Nashville Film Festival
A respected regional festival with strong programming across narrative and documentary work
Overview
The Nashville Film Festival is one of the longest-running film festivals in the American South, showcasing a diverse selection of narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music-related films. The festival has grown into a significant regional event with national recognition.
Nashville's thriving creative economy, driven by the music and entertainment industries, provides a uniquely supportive backdrop for the festival. The crossover between the film and music communities creates networking opportunities that are distinctive to this event.
How It Works
The festival programs competitive sections, industry panels, and filmmaker workshops that create a well-rounded experience. Nashville Film Festival selections often serve as a stepping stone to larger festival runs and distribution deals.
Submission fees range from approximately $30 to $60 depending on the category and deadline. The festival is held in Nashville, Tennessee, where accommodation and dining are more affordable than coastal festival cities.
Who Uses It
A strong option for filmmakers looking for a respected festival outside the major coastal markets. The music-friendly culture and growing film industry in Nashville make it an increasingly relevant event.
Pricing & Plans
Nashville Film Festival submission fees range from approximately $30-60 depending on category and deadline tier, with early-bird rates providing savings for early submissions. Festival passes and individual screening tickets are available at various price tiers, making the event accessible to both dedicated festival-goers and casual attendees. Nashville offers significantly more affordable accommodation than coastal festival cities, with hotel rates during the festival typically ranging from $120-250 per night in the downtown area and even lower rates in surrounding neighborhoods. The city's robust public transit, rideshare availability, and walkable downtown core keep transportation costs manageable. The festival's programming also includes a screenplay competition with separate entry fees, providing an additional avenue for writer-filmmakers to gain recognition. Nashville's thriving food, music, and entertainment scene provides a rich cultural backdrop that enhances the overall festival experience without requiring significant additional spending.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Nashville's emergence as a major film and television production hub — with studios, production facilities, and a growing crew base that has attracted major productions — means the festival provides direct access to an expanding Southeast production community that is increasingly important in the national entertainment landscape. The crossover between Nashville's music industry and film creates unique networking opportunities with music supervisors, music video directors, entertainment executives, and artists who can become collaborators on future projects that incorporate musical elements. The festival's competitive programming sections provide genuine curatorial recognition that carries weight with regional distributors, broadcasters, and the growing Nashville-based industry community. The affordable cost of attending Nashville Film Festival compared to coastal events makes it one of the best-value festival experiences for independent filmmakers who want professional-quality programming and industry exposure without the premium costs of Sundance, TIFF, or Tribeca. The engaged, enthusiastic Nashville audiences provide genuine and supportive feedback that helps filmmakers understand how their work connects with Southern and Midwest viewers who are underserved by the coastal festival circuit. The festival's industry panels and workshops bring working professionals to Nashville, creating educational opportunities that complement the screening program.
What Could Be Better
Nashville Film Festival's profile, while growing, remains regional rather than national, and selection does not carry the same industry weight as top-tier festivals like Sundance, TIFF, or even SXSW, meaning the festival is unlikely to attract major acquisitions executives or generate distribution deals independently. The festival's connection to the music industry, while unique, can create an identity that feels tangential to the core film industry, potentially confusing filmmakers about the event's positioning and value proposition. The Southeast US, while a growing production market, is still developing its independent film infrastructure, meaning the concentration of agents, managers, sales agents, and distributors at the festival is lower than at festivals in established industry centers. Nashville's hot and humid spring weather during the festival period can be uncomfortable for visitors from cooler climates, though festival venues are air-conditioned. The festival's programming, while respectable, faces the same challenge as all mid-tier regional festivals — competition for submissions from filmmakers who may view Nashville as a backup plan rather than a primary target, which can affect programming consistency. Press coverage of Nashville Film Festival is primarily regional, and national entertainment media attention is limited compared to festivals in New York, Los Angeles, or other major cultural centers.
Our Recommendation
Nashville Film Festival is recommended for filmmakers who want to build connections in the Southeast US production market, particularly those whose work involves music, has Southern themes, or would benefit from exposure to Nashville's growing entertainment industry community. The festival is especially valuable for filmmakers based in the Southeast who want a professional festival experience without the cost and competition of coastal events, as Nashville provides genuine industry exposure at accessible price points. If your film has a music component, soundtrack focus, or connection to Nashville's creative economy, the festival provides a uniquely relevant audience and networking context. For filmmakers building a festival run, Nashville works well as a regional complement to national festivals — screen at Sundance or SXSW first, then extend your film's life with Nashville and other regional events. Screenwriters should consider the screenplay competition alongside film submissions, as the festival's combined emphasis on written craft and finished films creates dual recognition opportunities.
Pro Tips
Submit to Nashville Film Festival early and emphasize any music, Southern, or entertainment industry connections in your submission materials, as the festival's programming identity particularly values work that resonates with Nashville's cultural strengths. If selected, plan extra time in Nashville to explore the city's music scene and entertainment industry, as the creative community extends well beyond the festival itself and informal networking at music venues and industry gatherings can lead to unexpected collaborations. Attend the festival's industry panels and workshops to connect with Nashville-based production professionals who can provide practical resources for future projects shot in the Southeast. Leverage your Nashville selection to build relationships with regional press, film bloggers, and entertainment media in the Southeast, as these contacts provide ongoing coverage opportunities that are easier to maintain than relationships with national press. If you are considering shooting future projects in Tennessee, use the festival as an opportunity to research the state's production incentives, crew availability, and facility infrastructure, as Nashville's festival community includes local production professionals who can provide practical guidance.