The annual Music City celebration of cinema will showcase a diverse lineup from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5.
Music documentaries, regional and international dramas, and two different movies tied to Dolly Parton are among the highlights on the just-unveiled program for the 2022 Nashville Film Festival. Scheduled to kick off Sept. 29 with the previously announced opening night attraction The Return of Tanya Tucker, and conclude Oct. 5 with the biographical documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, the 53rd annual Music City celebration of cinema will feature more than 150 titles, including 38 feature-length films.
“The creative connections between the art of film and music continue to impress and generate more immersive experiences for fans of both,” says festival executive director Jason Padgitt. “We are truly honored to showcase an incredible array of films this year, and provide a platform for people to directly connect and celebrate the accomplishments of our global creative culture.”
“The talent evident in this year’s lineup is incredibly exciting,” adds programming director Lauren Ponto, “and I’m looking forward to our audience’s reactions. My programming team and I have put together a highly curated and eclectic mix of films from over 30 countries, with more than half of our official selections directed or produced by women. Our industry seems fiercely creative this year, and I feel privileged that we get to play a part in showcasing the meticulous work of these amazing creators.”
Among the titles likely to be of special interest to C&I readers:
Still Working 9 to 5
More than forty years after Dolly Parton joined Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin to play grossly underpaid and insultingly undervalued secretaries who rebel against their sexist boss in the box-office smash 9 to 5, documentarians Camille Hardman and Gary Lane show how the comedy (originally envisioned as a socially conscious drama) improbably came together — and why, for better or worse, it’s still so relevant. The three stars, along with co-star Dabney Coleman, are among the interviewees — and Parton adds to the mix with a new version of the title tune she recorded with Kelly Clarkson.
Immediate Family
Director Denny Tedesco offers a semi-sequel to The Wrecking Crew (2008), his acclaimed documentary about the elite group of studio musicians who supported superstars in the 1960s and early ‘70s, with this tribute to a new generation of unsung heroes: A group of close friends (Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, and a handful of others) who became the studio band to the biggest stars of the 1970s and beyond.
Alta Valley
Writer-director Jesse Edwards’ neo-western thriller will have its world premiere at the 2022 NashFest. What’s it all about? According to the producers: “To save her dying mother, a timid Mexican-Navajo mechanic bands together with a wild outlaw cowgirl to escape gangsters and take down a corrupt landowner in South Utah. Lupe [Briza Covarrubias] and Maddy [Allee Sutton Hethcoat] discover a great injustice destroying many lives. They confront many deep-seated wrongdoings of the past, and choose to redefine their future by demanding equality and fighting for freedom.” And, of course, kicking an inordinate amount of ass.
Big Old Goofy World: The Story of Oh Boy Records
Co-founded by the late John Prine, the Nashville-based Oh Boy Records is widely acknowledged as one of the country’s premier independent record labels. Documentarians Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard want to tell the world how the magic happened.
Seriously Red
Australian actress Krew Boylan does double duty as co-writer and star of director Gracie Otto’s comedy-drama about Raylene “Red” Delaney, an aimless real-estate appraiser who, after being fired from her job for chronic incompetence, devotes herself to impersonating her idol — Dolly Parton — in tribute stage shows. Among the other faux superstars: Rose Byrne as an Elvis Presley lookalike, Bobby Cannavale as a Neil Diamond clone — and Daniel Webber as a Kenny Rogers impersonator who gets very close to Red on stage and off.
Additional information about the 2022 Nashville Film Festival, including how to purchase tickets, can be accessed here.
