There was a tie in the documentary category.  Sharing the Southwest Airlines Audience Choice Award were “Wish Me Away,” the coming-out documentary about country singer Chely Wright, and “Most Valuable Players,” the story of high school theater troupes in Pennsylvania vying for the prestigious Freddy Awards.

In the Graveyard Shift category, the winner was director Andre Ovredal’s “The Troll Hunter,” a narrative feature about a high school film crew that discovers that the man they think is poaching bears is actually hunting down trolls.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Nashville.com “Best of Show” Awards – With all of the awards being given out, I thought I’d include my two cents by giving out the Nashville.com ‘Best of Show” awards for best feature and documentary films at this year’s Nashville Film Festival.  The caveat that goes along with these awards is that I didn’t see every single film at the festival, but I saw a lot.  So the films being considered for the awards are only those I actually saw with my own eyes.  With that caveat, here are the winners of the first ever Nashville.com “Best of Show” Awards:

“The First Grader” is the winner in the Narrative Feature Category. Everything about the film was inspiring.  It was extremely well done and was a joy to watch.

Honarble mention in the Narrative Category goes to “Kinyarwanda,” the film from director Alrick Brown that interweaves six stories about the genocide in Rwanda into a single narrative.  Exremely well done.

In the Documentary Category, the winner is “Most Valuable Players.” It was extremely entertaining without any fluff.  The director started with a good story and he told that story in a very powerful and entertaining way.

“Happy on the Ground” earns honorable mention in this category.  The film follows high school students as they go to an 8-day Grammy Camp for aspiring musicians.

That’s it for me.  I’ve enjoyed covering the 2011 Nashville Film Festival for you.  It was a great experience and the film festival itself was a great success.  I can hardly wait for next year.

Narrative Competition sponsored by Bridgestone

• Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize — “Weekend” (Andrew Haigh/UK)
• Bridgestone Competition Honorable Mention — “Last Summer of Boyita” (Julia Solomonoff/Argentina)
• Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble — “Kinyarwanda” (Alrick Brown/Rwanda, USA)
• Special Jury Prize for Exceptional Courage — “Dog Sweat” (Hossein Keshavarz/Iran)
• Best Actor — Tom Cullen, “Weekend”
• Best Actress — Guadalupe Alonso, “Last Summer of Boyita”
• Naxos Award for Best Film Music — The Bootstraps, “Take Me Home”

Documentary Competition sponsored by Documentarey Channel

• Documentary Channel Grand Jury Prize — “If a Tree Falls (Marshall Curry/USA)
• Documentary Channel Honorable Mention — “Fambul Tok (Sara Terry/Sierra Leone, USA)
• Special Jury Prize for Achievement Artistic Vision — “A Matter of Taste” (Sally Rowe/USA)

Gibson Music Films.Music City competition sponsored by Gibson and Lightning 100

• Gibson Impact of Music Award — “Ain’t In It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm” (Jacob Hatley/USA)
• Honorable Mention — “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone” (Lev Anderson, Chris Metzler/USA)
• Special Jury Prize for Most Original Vision — “Broke*” (Will Gray/USA)

New Directors Competition

• Grand Jury Prize — “Inuk” (Mike Magidson/ Greenland, France)
• Best Actor — Parker Croft, “Falling Overnight”
• Best Actress — Kristyna Novakova, “Twosome”
• Honorable Mention — “Twosome” (Jaroslav Fuit/Czech Republic)
• Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performance by an Actor — Gaba Peterson, “Inuk”

Short Film Competition

• Best Narrrative Short — “Mary Last Seen” (Sean Durkin/USA)
• Honorable Mention — “Darryn Exists” (Jamie Lawrence/New Zealand)
• Best Animated Short — “Something Left, Something Taken” (Max Porter, RuKuwahata/USA)
• Honorable Mention — “Mobile” (Verna Fels/Germany)
• Special Jury Prize for Imaginative Storytelling — “Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore” (Brandon Oldenburg, William Joyce/USA)
• Best Documentary Short “Bye Bye Now” (Aideen O’Sullivan/Ireland)
• Special Jury Prize for Social Awareness — “Save the Farm” (Michael Kuehnert/USA)
• Best Experimental Short — “All Flowers in Time” (Jonathan Caouette/Canada)
• Honorable Mention — “Who by Fire” (Aleisa Moussa/USA)
• Honorable Mention II (Just a Meaning You Attribute to It” (Bernadette Anzengruber/Austria)
• Vanderbilt Golden Opportunity Award – ”Deeper Than Yesterday” (Ariel Kleiman/Australia)
• Runner-Up “On Leave” (Asat Saban/Isreal)
• Watkins Young Filmmaker Award — “Finding My Way” (Emma Strebel/USA)

Additional Awards

• Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Feature Film — “Jess + Moss” (Clay Jeter/USA)
• Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Short Feature Film — “Swing” (Matt Schosser, Shane Bartlett/USA)
• Ground Zero Tennessee Spirit Award for Best Short Documentary — “Nashville Rises” (Zac Adams/USA)
• Black Filmmaker Award “Kinyardwanda” (Alrick Brown/USA, Rwanda)
• NAHCC Hispanic Filmmaker Award — “My Life With Carlos” (German /Berger-Hertz/Chile)
• NAHCC Hispanic Filmmaker Award Honorable Mention — “Musica Campesina” (Alberto Fuguet/Chile, USA)
• NPT Human Spirit Award — “Fambul Tok” (Sara Terry/USA)
• Women in Film & TV Prize for Best Film by a Female Director — “The Last Summer of Boyita” (Julia Solomonoff/Argentina)
• Film Musicians secondary Market Fund Prize for Best Director — Composer Collaboration, “Falling Overnight”

Congratulations to all of the winners!

2:13 – “The First Grader” is a terrific film.  It tells the true story of Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge (played by Oliver Litondo), a participant of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya in the 1950′s.  Maruge was imprisoned and tourtured by the British because he refused to renounce his oath to a free Kenya.  When Kenya gains it’s independence from Great Britain and the new independent Kenyan government grants free education to all citizens, the 84-year old Maruge enrolls in an elementary school as a first grader so he can learn how to read.  Many people are opposed to Maruge attending school, but the head mistress at the school, Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris), fights for Maruge’s right to an education, despite threats to her job and her life.

In a previous post, I wrote a little about wondering how much truth there is in a movie that is “based on a true story.”  One of the producers of “The First Grader” (I unfortunately did not catch his name) told the audience following the film that the filmmakers only changed two things in the film.  Neither thing was overly important to the story, meaning that “The First Grader” is amost completely true.  That makes the film even more impressive.

“The First Grader” was directed masterfully by Jason Chadwick, acclaimed director of “The Other Bolyen Sister.”  Everything about the film is inspiring.  The script, written by Anne Peacock, was fabulous, and I was impressed with the acting of all of the characters.  Perhaps most impressive of all is that the children in the film are not actors.  They are actual students in the Kenyan school where the film was shot.  If you see the film, I think you’ll understand just how impressive that is.

“The First Grader” has been picked up for wide release by National Geographic.  It will be coming out in theaters across the country late next month.  If you’re in the mood for an inspiring, uplifting film, I encourage you to go see it.

4:23 — The last film I saw at this year’s Nashville Film Festival was a narrative feature from Romania called “Tuesday, After Christmas.”  Unfortunately, my film watching at this year’s festival ended on a low note.  The film was not very good.

“Tuesday, After Christmas” is the story of a married man who is having an affair with a younger woman.  At the end of the film he decides to leave his wife and daughter in favor of the other woman.  Not much happens in between except several scenes that are far too long and filled with unnecessary dialogue.  One scene involves the wife unknowingly meeting the other woman at the dentist office (the other woman is a dentist).  Having them meet before the wife knows who the other woman is was fine, but then the scene drags on while the other woman explains the need for the daughter to get braces, complete with more detailed dental information than you could possibly want to know.

The idea for the film wasn’t necessarily a bad one.  It could have been an interesting little film.  Unfortunately, that initial idea was not very well carried out. 

I have had a great time covering the film festival for Nashville.com, and I’m not quite done yet.  I will still let you know which film wins the Southwest Airlines Audience Choice Awards and I’ll let you know which films win the coveted Nashville.com Best Narrrative and Documentary Film Awards (as decided by me).  Be sure to stay tuned.

I’m heading back to the theater in a few minutes and have a full day planned.  I’ll be seeing five more films today including “How to Grow a Band,” a documentary about progressive bluegrass band, “The Punch Brothers,” and “Septien,” a narrative feature that was filmed right here in Nashville.  It should be a great day.

2:26 – Imagine a film with no violence, no car chases, no gratuitous sex, and no language that would make a sailor blush.  A movie like that couldn’t be any good, could it? Ah yes, it could. But how?  Here’s how.  Start with a good story.  Then tell that story very well on film.  That’s how they made “Take Me Home.”

“Take Me Home” is the brainchild of writer, director, producer, and actor Sam Jaeger. The film tells the story of Thom, a down-on-his-luck photographer and unlicensed taxi driver, and Claire, a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair. Claire hires Thom to take her to California (from New York) to see her father, who recently suffered a heart attack.  Along the way, the two encounter one hilarious hardship after another, and also begin to fall in love.

At its heart, “Take Me Home” is an old-fashioned love story, although it qualifies as a comedy too. Everything about the film is good. The writing is good, the direction is good, the acting is good, and the music is good. In fact, the music in the film (written by Justin Beckett and performed by his band, The Bootstraps), won the Naxos Award for Best Film Music at the Nashville Film Festival.

There’s nothing fancy about “Take Me Home.” There are no huge names in the film and no outrageous special effects. It’s just simply a good film.

4:43 – “How to Grow a Band” is a documentary about the Punch Brothers and the tour they did in 2009 in support of their album “Punch.” The film is part tour documentary, part biopic of the band. It’s strength is that it has a very strong central character to focus on, former Nickel Back front man Chris Thile. The weakness of the film is that while first time filmmaker Mark Meatto tries to present a balanced view of the band, Thile is just too large of a presence and he overwhelms his fellow band members.

This observation is not a knock on Meatto or the film. Thile just happens to be the biggest personality and the creative genius behind the band. His composition, The Blind Leaving the Blind, is the centerpiece of the film. The song is a 40 minute string suite in four movements that is pushing bluegrass music in a whole new direction. As with many new things in music, not everyone is immediately accepting of the song or the direction it is taking bluegrass. That includes members of the band themselves. Despite this fact, the band perseveres through their European tour and receives a more warm welcome once they begin touring in the states.

“How to Grow a Band” is an enjoyable peek behind the scenes of a musical icon at the height of his artistic power, his band of often (but not always) like-minded musicians, and what may turn into a revolution in bluegrass music.

6:49 – Doesn’t it make you wonder how much truth there is in a film that is “based on a true story?  “The Robber,” a narrative film from Austria, is based on the true story of Johan Rettenberger, a champion marathoner who leads a double life as a bank robber. In the film, Rettenberger (Andres Lust) is a prolific bank robber. He apparently is also addicted to robbing banks. Even after getting out of prison after serving a sentence for bank robbery, Rettenberger gets right back on the horse and picks up where he left off.

His robbing ways eventually lead to murder and, after being arrested, he escapes from police custody. I don’t know how true the film is to the real story, but the film was exciting and often intense.

9:18 – “Septien” is a weird film. Just when you think it’s gotten as weird as it can get, it gets even weirder. Even so, “Septien” is a good film.

Now, I want to be completely honest about this. Ten minutes into the film, I started thinking about walking out.  The opening credits were run over drawings of people with their genitalia cut off and stuffed into various places on themselves or other characters in the drawings. This was followed by an introduction of some of the odder characters I have seen on film in recent memory. But I didn’t walk out. I stayed, and despite the fact that the film got weirder and weirder, it also got better and better.

“Septien” is about three brothers who live on what used to be their parent’s farm. Ezra is the oldest.  He is apparently gay (although that is never specifically stated or demonstrated) and considers himself the mother of his two brothers. Amos is the middle brother and is the artist behind the grotesque drawings I mentioned earlier. Cornelius is the youngest brother. He has been absent for 18 years, apparently running away following a high school football game after the coach sexually abused him (this is never stated specifically, but it is alluded to very strongly). After Cornelius unexpectedly returns home, the brothers encounter a plumbing problem.  When they call a plumber, the former football coach turned plumber shows up. The coach’s presence stirs up memories better forgotten, but also gives the brothers a chance to address the coach’s previous misbehavior.

Director Michael Tully co-wrote the script and played the role of Cornelius. Robert Longstreet was terrific as Ezra. Amos was played brilliantly by Onur Turkel.  Both Longstreet and Turkel served as co-writers as well.
Everything about “Septien” was quirky and odd. But everything about “Septien” was also pretty good.

12:12 (Thursday morning) –Have you ever heard of the Atlanta-based band called Gringo Star? I hadn’t before watching the documentary “Hurry Up and Wait.” The film chronicles the band’s 2009 tour of Europe and introduces us to the five musicians who a lot of people think are going to be the next big thing.

Director Justin Malone convinced the band to let him follow them around Europe to film their tour and off-stage life. The band members were reluctant at first, but eventually agreed. They ended up giving Malone a tremendous amount of access, allowing the filmmaker to paint a very raw and vivid picture of the tour and the band members themselves.

The things that stuck out for me was the hardships the band (and the director) went through during the tour. This was no high dollar tour by any means. Both the band members and the filmmaker spent many nights sleeping in cars and showering in hostels. The band endured the hardships for the love of the music and the love of performing.  Malone brought this out very clearly in the film. But what I think was equally impressive was Malone’s own determination to survive hardships he faced for the sake of a film project that he clearly loves.

“Hurry Up and Wait” is a very good tour documentary. Malone’s film introduces Gringo star to a whole new audience, and lets even more people know about a band that just might be the next big thing.

Last night was a late one.  I watched “The Troll Hunter” as part of the festival’s graveyard shift, and didn’t leave the theater until after 11:30.  After I got home, I finished up yesterday’s report and didn’t get in bed until after 2:00 this morning.  I also started feeling a little under the weather last night and it is continuing today.  I think I need to take a little time and get well.

But fear not.  I won’t leaving you hanging.  My buddy Jerry Holthouse who runs Nashville.com will be attending the first couple movies of the day and sharing his thoughts.  In the meantime, I will be drinking plenty of fluids and getting a little extra sleep (not at the same time) so I can make it to the final few films of the day.  Stay tuned.  We still have plenty of good stuff for you.

7:27 – Megan Griffiths, the director and writer of “The Off Hours,” worked for two months in a dark, dank diner where the employees hoped for better lives, but never did anything to make those wishes a reality. As a result, they spent years in dead end jobs, never breaking out of their circumstances. Megan took that experience and put it into her script for “The Off Hours.”

“The Off Hours” is a dark (figuratively and literally), depressing film that tells the story of Francine (played by Amy Seimetz), a waitress who has been at the same diner for 12 years and, although she wants more out of life, has not done anything about it. She lives with her foster brother (the closest thing to family she has) Cory (Scoot McNairy), who drinks too much and refuses to get a job. Francine’s boss, Stu is an alcoholic struggling with his addiction, as well as trying to convince his estranged 15-year old daughter to spend some time with him. Jelena (Gergana Mellin), Francine’s co-worker, is a former mail order bride from Serbia, who is estranged from her husband and son. Oliver, a banker-turned-truck-driver, is Francine’s most serious love interest, despite the fact that he is married with two kids.

These characters, along with a handful of others, are leading mundane, hopeless lives. By the end of the film, I realized that none of the characters have grown, none have matured, and none have done anything about their circumstances, with the possible exception of Francine, although that is not at all clear.

It’s not that the film wasn’t good. It was good. I thought Griffiths did a terrific job directing the film, and the music by Joshua Morrison gets high marks. In addition, the acting was very good.  But I don’t want to walk out of a film feeling worse than when I went into it. I want to see the characters grow, overcome obstacles, and at least gain some insight, or faith, or hope, or something. I don’t need a happy ending with everything tied up with a nice little bow, but I would like the film to at least move the characters forward. That didn’t happen in “The Off Hours.”

The film starts out funny and contains several funny moments, but there is also a serious undertone to it. Director Brugger reminds the audience through his narration of the film that the people of North Korea today are very much like the people of Nazi Germany before and during World War II. Certainly they are afraid for their lives, but their silence and refusal to fight against the government simply empowers the government to continue with its evil and brutal regime.

My description of the film makes it sound more serious that it was. The seriousness of the film was most often kept in the background. The ridiculousness of the project was in the forefront most often. This made for a very good balance of comedy and drama in the film and made “The Red Chapel” a very enjoyable film to watch.

4:25– In 2009, John Mellencamp had a really unusual idea. He asked his friend Kurt Markus to film his tour and recording sessions, and to create a documentary from his footage. The thing was, Kurt wasn’t a filmmaker. He had never made a documentary. Also, Mellencamp said he wanted the film to be about Kurt.

Sound crazy? That’s what Kurt thought too. But it turned out great. Kurt is a photographer from Montana and has been a friend of Mellencamp’s for about 20 years. To make “It’s About You”, Kurt and his son Ian followed Mellencamp’s tour across America in a rented minivan. Along the way they saw the country, from the corn fields of Indiana and the urban landscape of St. Louis, to the African-American churches of Savannah and the abandoned rural towns of Texas. In addition to a film about John Mellencamp, Markus created a film about America.

“It’s About You” itself is unusual in a couple of different respects. First, the entire thing was shot on a Super 8mm camera. In case you don’t know, that is yesterday’s technology. But it is the perfect way to capture the raw, unrefined nature of Mellencamp and is music.

Second, the film is more of an art piece than a regular tour documentary. The different layers and textures of the film are palpable. The film overlays Mellencamp’s tour on top of Markus’ experience of traveling with the music icon, hanging out with his 21-year old son Ian, seeing America, and recording a documentary. These various layers and textures are complimented perfectly by actual visual texture and graininess of the Super 8 film. Had the film been shot with a digital camera it would have been good, but on Super 8, it’s a work of art.

I don’t have any illusions about this film being everyone’s cup of tea (or Mellencamp and his music for that matter), but I thought it was terrific and enjoyed it immensely.

7:00 – “Whirlygig” is the story of Nicholas, as 25-year old failure who returns to his parents home to try to figure out his life. When he ends up in bed with the wife of a neighbor, Nicholas finds himself more confused and lost than ever. But when he finally starts to find some direction, he must figure out a way to reunite his lover with her husband and 12-year old child.

I enjoyed “Whirlygig”despite the fact that it was a bit quirky, a bit disjointed, and it never did turn into the very good film it could have been. The story started out with a great deal of promise, but slowly strayed off course and never did quite get back on track. It felt like at some point, director Chaz Thorne lost his vision for the film and still hadn’t found it by the time of the final cut.  This is another film I would file under the heading, good, but not great.

7:24 – And now a word about our sponsors… It takes a lot of work and a lot of money to put on an event as big and world-class as the Nashville Film Festival. The festival has lots of sponsors, but I wanted to point out some of the biggest.

Nissan is the presenting sponsor and has a very big presence and the film fest. They have cars on display, Nissan banners are up everywhere, they are showing their commercials prior to the showing of each film, and their people have been here in force, acting as volunteers and attending the shows. With their corporate headquarters just up the road in Smyrna, TN, Nissan has been a very good corporate citizen.

Bridgestone has also been very involved. They are sponsoring the narrative competition and they have handed out tire gauges at a few select shows. Bridgestone has been involved with the festival for many years and like Nissan, their people have been visible at the fest.

The Documentary Channel is once again sponsoring the documentary competition. Unlike Nissan and Bridgestone, The Documentary Channel is not a corporate citizen of the area. Even so, their involvement is vital and appreciated.

Gibson Guitars and Lightning 100 are both sponsoring the Music Films/Music City competition. Gibson is also having a drawing for a new guitar at the show (which I would very much like to win).

The New Directors competition is being sponsored by Creative Artists Association, and the Audience Choice Award (a big deal for the filmmakers) is sponsored by Southwest Airlines.

Other gold sponsors of the film fest include Xfinity, Curb Records, Regal Entertainment Group, and the Country Music Association.

9:44 – I only have a few minutes to tell you about “Good Day For It,”a film written, produced and directed by Nick Stagliano. The plot involves a father who rendezvous with his estranged daughter. He is on the lamb after stealing money from his criminal gang boss 15 years earlier, and as luck would have it, the boss and his gang show up at the same restaurant where he is meeting his daughter.

Stagliano wrote a very inventive script. As he explained during the Q&A following the show, all he had was the title and a very rough idea of what the film would be about when he pitched it to legendary actor Hal Holbrook. The film was written as a vehicle for Holbrook and his wife, Dixe Carter. They immediately signed on. However, before shooting began, Carter took ill and eventually died. In time, she was replaced by Kathy Baker.

The film was 90% really good, but to get to the ending Stagliano wanted, he had to include some rather unrealistic action as well as some stilted dialogue. In order to enjoy the “Good Day For It” fully, I had to suspend belief a bit. That’s usually not a problem when watching a fantasy film, but this was no fantasy film. For me, that detracted a little from my viewing pleasure. Even so, I’d still have to give the film a thumbs up.

12:54 (Tuesday Morning) – I just got home after watching “The Troll Hunter,”a film from Norway that was directed by Andre Ovredal. The film tells the story of three college students who are making a film about a poacher who is illegally shooting bears. They think they’ve found the poacher and attempt to interview him only to find out that he actually is employed by the government to hunt down trolls.

The movie was filmed in the style of “The Blair Witch Project.” The premise is that some video tapes are dropped off anonymously at a TV station (I think it was a TV station. Where the tapes were dropped off was written in Norwegian, so I’m not exactly sure what it said.). The videos show a few different troll hunts (including plenty of footage of trolls) and explains why the disgruntled troll hunter is allowing the students to tag along with him. It also shows government agents tracking down the college students in an attempt to confiscate the tapes. The students disappear, but the tapes remain.

“The Troll Hunter” was incredibly creative and very entertaining. Not only did the film tell a very good story, but it was also very funny in places. Because the film expects the audience to buy into a rather unrealistic premise, it would not have been nearly as successful if it had been too serious. The filmmaker did a great job of including enough humor to keep the film fun and enjoyable.

The first film I’ll be seeing is “Sing: The Hotel Café Tour Documentary.” According to the Nashville Film Festival program, the film is about some of the artists that have played at the famed Hotel Café in Los Angeles, and it looks at the role the Hotel Café has played in their burgeoning careers. This is one of those film I don’t know much about, but sounds like it’s going to be good. I’ll let you know.

Today’s schedule includes two documentaries and two narrative features. It’s kind of a light day, but I’ll be back on the five-films –a-day program tomorrow.

Time to go watch the film.

1:33 – Well, “Sing: The Hotel Café Tour Documentary” wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. The film simply documented the 2008 Hotel Café tour. I thought it was more than that.

Now don’t get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with the film. I just went in with a different expectation. That’s my fault, not the film’s.

Having said that, I only thought the film was good, not great. I had the great good fortunate a few years ago to see a film called “Ten out of Tennessee,” about a bunch of young, independent singer/songwriters from Nashville who got together to tour the nation. In that respect, “Sing: The Hotel Café Tour Documentary” and “Ten out of Tennessee” are similar.

However, I think the filmmakers of “Ten out of Tennessee” did a better job of endearing the audience to the artists in the film. We got to know about the artists both on stage and off. “Sing: The Hotel Tour Documentary” didn’t do as good of a job at making us really like and care about the artists. They documented what was going on with the tour, but the film lacked that same emotional connection I felt with “Ten out of Tennessee.”

I don’t want to be overly critical of the film because I liked it and thought it was good. However, it was somewhat average and run of the mill as far as tour documentaries go.

1:45 – One of the things about being at the film festival is that the food choices are very limited. The theater offers the usual popcorn, candy, and nachos, as well as hot dogs, pizza, and chicken wings. Actually, now that I write that out, it doesn’t seem quite so limited. But it’s a moot point. I left my money, credit cards, driver’s license, etc. at home. D’Oh! No food or drink for me today.

For a change, I have some time between films. It’s the perfect time to go over to the Green Hills Mall or one of the restaurants in the area to get something to eat. Unfortunately, no cash, no food. Why am I suddenly very hungry and thirsty?

As long as I have some time on my hands, let me talk about something I have noticed at this year’s festival. First, let me say that I’m not a prude and I don’t have a problem with a little cursing. God knows I’ve done a bit myself. However, I have noticed quite a bit of gratuitous f-bomb dropping in films at this year’s festival. Honestly, I don’t think it is anything new. Films in past years have contained one or more f-bombs. But this year, it seems to be everywhere.

I think I might be more sensitive to the word because I’m a little older than the target audience for many of these films. And in my day (that sounds really old), the f-bomb was reserved for special occasions. Most people didn’t just drop it into normal, everyday conversations. But today with the 20-something set, the word is used much more in the normal course of dialogue. Whereas before it was limited to times of extreme anger or celebration (or sex talk), today it is just another word that is dropped into every other sentence by a lot of people.

I don’t like this. Not because I think it’s wrong to use the word, but because I think the overuse of the word has watered it down. When you use a word so often, it loses its power and strength. And in my middle-aged mind, an f-bomb should have power and strength.

I know you didn’t read this to find out my opinion on f-bombs, so let’s get back to talking about films. The next movie I’ll be seeing is “Autumn Gold,” an Austrian film about five extraordinary athletes between the ages of 80 and 100 who are preparing for the 2009 track and field World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland. Once I’ve seen the film, I’ll let you know what I think.

4:16 – “Autumn Gold” was a nice film. I wouldn’t say I was wild about it, but it was good. The film documented the training that five 80-100 year olds do in preparation for the European track and field Master Championships. It was interesting and even a little bit humorous, but the filmmaker dragged the movie out longer than it needed to be. Then when he got to the end and it was time for the actual competition, it felt like he rushed through it to get to the end of the film.

7:14 – I’m embarrassed to say it, but I didn’t understand “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” at all. I’d like to give you the summary of the film, but honestly it was so disjointed and unconnected that I’m not sure I can do it. The film involves a man (Boonmee) who is dying of kidney disease, some family members (it was never really clear who they were), an illegal Laotian manservant, Boonmee’s wife who died 19 years earlier but is at his home and everyone can see her, Boonmee’s son who disappeared 13 years earlier and now, after mating with a ghost monkey, has become a ghost monkey himself, and…well, you get the idea.

At least I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like/understand the film. Several people walked out. As I was leaving, a volunteer asked me if I liked the film and I said I didn’t understand it. A woman who was walking out behind me said, “You weren’t alone.”

The problem could be that I just don’t understand art. “Uncle Boonmee” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, so maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough to understand. I guess it’s true. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

9:22 – My final movie of the day was “A Bag of Hammers.” It was a very funny, well done film. The plot revolves around Alan and Ben, two immature friends who earn their living by posing as valet parking attendants at funerals and then stealing the cars. When a 12-year old boy moves in next door and starts hanging around their house, the two guys have to choose between their current way of life and a more traditional lifestyle.

The film was directed and co-written by Brian Crano. He wrote a very inventive script and did an excellent job of putting the story together.  Jake Sandvig (Alan), who co-wrote the film with Crano, and Jason Ritter (Ben) both did an excellent job.  They were both quirky without being over the top.  “A Bag of Hammers” was a very enjoyable film and watching it was a great way to wrap up the day.

Later on in the Q&A, Chely was asked why she turned to Rodney Crowell to help produce her latest album. Chely explained that she only knew Crowell by reputation before they started working together, but that she was so distraught prior to coming out that she needed someone outside her circle of friends who could be objective about the songs she was writing. Chely said that at the time, she was in so much emotional pain that she thought she might be dying from a broken heart.

Chely eventually confided in Crowell that she was a lesbian, despite the fact that they did not know each other well. She mentioned how strange it was that the first person in Nashville she came out to was someone she barely knew. Chely credits the love and support Crowell and his wife displayed with saving her life at what was the darkest hour she had ever encountered.

During the Kris Kristofferson award ceremony prior to the showing of “Bloodworth,” Kris said that Nashville held a very special place in his heart. He said that he loved Nashville and credited the city (and by inference the people and the music industry) with saving his life.

Maybe this stuff about saving lives is hype, or maybe it actually does happen more often than we know.

I’m getting ready to head to the theater.  See you soon.

2:38 – I just saw a fantastic film called “Most Valuable Players.” It’s the story of several high school theater departments in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, and the Freddy Awards that were created to honor the best of the best of those programs. It was very entertaining and inspirational.

Every year, hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of fans show up at high school sporting events all over the country. Meanwhile, theater departments at high schools in every state put on fantastic plays and musicals that go unheralded and struggle to find paying patrons. The message in “Most Valuable Players” is that these plays – team sports in their own right – are just as important to the students, the schools, and the community as high school athletics are.

This was a surprisingly powerful film. It told a great story and the story was told very well.

4:32 – I am so happy that I saw “Most Valuable Players” and “Happy on the Ground” back-to-back. They have a common theme of high school-age musicians. Where “Most Valuable Players” focused primarily on musical theater, “Happy on the Ground” focused on high school musicians who are working their way toward a career in the music industry.  Both films do a great job of showing the tremendous music talent on display in our nation’s high schools. 

“Happy on the Ground” was filmed during the 2009 Grammy Camp at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The film was both powerful and inspirational. High school musicians (singers, songwriters, instrumentalists, etc.) from across the country came together to learn about the music industry, write songs together, and then perform them at an end-of-camp showcase.  In the film, we see young musicians absolutely blossom during an intensive 8-day period. Kids enter the camp as insecure youngsters unsure of their place in the world, and they leave with confidence in their talent and a passion for a career in music.

The camp is the brainchild of The Grammy Foundation and will be expanding to additional camps in New York (2011) and Nashville (2012).

7:43 – “Kinyarwanda” just ended. The bad news is that the film ran quite late, so I missed seeing “Buck,” a film about the real horse whisperer, Buck Brannaman. The good news is that I got to see “Kinyarwanda” and it was a terrific film.

“Kinyarwanda” tells several stories of the genocide in Rwanda and the unimaginable terror that went along with it. Director Alrick Brown did a masterful job of interweaving the various tales. The result is a wonderful, beautiful film that documents atrocities, but shares a message of hope, love, and peace.

I was very much touched by this film. It’s no wonder that it won the World Cinema Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

10:58 – “The Big Uneasy” tells the stories of the levees that failed during Hurricane Katrina and the Army Corps of Engineers efforts to rebuild them in the aftermath of the storm. It also tells the tale of several independent engineers and scientists who have been discredited, dismissed, and in some cases, fired from their jobs because they dared to criticize the Army Corps of Engineers for the mistakes they made in building the levees in the first place, and the negligence perpetrated by the Corps in rebuilding them.

I have to say that I was impressed with the even-handed way that director Harry Shearer handled the subject matter. I was afraid that the film might be an unsubstantiated rant against the government for their failings following Katrina, but Shearer focused his camera narrowly on the Army Corps of Engineers and he backed up his beliefs with an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence. The people he spoke to were largely from academia and they were brought into New Orleans following the hurricane specifically because they owed no allegiance to anyone. They were charged with finding out the truth about the levee breaks, but when they did, they were subject to scorn, ridicule and loss of their jobs.

Shearer structured “The Big Uneasy” in a way that made it very easy to understand some of the more complex engineering issues, and he also made the film entertaining, despite the fact that he was dealing with rather dry civil engineer minutia.

Wow, what a day. I saw three excellent documentaries, and a beautiful and touching narrative film today. I missed out on seeing “Buck,” but all in all, it was a very good day at the theater.

Last night was beautiful weather-wise for opening night. Today, however is not so nice. It’s raining hard right now, there are thunderstorm warnings, and tornados are a possibility later today. Of course, that just means it’s a great day to be inside.

I have to say that the festival has improved the way they handle letting people into the individual theaters. Two years ago, you had to wait in line until 5-10 minutes before the film started before they would open the doors. Not so this year. As someone who is seeing a lot of films and potentially standing in a lot of lines, I give the change two thumbs up!

The big event (other than the films themselves) is that Kris Kristofferson will be here tonight to receive a lifetime achievement award prior to the matinee showing of his film “Bloodworth.” I’ll be seeing “Bloodworth” tonight, but I’m not sure where Kris will be given his award. I need to check into that.

Almost movie time. I’ll see you in a little bit.

2:28 – Just finished watching “If a Tree Falls.” The film is about the Earth Liberation Front. Very interesting and very well done. It would have been very easy for the film to veer off into propaganda, but the director, Marshall Curry, did a great job of telling the whole story, both good and bad.

Next up is a narrative film, called “Falling Overnight.” The film is about to start. Got to go.

4:32 – Falling Overnight is a tender movie about a young man with a brain tumor and the woman he meets the night before he is scheduled for surgery. It was written, directed and edited by Conrad Jackson. He also did the cinematography on the film.

The acting in the film is tremendous. It stars Parker Croft and Emilia Zoryan. Both are excellent in in the film. Croft also co-wrote the film.

If I had one criticism to make, it is that the film is a bit slow moving. Some scenes seemed unnecessarily long.  However, that is a rather minor point. In truth, the pace of the film fit the mood. I thought it was very well done and I enjoyed it very much.

The next film I am scheduled to see should be very interesting. The film is “Wish Me Away” and it is a documentary about Chely Wright, an openly gay country singer. The film tells the story of Chely’s life and career from the time she came out publicly to the present. As an added bonus, the film will be making its world premiere and Chely will be in attendance.

Later tonight, I’ll be in attendance when Kris Kristofferson receives his lifetime achievement award from the Nashville Film Festival.

It’s just about time to get in line for “Wish Me Away.” I’ll be back soon.

8:10 – “Wish Me Away” was very good. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk about it now. I’ll post many more thoughts about the film later tonight.

I just got into the theater for “Bloodworth.” The film is already 10 minutes late, and people are still flooding in. Plus, Kris Kristofferson still has to get his award, so we’re going to be running late. Hopefully I’m not late for my last movie of the day.

12:30 (Saturday morning) – I just got home after watching “Bloodworth” and then “Chance.” Before I talk about those films, let me talk a little about “Wish Me Away.” In case you are not familiar with the story, “Wish Me Away” is about Chely Wright’s decision to come out as a lesbian. I’m not sure why, but I expected kind of a superficial film. “Wish Me Away” is definitely not superficial. It is a very deep and comprehensive study of what happened in Chely’s life and career when she came out. I was impressed with the amount of backstory and behind-the-scene access contained in the film.

On a side note, I sat right across the aisle from Chely Wright during the showing of the film and I have to tell you that she is just as good looking in person as she is on the screen. The Q&A session following the film also showed that Chely is a very genuine person who is taking her new found public status as a lesbian, and the platform her coming out provides, very seriously. She wants nothing less than to be a leader in the GBLT movement.

After “Wish Me Away,” I went out to stand in line for 20 minutes to get in to see “Bloodworth.” While I was waiting, I met two guys from the crew of “The Nothing.” From talking to them, I learned that part of the problem with what I called the “production values” of the film were actually the result of a faulty projector. The guys told me that a problem with the projector caused the picture of the film to jump a little, and the video got out of sync a bit with the audio. At this afternoon’s showing, they said the film looked much better.

As we talked, I realized that one of the guys I was talking to was Derek R. Stogner, a co-writer on the film. I mentioned yesterday how creative and innovative I thought the script was. As it turns out, this is Derek’s first film. Very impressive!

After we finally got into the theater for “Bloodworth,” we had to wait another 20 minutes or so before several people spoke and Emmylou Harris finally presented Kris Kristofferson with his career achievement award (I mistakenly called it a lifetime achievement award previously). It was pretty cool to see people like Kristofferson, Harris, Hank Williams III, Reese Thompson, and others at the showing. Shane Dax Taylor, the director of the film (and a graduate of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film in Nashville) was also on-hand for the film.

“Bloodworth” is a very dark, depressing film. The film tells the story of E.F. Bloodworth (Kristofferson), who left his family 40 years earlier to pursue a music career. After suffering a stroke, he returns to his Tennessee home to be near his family and to heal some old wounds.

To call the Bloodworth clan dysfunctional is an insult to dysfunctional families everywhere. These guys are really screwed up. Fleming Bloodworth, E.F.’s grandson, is the only ray of sunshine in the film, and even he doesn’t always shine.

To say that the film is dark and depressing is not to say it is not good. I think Taylor and the cast did a terrific job with the film. It was very well done.  But if you go to see it, expect to leave the theater a little bummed out.

Because Bloodworth started late, it also ended late, which made me about 15 minutes late for my last film of the day, “Chance.”  “Chance” is a comedy from Panama that tells the story of two maids who hold their employers hostage in order to collect their back pay.

I was disappointed in the film. Although it was a comedy, “Chance” lacked very many funny scenes. It also contained some gratuitous violence and uncomfortable scenes (at least for me) of a young boy watching his family taken hostage and of him shooting a chandelier that falls and kills his dog. Not the type of scene I would expect in a comedy.

Having said this, I don’t want to leave you with the impression that “Chance” was a bad film. It was okay, but was weaker than the other narrative films I’ve seen at the film festival so far.

Tomorrow is documentary day. I’ll be seeing five films and all of them are documentaries. I’m looking forward to it.

I’ll be seeing two films tonight. The first is called The Nothing, a film about five people who wake up in a barn with no idea how they got there. The film was shot in Leipers Fork, TN, so the film should have a local flavor.

I’ll also be seeing Submarine, one of the opening night features. I’ve read that it is very funny, so I’m looking forward to seeing in.

This will be a light day for me.  Just two films.  Most days will include four or five films, so I’m easing myself into the program.  More later after I’ve seen a film or two.

7:30 – I only have a minute. The first film of the evening, The Nothing, just ended and they are already letting people in to see Submarine.

The Nothing has a very inventive plot. It was written by Josh Childs and Derek R. Stogner. Childs also directed the film. In a nutshell, the main character wakes up in a barn along with four other men, none of whom know why they are there or how they got there. They have no memory of what they were doing just before they appeared in the barn. I don’t want to give away the ending, but it is very creative.

The film was made in association with Grace Chapel in Liepers Fork, TN.  In fact, the barn where the film was shot sits right behind the church.  Because the film was shot near Nashville, the audience at tonight’s showing was full of cast and crew (they applauded for each person during the opening credits.)

There were a few things about the film that I didn’t like. They mostly had to do with the film’s production quality. However, I learned after the showing that the version of the film we saw tonight was not the final version. It is still going through post production, so many of the things that bothered me will most likely be fixed.

9:45 – I just finished watching Submarine, a film that takes place in Wales. It was very funny. I love the British sense of humor.

Before the film, we were entertained by the Music City Soul. They are a dance troupe from Nashville that did a break dance demonstration. I can’t claim to be an expert on break dancing, but they seemed really good to me.

Then it was time for the film.  Submarine is the story of Oliver, a 15-year old boy with girl and parent problems. He is trying to lose his virginity while simultaneously trying to prevent his mother from reuniting with an old love. Oliver’s dual goals are handled with great humor. The dialogue is tight, witty, and fast paced. Submarine is a very funny, entertaining film

Five more films tomorrow. Be sure to check back then.

We in Middle Tennessee are very fortunate to have a world-class film festival right in our back yard. The festival draws hundreds of film submissions from around the world, providing a great experience for both the cinephile and the casual film fan.

The great thing about the Nashville Film Festival is that there are so many high quality films available in one place. The bad thing is that it is virtually impossible to see every film. Even so, I will do my best to see as many films as I possibly can over the next eight days and nights, and share my thoughts on them right here.

This year, the festival has two opening night films. The first is Bloodworth, the story of an aging musician returning home after a 40 year absence. Bloodworth stars Kris Kristofferson, Frances Conroy, Dwight Yoakam, Val Kilmer, Hillary Duff, Reese Thompson, and W. Earl Brown. The film was directed by Shane Dax Taylor, a graduate of the Watkins College of Arts, Design and Film in Nashville, and the music was handled by Grammy Award-winning musician and producer, T Bone Burnett.

The other film being featured on opening night will be Submarine, the story of a 15-year old with two goals in his young life: first to have sex before his 16th birthday, and second, to prevent his mother from reuniting with an old flame. The film was directed by British comedian Richard Ayoade and stars Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, and Noah Taylor.

Tonight will also be the kick off of Pride on Film, a mini GLBT “film festival within a festival,” sponsored by Nashville Pride. The seven film mini-festival will begin with the film Weekend, about a one-night stand that turns into much more. The film was directed by Andrew Haigh and stars Tom Cullen and Chris New.

In addition to a lot of great films, the Nashville Film Festival will feature opening and closing night parties, several seminars, awards ceremonies, concerts, music showcases, and much more. There will be something going on just about every hour of every day of the festival.

I will be live blogging beginning later this afternoon and throughout the duration of the festival. If you can’t make it in person, check in right here on Nashville.com for the latest happenings and my thoughts about the films I’ll be seeing.