Music Films at the Nashville Film Festival

The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) announced the Music Films / Music City line-up for the 45th annual Festival, scheduled April 17-26 at Regal Green Hills Cinema 16. NaFF is the only major film festival in the U.S. to recognize this category of film with a unique award.
“We have a great slate of world premieres,” said Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “Nashville and Tennessee are well-represented, but there’s something for everyone. We have a little bit of Blues, a little bit of Country, Rock and Broadway.”
Among the films highlighting well-known artists are projects about The Carter Family, Bela Fleck and Glen Campbell.
Music Films / Music City Competition
The Winding Stream | Director: Beth Harrington.
The Carter Family didn’t just play music of the hill country, they helped invent it. The Winding Stream celebrates a roots music dynasty. From the original Carter Family to Johnny Cash to the present generation keeping the music alive.
Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me | Director: James Keach. World Premiere.
Follows Glen Campbell’s tour and journey as he fights Alzheimer’s disease.
The Ballad of Shovels & Rope | Director: Jace Freeman.
The young married couple known as Shovels & Rope won awards for Song of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2013 Americana Music Association Awards.
Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto | Director: Béla Fleck. World Premiere.
Grammy Award-winning banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck goes through one of the most challenging musical journeys of his career, when he is commissioned to compose a concerto – possibly first of its kind – for banjo and an 80-piece symphony orchestra.
Take Me to the River | Director: Martin Shore.
Blues musicians record a historic album to celebrate Memphis and Stax Records. Featuring Terrence Howard, William Bell, Snoop Dogg, Mavis Staples, Otis Clay, Lil P-Nut, Charlie Musselwhite, Bobby Bland, Yo Gotti, Bobby Rush, Frayser Boy and The North Mississippi All-Stars.
The 78 Project Movie | Director: Alex Steyermark.
Using a 1930s Presto direct-to-disc recorder, folk singers, punk rockers, Gospel and Cajun singers make records the way they used to: with one microphone, one disc, and one take.
Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory | Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett.
Social worker Dan Cohen decided to bring used iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff’s surprise, many residents suffering from Alzheimer’s seemed to awaken when they listened to music from their past.
Brasslands | Director: The Meerkat Media Collective.
Over half a million people descend upon the tiny Serbian village of Guča for the 50th anniversary of the world’s largest brass band competition.
A Film About Kids and Music | Director: Ramon Tort.
Children between the ages of 6 and 18 with professional jazz musicians, selling out some of Spain’s most important music venues.
I Lay Where I Fall | Director: Andrew Stubbs. World Premiere.
Juston Stens travels America to collaborate with artists including members of Wilco and Spoon.
Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty | Director: Greg Oliver.
About Blues musician Winter, who played Woodstock, dated Janis Joplin and partied with John Belushi and the Stones.
Led Zeppelin Played Here | Director: Jeff Krulik.
In 1969, Led Zeppelin performed for 50 confused teenagers at the Wheaton, Maryland Youth Center…or did they?
The Road to Fame | Director: Hao Tu.
China’s top drama academy stages the American musical Fame in the country’s first official collaboration with Broadway.