Variety will be the keynote at the Music City celebration of cinema Sept. 28 through Oct. 4.
For the 54th annual edition of the Nashville Film Festival, a week-long cavalcade of film, music and culture set to begin Sept. 28, executive director Jason Padgitt and his crew have cast their net wide to gather a wide array of documentaries, dramatic features and shorts. And it will take more than a couple of ongoing strikes to mute the celebratory spirit of the event.
“In past years,” Padgitt said during a recent interview with C&I, “we’ve been able to bring out some of the actors and actresses in films. That’s not happening this year, of course, but it won’t dampen the party we’ll have while celebrating these films and the directors. And of course the Q&As that we have with the films have always been with the directors primarily. So that will continue as it has in past years.
“And while we want the strikes to be settled in an equitable way for everybody, and for the industry to get back to business, they thankfully will not have a major impact on our festival. So we’re happy about that.”
Don’t misunderstand: Nash Fest 2023 won’t be entirely lacking in star power. Indeed, prior to the opening night premiere of the biographical documentary Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive at the historic Belcourt Theatre, Gaynor herself will take part in a red carpet event with producer/director Betsy Schechter. After the screening, Gaynor and Schechter also will be on hand for a Q&A moderated by celebrated singer-songwriter Bart Millard, leader of the band MercyMe.
Other festival highlights will include regional premieres of Garth Davis’ Foe, a buzz-generating sci-fi psychological thriller starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal that will serve as the festival’s closing night attraction; Remember This, Jeff Hutchens and Derek Goldman’s acclaimed showcase for David Strathairn’s virtuoso solo performance as reluctant World War II hero and Holocaust witness Jan Karsk; and The Taste of Things, the well-received period drama starring Juliette Binoche that earned the Best Director prize for Tran Anh Hung at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and has been chosen as France’s entry for Best International Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
So does Padgitt have any personal favorites in the Nash Fest 2023 lineup to recommend? It’s a question he obviously expects — and artfully deflects.
“I think that the joy of putting a film festival together is having our team of programmers get to pick the best films from all over the world on every topic, and present them in Nashville. So it’s a very hard thing to pick just a few because, honestly, we’ve programmed over 140 films and shorts, and every one of them is there because it’s a really good film — and they all should be seen. It’s just a matter of choosing your priorities, I suppose.”
Among the titles likely to be of special interest to C&I readers:
Dusty and Stones
The Cowboys from Swaziland are ready for their Music City close-up. Cousins Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” Msibi (pictured above) are the subjects of director Jesse Rudoy’s hugely entertaining and warmly inspiring documentary. The film follows the fellows who discovered Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and other country greats while coming of age in the tiny African Kingdom of Eswatini (known as Swaziland at the time of filming), and were moved to make similar music of their own. They must be doing right: Dusty and Stones will follow their Sept. 30 appearance at the Nashville Fest matinee screening with their debut performance that evening the Grand Ole Opry. We interviewed Dusty and Stones — and director Rudoy — when their documentary premiered at the prestigious NYC DOC festival last year.
Sawyer Brown: Get Me to the Stage on Time
Blake Shelton is executive producer and Dolly Parton is among the interviewees for Get Me To the Stage On Time, a behind the scenes look at a band that has traveled millions of miles, made 24 albums, and played 6,000 shows, thanks to legions of fans they could count on, even if Nashville counted them out. It’s a David and Goliath story that transcends musical genres, just like Sawyer Brown has. It’s the American Dream by way of a dirt road — and it’s the story of a band that turned 15 minutes of fame into a 40-year career.
Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl
Barbara J. Hall’s affectionate documentary is a multifaceted portrait of Sarah Cannon, the beloved entertainer known best by her stage name: Minnie Pearl. A serious and educated woman who once dreamed of being a Shakespearean actress, she rose to fame as a comedic performer on the Grand Ole Opry, where she became known for her hilarious sketches, self-deprecating wit, trademark “How-dee!” catchphrase — and, of course, a straw hat with a price tag dangling from its brim. Despite her success, however, Minnie faced many challenges throughout her life, including personal tragedy and the changing tides of the entertainment industry.
Called to the Mountains
Co-directors Josh Goleman Robert H. Dyar Jr. offer an English/Japanese-language documentary focused on five members of Bluegrass 45, one of the first prominent bluegrass groups to form in Japan during the 1960s. Through intimate cinematography, archival materials, and interviews captured over several years, the film explores how their connection to music and culture from 5,000 miles away forever changed their identities.
The Herricanes
The Houston Herricanes were a part of the first women’s full-tackle football league in the 1970s. Their heretofore unknown story is one of commitment, courage, and strength. Despite adversity and hardship, they fielded a team purely for the love of the game. What they started is a movement that is still in motion today. By the way: The Herricanes is a deeply personal project for director Olivia Kuan, whose mother, Basia Haszlakiewicz, was a safety for the team. While growing up in Houston, Kuan thought everyone’s mom had played pro football. “She would tell us stories about when she played football with the Houston Herricanes,” Kuan told Abigail Rosenthal of The Houston Chronicle, “and it was just like hearing stories about when she used to catch bunnies in the farm when she was a kid.”
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise
Veteran film critic Todd McCarthy wrote for the Deadline showbiz website: “Folk music icon Joan Baez, who’s now 82, came of age just as musicians’ live gigs were often recorded and thereby preserved for the record, virtues that are used to advantage in Joan Baez I Am a Noise. An up-close, intimate and mostly frank account of a career that arched across more than 60 years of musical and political expression while countless trends came and went, this elaborate documentary navigates adroitly through the professional and the personal aspects of a very full life, one marked by far more good fortune than bad. Whether you’ve followed her career for decades or are just now discovering her, the life under scrutiny is undeniably impressive and ceaselessly engaging.”
