The credits rolled, the lights came up, and the Nashville Film Festival wrapped its 57th edition with a standing ovation for independent cinema. The festival has just announced this year’s award winners, honoring 28 outstanding films and scripts chosen by juries of programmers, filmmakers, critics, and distributors from around the world.
Top honors went to “Hot Water” by Ramzi Bashour, named Best Narrative Feature, while “A City in the Forest” by Lev Omelchenko and Nolan Huber earned Best Documentary Feature. Music lovers will be thrilled that Best Music Documentary went to “Jail Time Records,” directed by Dione Roach and Steve Happi. Tennessee talent shone brightly too: “Where the Hell Is Anna?” by Taylor Dupuis won Best Tennessee Feature, and “My $3,500 Jacket” by Drew Maynard took Best Tennessee Short.
A special highlight was the first-ever Mary Jane Coleman Award, named for the woman who founded the festival back in 1969, presented to Liz Sargent for “Take Me Home” for innovation, distinctive vision, and a collaborative spirit.
Winners were celebrated during an awards ceremony at the National Museum of African American Music, and the short-film champions are now eligible for Academy Award consideration — proof that Nashville keeps punching above its weight on the world cinema stage. Congratulations to all the winners and to the festival for 57 years of championing bold new voices.
Photo: Nashville Film Festival
