The Nashville Film Festival opens this Thursday, September 24, and runs through September 30 with its mix of indies, docs and international cinema, including world and North American premieres. I’ve highlighted the highest profile festival events, including Peter Frampton’s personal appearance in my Nashville Film Festival preview.
Today, I’m looking at the program, and, as usual, focusing on the first films of emerging directors. I’ve screened most of the New Director Features, and I’m recommending one as a Must See.
- Mallory’s Ghost: In her screenwriting and directorial debut, Arabella Oz herself plays Mallory, an attractive and talented woman with a self-confidence deficit. Her boyfriend is a self-absorbed playwright, who seeks to disrupt his writer’s block by taking Mallory for a week at his mentor’s Maine retreat. An isolated, spooky mansion in the woods is a perfect setting for a conventional ghost story, but that’s not where Oz takes us – not exactly. When she learns that the boyfriend had co-written plays there before with his ex-girlfriend, Mallory becomes fixated on the ex and becomes consumed by a jealous competition that she is sure she’s losing. Oz is both filmmaker and psychotherapist, and her clever, even ingenious, screenplay embeds a film of self-discovery into a singular and highly original ghost story. I sure didn’t anticipate where the second and third acts were going. Nominated for a jury prize at SXSW, Mallory’s Ghost is an impressive and absorbing film.
This year’s Nashville Film Festival program is most appetizing. I haven’t seen these five movies yet, but they look most promising.
- I Play Rocky: Director Peter Farrely’s telling of the most Rocky of Rocky stories – of screenwriter Sylvester Stallone refusing to sell his sure-fire winner of a script unless he could play the lead.
- The Incomer: A bewildered bureaucrat (Domhnall Gleeson) drops into an isolated and unwelcoming Scottish island; this fable won an award at this year’s Sundance.
- The Liberation: Based on a true story, this drama is making a big impact on the festival circuit, including Toronto, Telluride and Deauville, Carrie Coon leads a great cast of Lily James, Bella Ramsey and Tracey Letts. Set for release in early January, see it now at Nashville Film Festival.
- Tender Loving Care: Sure to be another piercing glimpse into human behavior by British cinema icon Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year).
All in all, this year’s Nashville Film Festival presents 150 films from 25+ countries. Peruse the program and get tickets. Here’s the trailer for The Incomer.