Four GLBT-centric films will make their Tennessee debut during this year’s Pride on Film, the GLBT-portion of the Nashville Film Festival. The films are also up for consideration in the World Cinema and Special Presentation, New Directors Competition, and Documentary Competition categories.
Hit So Hard follows the journey of Patty Schemel, the openly gay drummer of Courtney Love’s rock band Hole. As a young girl who always knew she was “different” form the other kids in her farm town home outside of Seattle, Patty never dreamed she would one day have her picture on the cover of Rolling Stone. She also never fathomed she could lose it all as she became ever embraced by the dark side of the “slacker” generation.
New Slovenian director Nejc Gazvoda makes his NaFF premier with A Trip (Izlet), which chronicles three high school friends’ on last road trip before going their separate ways. Gregor is a soldier about to embark on a mission to Afghanistan, Ziva is going to study abroad, and Andrej is gay and hating everything, himself included. Their journey to the seaside is one filled with tension conflict, and tests of their friendship.
Winner of this year’s Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the documentary Love Free or Die follows Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay individual to be consecrated as a bishop in any of the major churches in the U.S. Faced with admiration, anger, and the occasional death threat, Robinson’s journey examines the sometimes uncomfortable intersections between personal life, spiritual, life and public life.
Hollywood to Dollywood! sees twin brothers Gary and Larry Lane embarking on a cross-country journey to hand-deliver their screenplay to their idol, Dolly Parton. Driving an RV named Jolene they meet everyday Americans and encounter everything from the Nashville flood to an Oklahoma Tornado. The film features appearances by Leslie Jordan, Chad Allen, Beth Grant, Dustin Lance Black, and Ann Walker, as the brothers get ever closer to Dolly herself.
Other films of interest include One Night Stand and V/H/S. One Night Stand is a funny, intimate, behind-the-scenes look as top Broadway and television writers, actors, and directors try to produce four original short musicals within 24 hours. In V/H/S, a group of thieves intent on filming their burglaries are hired to steal a rare VHS tape from a desolate house, resulting in an eerily successful, found-footage horror anthology that was lauded at this year’s SXSW.
Pride on Film runs April 19-22 and will feature a closing night reception for festival ticket-holders. The Nashville Film Festival runs April 19-26 at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 in Nashville. Numerous panels, jurors, and music showcases will also be featured. Tickets for the festival go on sale to the general public on April 12. For more information and a complete schedule, check out www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.