Posted by editor@vimooz.com on April 22, 2009 under Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) | 
- Image from Deagol brothers independent zombie film “Make out with Violence”
In an opening weekend that included a two-theatre sellout of opening film 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, a sellout of the World Premiere of WILLIAM SHATNER’S GONZO BALLET, and appearances by William Shatner, Vincent D’Onofrio, Sheryl Crow, Hal Holbrook, Walton Goggins, Ray McKinnon and Lee Ann Womack, the 2009 Nashville Film Festival has also announced in advance the winners of its jury awards. The festival runs until Thursday, April 23 with several additional screenings, including of the award winning films, still available.
The Deagols Brothers’ MAKE-OUT WITH VIOLENCE, shot in around Nashville, has won three awards, including the major Narrative Feature award, the Regal Cinemas Dreammaker Award. It has also won the Music In A Feature Film, given to The Non-Commissioned Officers, and the Tennessee Independent Spirit Award for a Feature Length Film.
The Best Feature Documentary went to Yulene Olaizola’s SHAKEPEARE AND VICTOR HUGO’S INTIMACIES. Several special Jury prizes have also been announced, including the Special Jury Prize for Cinematography (Seamus Tierney, THE NARROWS); Special Jury Prize for Acting Ensemble (The Cast of CHILDREN OF INVENTION); Special Jury Prize for Acting (Vincent D’Onofrio, THE NARROWS); Special Jury Prize for Experimental Narrative (Antonio Campos, AFTERSCHOOL); and Special Jury Prize for Bravery in Storytelling (Kimberly Reed, PRODIGAL SONS).
The Nashville Film Festival 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Hal Holbrook before the screening of his film THAT EVENING SUN on Saturday night, April 19. He also accepted the Governor’s Award on behalf of his wife Dixie Carter. The 2009 President’s Impact Award, in the form a Gibson guitar hand-painted by artist Mandy Lawson, was given to Shatner by NaFF board president Stacy Widelitz and Gibson CEO Henry Juskiewicz. The REEL Current Award, chosen by Al Gore for a film that provides extraordinary insight in a contemporary global issue, was given to Mai Iskander, for GARBAGE DREAMS.
“We normally wait until the end of the Festival to announce awards, but because we know the jury winners, we thought it best to present the awards to the film makers while they were still here and during their screenings, so audience members could join in congratulating them,” said NaFF Executive Director Sallie Mayne. “
The Nashville Film Festival runs through April 23 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas and ends with a retrospective 40th anniversary screening of EASY RIDER and a party at the Cannery Ballroom.
Complete List of 2009 Nashville Film Festival Juried Awards
Award/Director/Film
Regal Cinemas Dreammaker Award The Deagol Brothers Make-out with Violence
Regal Cinemas Dreammaker Award (Honorable Mention) Rafael Monserrate Poundcake
Special Jury Prize for Cinematography Seamus Tierney The Narrows
Special Jury Prize for Acting Ensemble The Cast of Children of Invention
Special Jury Prize for Acting Vincent D’Onofrio The Narrows
Special Jury Prize for Experimental Narrative Antonio Campos Afterschool
Best Feature Documentary Yulene Olaizola Shakespeare and Victor Hugo’s Intimacies
Feature Documentary (Honorable Mention) Mark Becker, Jennifer Grausman Pressure Cooker
Special Jury Prize for Bravery in Storytelling Kimberly Reed Prodigal Sons
Best Short Documentary Adam Petrofsky Witness-From the Balcony of Room 306
Short Documentary (Honorable Mention) David Aronowitsch Slaves
Best Music In A Feature Film The Non-Commissioned Officers Make-out with Violence
Impact of Music Award Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love
Best Short Narrative Denis Villeneuve Next Floor
Short Narrative (Honorable Mention) Sam Taylor Wood Love You More
Golden Opportunity Award for Best College Student Short Amy Gebhardt Walnut
Golden Opportunity Award (Honorable Mention) Catriona McInnes I’m In Away From Here
Best Animated Short Don Hertzfeldt I Am So Proud of You
Animated Short (Honorable Mention) PES Western Spaghetti
Best Experimental Short - Not announced at release time
Tennessee Independent Spirit Award - Feature Length Film The Deagol Brothers Make-out with Violence
Tennessee Independent Spirit Award - Short Film Stewart Copeland Jennifer
Best Young Filmmaker Arni Beinteinn Arnason Eye for an Eye
Lonely Seal Releasing Feature Film Award - Not announced at release time.
Rosetta Miller Perry Award for Best Black Filmmaker Giancarlo Esposito Gospel Hill
GLBT Film Award Alison Reid The Baby Formula
2009 President’s Impact Award William Shatner
NPT Human Spirit Award Joe Berlinger Crude
The REEL Current Award Mai Iskander Garbage Dreams
Governor’s Award Dixie Carter
Lifetime Achievement Award Hal Holbrook
Best Feature-Length Film Directed by a Woman Yulene Olaizola Shakespeare and Victor Hugo’s Intimacies
Coleman Sinking Creek Award Les Blank
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on February 11, 2009 under Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) |
Star Trek icon and Boston Legal star William Shatner will join composer Ben Folds at the world premiere of WILLIAM SHATNER’S GONZO BALLET, a film chronicling the quest to create a new ballet based upon Shatner’s critically acclaimed album, Has Been, when the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) takes place April 16-23, 2009 at Regal Green Hills Cinema.
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the Festival will include several world premieres, among them FLYING BY by director Jim Amatulli, starring Billy Ray Cyrus, Heather Locklear, Olesya Rulin (High School Musical) and 2008 NaFF Lifetime Achievement recipient Patricia Neal, and the documentary THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS by Reed Cowan (USA). Joining a multitude of US and Southeastern US premieres will be a special screening of a restored print of the classic film EASY RIDER, starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, which also celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Festivalgoers will also be privy to early festival-circuit showings of TRUE ADOLESCENTS (Craig Johnson, USA), starring Academy Award nominee for Best Actress, Melissa Leo, and THAT EVENING SUN, filmed in Tennessee and starring Academy Award winner Hal Holbrook, with Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Dixie Carter and Mia Wasikowska (”Alice” in Tim Burton’s upcoming adaptation of Alice in Wonderland).
“It’s astounding to me that the longest-running film festival in the South is now 40-years-old, and we’re still growing,” said Sallie Mayne, NaFF Executive Director. “We said last year — after smashing all previous attendance records — the only way we could grow was by adding additional theatres. Now with two additional theatres, we’ll be able to celebrate our 40th Anniversary, and better serve festivalgoers, with more films, more events and more screenings.”
To mark the Festival’s 40th Anniversary, artistic director Brian Owens has programmed a special retrospective of notable films that have screened at the Festival back to its days as The Sinking Creek Film Celebration. Included in the retrospective are NIGHT ON EARTH (Jim Jarmusch, Germany, 1991), CLERKS (Kevin Smith, USA, 1994), Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, Netherland, 1982) and Crumb (Terry Zwigoff, USA, 1994).
“This is a festival built on 40 years of dedication to both the craft of filmmaking and the diverse interests of this community,” said Owens, who is programming the Festival for the first time. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to program the Festival, and what a fantastic year to do it, when I can honor both its past and present commitment to great film.”
WILLIAM SHATNER’S GONZO BALLET, directed by Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant and Kevin Layne, chronicles famed choreographer Margo Sappington’s quest to create a new ballet based upon Emmy and Golden Globe award-winner Shatner’s critically acclaimed album, Has Been. Produced by Ben Folds and recorded in Nashville, the album includes songs co-written by Shatner and contributions from Folds, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann and country superstar, Brad Paisley. The completed ballet, “Common People,” set to six songs from “Has Been,” was captured on film when it debuted in 2007 with the Milwaukee Ballet.
Other notable documentary screenings at this year’s Festival include the US premieres of EMPRESS HOTEL (Allie Light, Irving Saraf, USA) and CITIZEN JULING (Kraisak Choonhavan, Ing K, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Thailand), and the Tennessee premiere of director Kimberly Reed’s PRODIGAL SON (USA).
Narrative features in competition include AFTERSCHOOL, by director Antonio Campos (USA), which stars Paul Sparks, Rosemarie DeWitt, Emory Cohen and Ezra Miller. It will make its Tennessee premiere with Campos in attendance.
