Nashville Film Festival 2026: A Local's Guide to the 57th NashFilm
- Paul Whitten
- Aug 24
- 5 min read
By Paul Whitten, Founder of Nashville Adventures
Everybody knows this is Music City. Fewer people know it is also one of the oldest film towns in America, and for one week every fall, that quieter reputation steps into the spotlight.
The Nashville Film Festival 2026 runs September 24 through 30, and this is not some scrappy newcomer. It is the 57th edition of a festival that predates most of the ones people fly across the country to attend.
I lead history tours past these venues all year, so let me give you the local's read on what NashFilm actually is, why it matters, and how to build a great Nashville week around it.
What Is the Nashville Film Festival?
NashFilm is the longest running film festival in the American South, and one of the oldest in the entire country.
It started in 1969 as the Sinking Creek Film Celebration, launched by a filmmaker named Mary Jane Coleman out in East Tennessee. Over the decades it moved to Nashville, grew up, and became the globally recognized nonprofit it is today, presenting world cinema, American independents, and documentaries side by side.
The scale is real. The 2026 festival will screen more than 150 films from around the world across 14 competitive categories, with filmmaker Q and A sessions, industry panels, and the kind of late night parties where the person next to you might be a first time director or an Oscar winner. Executive Director Jason Padgitt framed the festival's staying power this way:
"It's a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how far we've come as an organization, and as a community that continues to champion the art of storytelling." (via Nashville Film Festival)
Where It Happens: Venues Worth Knowing
Part of what makes NashFilm special is that it does not hide in a convention center. It spreads across some of the best rooms in the city.
The 2026 festival takes over venues including the National Museum of African American Music, the historic Belcourt Theatre in Hillsboro Village, the Regal Green Hills, Soho House, and Hooky Entertainment. If you have never been inside the Belcourt, this is your excuse. It opened in 1925, once hosted the Grand Ole Opry, and is now the city's beloved nonprofit art house cinema.
Here is my local tip. Base a film day around a single neighborhood. The Belcourt sits in Hillsboro Village, walking distance from Vanderbilt and a short hop from Music Row and Centennial Park. You can catch a film, eat well, and still have time to wander. That clustering is the same thing that makes this city so easy to explore on foot in the first place.
What to See at NashFilm 2026
The full slate drops closer to the festival, but the first announced titles already tell you the flavor of the thing.
Opening night, September 24, is Frampton, a documentary portrait of rock icon and longtime Nashville resident Peter Frampton, with Frampton himself and director Rob Arthur on hand for the post screening conversation. Also announced early: The Lorraine, Sam Pollard's documentary on the Memphis motel where Dr. King was killed, and Little Hollywood, Tennessee, a coming of age story following high school filmmakers at the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts.
That mix is the whole point. A rock legend, a piece of hard Southern history, and a bunch of Tennessee teenagers with cameras, all on the same festival pass. For tickets and the full schedule as it fills in, go straight to the official NashFilm site.
A Few Local Tips for Festival Week
I have watched a lot of visitors do festival week the hard way. Here is how to do it the easy way:
Buy a pass, not single tickets. If you plan to see more than three films, an all access badge or multi film pass almost always saves money and spares you the sold out heartbreak.
Give yourself a buffer between venues. Screenings are spread across town, from Hillsboro Village to Green Hills. Do not schedule back to back films in different neighborhoods without a cushion.
Show up for the Q and A. The conversations with directors after a screening are often the best part, and they are what separates a festival from a night at the multiplex.
Book your daytime plans early. Late September is peak season in Nashville. Tours, tables, and hotel rooms fill up, so lock in anything you care about ahead of time.
Dress in layers. Late September days run warm and evenings cool off nicely. You will thank me walking between a matinee and a rooftop.
Nashville Film Festival 2026 FAQ
When is the Nashville Film Festival 2026?
The Nashville Film Festival 2026, the 57th edition, runs September 24 through 30, 2026. Opening night on September 24 features the documentary Frampton, with a post screening discussion. The full week includes more than 150 films, panels, and events.
Where is the Nashville Film Festival held?
NashFilm 2026 takes place at arts venues across the city, including the National Museum of African American Music, the Belcourt Theatre in Hillsboro Village, the Regal Green Hills, Soho House, and Hooky Entertainment. Screenings are spread across town rather than at a single site.
How much are Nashville Film Festival tickets?
NashFilm offers individual screening tickets as well as multi film passes and all access badges. Prices and the full ticket menu are posted on the official Nashville Film Festival website, and passes typically go on sale well before the September dates.
Is the Nashville Film Festival worth attending?
If you love film, absolutely. It is the longest running festival in the South, the programming ranges from world premieres to local student work, and the venues are some of the best rooms in the city. It also lands in late September, one of the finest weeks of the year to be in Nashville.
Make a Full Nashville Week of It
Here is the thing about visiting for a festival. The films fill your evenings, but your afternoons are wide open, and late September is the best weather Nashville serves all year.
That is where we come in. Spend a morning on our Nashville walking tour learning the real history under the neon, then hit your screenings at night. If you are the type who came for the visuals, our mural and photo tour pairs perfectly with a film festival state of mind, and our e-bike tours cover the city fast between shows.
Festival week is a busy week in town, so book your tour early. See the full lineup on our tours page, plan the rest with our what to do in Nashville guide, or get in touch and we will help you build the week around your screenings.
