The Spanish film Mamacruz, written and directed by Patricia Ortega, was named Best Narrative Feature, while Liza Mandelup’s Caterpillar earned the Best Documentary Feature award at the 54th edition of the Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm). Dusty & Stones received Best Music Documentary honors, and Ryan Martin Brown’s Free Time received the Best New Directors Feature.

In the shorts categories, Our Males and Females was named Best Narrative Short, Liturgy of Anti-tank Obstacles received the Best Documentary Short award and EEVA was named Best Animated Short.

In the Screenplay Competition, Nicky Rudolph Calloway’s The Many Deaths of Wallace Badger was named Best Drama Feature Script, while Courtney Harrell’s Proud and Jason Kaleko’s Effigy earned Best Comedy and Best Horror Feature Script honors, respectively. The Best Tennessee Writer was awarded to Adam Murphy for The Pain Body. The Screenplay competition also awarded honors for scripts in categories including Best Short Script, Best Half Hour Pilot Script and Best Hour Pilot Script.

The 54th Nashville Film Festival continues through Wednesday, October 4 with screenings at Nashville’s historic Belcourt Theatre and Regal Green Hill.

“We proudly congratulate all of the impressive and talented winners of the 54th Nashville Film Festival,” said Jason Padgitt, executive director of Nashville Film Festival. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to celebrate the diverse, powerful and engaging work of these filmmakers and screenwriters and to provide an environment that will help further their stories and foster their success.”

The 54th Nashville Film Festival winners

Best Narrative Feature
MAMACRUZ (d. Patricia Ortega)

Best Documentary Feature
CATERPILLAR (d. Liza Mandelup)

Best Music Documentary Feature
DUSTY & STONES (d. Jesse Rudoy)

Best New Directors Feature
FREE TIME (d. Ryan Martin Brown)

Best Graveyard Shift Feature
THE SACRIFICE GAME (d. Jennifer Wexler)

Best Tennessee Feature
COUNTRY BRAWLERS (d. Curren Sheldon)

Best Narrative Short
OUR MALES AND FEMALES (d. Ahmad Al Yaseer)

Best Documentary Short
LITURGY OF ANTI-TANK OBSTACLES (d. Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk)

Best Animated Short
EEVA (d. Lucija Mrzljak, Morten Tšinakov)

Best ‘The Edge’ Short
IT SMELLS LIKE SPRINGTIME (d. Mackie Mallison)

Best Graveyard Shift Short
MURDER CAMP (d. Clara Aranovich)

Best Tennessee Short
Eat It (d. Katie Lambert)

Best Tennessee Student Short
EXIT 207: THE SOUL OF NASHVILLE (d. Chase Thompson)

Best NextGen Short
PRIMERO, SUEÑO (d. Andrés Lira)

Best Music Video
PORTRAIT OF A BLANK SLATE (d. Ted Nivison)

Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition winners

Best Drama Feature Script
THE MANY DEATHS OF WALLACE BADGER, written by Nicky Rudolph Calloway

Best Comedy Feature Script
PROUD, written by Courtney Harrell

Best Horror Feature Script
EFFIGY, written by Jason Kaleko

Best Genre Feature Script
THE RIFLE BROTHERS, written by Brett Prieto

Best Short Script
A WICKED GAME, written by DERRICK BENTON

Best Half Hour Pilot Script
SWOLE, written by David Koutsouridis

Best Hour Pilot Script
ASHES TO ASHES, written by Rachel McClard

Best Tennessee Writer
THE PAIN BODY, written by Adam Murphy