Music Video Year Film Director2023Portrait of a Blank SlateTed Nivison 2004100 Years Five for Fighting, Dir. Trey Fanjoy
Music Video Audience Award Year Film Director 2005 Mercy Now Mary Gauthier, Dir. Demetria Kalodimos 2004 100 Years Five for Fighting, Dir. Trey Fanjoy
Best use of coffee in a scene Year Film Director 2004 Mother May-o Wes Edwards
Special
REEL Current Award Year Film Director 2009Garbage Dreams Mai Iskander 2008 Mountain Top Removal Michael O'Connell 2007 Manufactured Landscapes Jennifer Baichwal 2005 The Real Dirt on Farmer John Taggart Siegel
Nashville Public Television (NPT) Human Spirit Award Year Film Director 2009Crude Joe Berlinger 2008 Sons of Lwala Barry Simmons 2007 The Clinton 12 Keith McDaniel
Lonely Seal Releasing Feature Film Award Year Film Director 2008 Eden court Paul Leuer
Rosetta Miller Perry Award for the Best Film By A Black Filmmaker Year Film Director 2009 Gospel Hill Giancarlo Esposito 2008 The Black List Elvis Mitchell 2007 Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey Nina Kennedy
Best Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered (GLBT) Film Award Year Film Director 2009The Baby Formula Alison Reid 2008 Were the World Mine Tom Gustafson The Manual Sophie Gregg
Best Hispanic Filmmaker Award Year Film Director 2009 Hands of Abel Victor Barcena
Women In Film & Television Award For Best Film Directed By A Woman Year Film Director 2009 Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's intimacies Yulene Olaizola 2008 Taking root: the vision of Wangari Maathai Lisa Merton & Alan Dater