Supplied
In the arts, 50 years in business might as well be five million for as much effort as each takes.
The Nashville Film Festival, celebrating its semi-centennial this year from October 3-12, has not only endured but flourished, emerging as a respected stop for filmmakers and industry insiders around the country and the world. Under this weight, executive director Jason Padgitt has stepped in with the mission to preserve its past while guiding it to a bright future.
“Like anything with a 50-year history, [the Nashville Film Festival] has a whole host of characters and stories and eras,” Padgitt, 47, says. “What I’m trying to do is figure out what makes it so magical, and how can we make those things better.”
Padgitt, a Los Angeles industry vet, isn’t ignorant of the position in which he finds himself, largely because he’s spent the last year racing out to meet with anyone even remotely tied to the annual event.
“In one year, trying to get around town and understand all those dynamics was a real challenge,” he says, “but I feel like I have a good handle on it.”
Aiding him in the production of the event—with its screenings, premieres, and retrospectives, along with a two-day Creators Conference on October 4-5—is HBO alum Kalyna Kutny. Her vision for the event was two-fold: to incorporate local writers and directors wherever possible and to expand the festival’s scope to include the current climate of the industry. These two missions often collide, with the “Women in Film” panel being one of the best. Two Nashville-based women directors and writers will join three established industry leaders to provide a DIY talk for those interested in the process.
“That’s the attitude I took with all of these panels,” she says. “’How do I make these interesting to local content creators and give them a way to identify with the subjects?’”
But even with these tweaks, longtime attendees will still recognize their beloved festival. Its emphasis on music and especially music documentaries is stronger than ever, and this year will see the world premiere of English filmmaker Jon Brewer’s Chuck Berry and a documentary on the Bluebird Café, among many others.
Of course, the festival wouldn’t be possible without numerous supporters and sponsors, not the least of which include the “shining star” Belcourt Theatre, many local colleges, and numerous city production houses.
“Not one person said no,” Kutny says, gushing about the inclusiveness of the community she found.
When the festival kicks off, numerous locations across the city are designed to create a village-like experience rather than individuals sitting in theaters. But when the sun goes down, the real parties start, with invitation-only private events hosted in some of Nashville’s leading community members’ homes.
In the end, Padgitt says, a film festival is one of the few places left that people from all walks of life can watch a film, grab a beer, and talk frankly.
“That’s a unique experience,” he says: “So many diverse people in one location who all have a shared love of film.”