The 2021 Nashville Film Festival marks the partial return of the event in its traditional form after the 2020 edition went down the virtual route. The 2021 NashFilm will ditch the conventional one-theater arrangement with screenings at the Rocketown, Marathon Music Works, the Belcourt Theatre, and a Belmont University venue. Many of the movies in NashFilm will be accessible only at physical venues, whereas some will only be available online.
VIP badges and tickets for the film screenings are available through the official website of NashFilm. Here, we will discuss some of the must-watch films through in-person screenings at NashFilm, which will run from September 30 to October 06, 2021.
Old Henry
Quinquagenarian Tim Blake Nelson is among the finest character actors in Hollywood. Even so, director Potsy Ponciroli uses Nelson as a lead actor for this western movie filmed in Tennessee. The movie also stars Scott Haze and Stephen Dorff. Nelson is probably best known for his leading role in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The Venice Film Festival screened Old Henry for the first time, and it has since been well-received among fans and reviewers. Nashville’s music venue Rocketown will screen it from 07:00 pm on October 03, 2021, with Nelson expectantly in the audience.
Thistle
One of the most impactful not-for-profit organizations in Nashville is Thistle Farms, which aims to help people who have endured difficult scenarios, such as addiction and trafficking. Ryan Camp, a writer cum filmmaker, has put together this amalgamation of experiences of the people who have become close thanks to the ministry. There will be a world premiere for Thistle at the Large Theater of Belmont University from 10:30 am on October 04, 2021. It is a potentially great chance for audiences to explore big matters on a regional stage. With Thistle, NashFilm stays true to the origins of the festival in screening important community stories.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Jane Schoenbrun’s film blurs the lines between fantasy and reality with a tale of a teenager who plays an online horror game of the role-playing genre. As last year’s The Empty Man, it is a movie hiding in an abstract world, a creepypasta covering that conceals something more primitive. It knows very well that youngsters have an existential unease that makes for the cornerstone of horror in the truest sense of the word. Marathon Music Works will screen it from 10:00 pm on October 05, 2021, at NashFilm. When it comes to style and structure, it is similar to David Prior’s The Empty Man, so do check it out if possible.
Flee
Danish director Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary film is about a homosexual Afghan refugee who deals with a difficult situation. It impressed Sundance Film Festival viewers this year. Good films do more than just make you watch for entertainment; these movies let you join the protagonists on their cinematic journey. Rasmussen’s animated documentary is immersive and remarkable in its depiction of fight and grace in struggle.
There must be something to expect in any film that left a mark on the Sundance audience. People who have seen Feel regard it as a must-watch and one of this decade’s best animated movies. Do you wish to know whether it is worth all the hype or lives up to its billing as the animated movie of the decade? If so, consider attending the screening from 01:00 pm on October 06, 2021, at the Belcourt Theatre.
Charm Circle
Director Nira Burstein from New York City has an eccentric family. Therefore, it is natural that her family members would become focus subjects for an American documentary. Burstein used to live in a Queens location, which was dirty to the extent that it would make Grey Gardens seem like the crib of DJ Khaled.
In Charm Circle, she interviews her parents, who have records of mental health conditions, and sisters. She also speaks to her elder sister Judy, with mental health problems, and younger sibling Adina. The latter sister is regarded as the familial black sheep as she plans on doing a polyamorous marital ceremony. You can learn more about the family through the screening of Charm Circle from 09:30 pm on October 01, 2021, at Rocketown.
The Neutral Ground
Daily Show coordinator cum comedian CJ Hunt explores the past of Lost Causism and Confederate monuments in The Neutral Ground. There is a statue of slave trader and Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest on Interstate 65 in Nashville. There are many other statues of controversial historical figures in the Southeastern United States. These monuments unsurprisingly have a negative effect on communities in the South. Hunt makes the documentary with an assured commentary, which is sometimes infuriating and funny as well as ultimately empathetic. You can watch the documentary film from 04:00 pm on October 04, 2021, at the said Belmont University venue.
A-Ha the Movie
A-ha is the name of a Norwegian pop music band, which garnered worldwide recognition with the 1985 hit song entitled ‘Take On Me’. The film revisits the memorable keyboard riff and the flickering images from the song before exploring a legendary music career. It talks about the prevailing struggle of A-ha to remain true to its music that united some ambitious smalltown children. Head over to Marathon Music Works before 01:30 pm on October 05, 2021, to know more about A-ha at NashFilm.
The Humans
Screenwriter cum playwright Stephen Karam makes an impressive directorial debut with The Humans, a film about a dysfunctional Pennsylvania family. The film is devoid of pretension as well as full of the kind of unease that you would usually associate with a horror movie. It also has a committed cast, impeccable set and a sense of dread reminiscent of movies that followed the September 11 attacks. It has the sense that anything can go wrong even during a familial Thanksgiving occasion.
The movie had its first official screening in the world at the recent Toronto International Film Festival. From 06:30 pm on October 06, 2021, the Belcourt Theatre will screen it as part of the 2021 NashFest’s farewell presentation.
