2018 Nashville Film Festival Opening Weekend Included 2018 Short Award Recipients Announcement

The 49th Annual NASHVILLE Film Festival opened with an impressive weekend featuring can't miss film premieres, a performance by Steven Tyler and The Loving Mary Band, red carpets and the first award announcements that include Academy Award eligibility.

Winners of the 2018 NASHVILLE Film Festival jury prizes were announced at a ceremony last night where The President's Visit, Weekends and '63 Boycott became eligible for submission for the 2019 Academy Awards, as long as they otherwise meet all other eligibility requirements. Awards were announced by Festival's Artistic Director, Brian Owens.

The winning films take home cash and prizes valued at over $35,000. Past winning films have included Academy Award-winner Bear Story and Academy Award-nominated Borrowed Time.

The Grand Jury Prize in the Narrative Shorts Competition was awarded to The President's Visit, directed by Cyril Aris. The Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Short was given to Debris, directed by Julio O. Ramos, and the Prize for Best International Short was awarded to Icarus, directed by Nicolas Boucart. Honorable Mention for Best U.S. Short was given to Emergency, directed by Carey Williams. Honorable Mention for Best International Short went to Miss Wamba, directed by Estefania Cortés. Tom Doran was given a Special Jury Prize for his performance in Time Traveler and Shaquita LOPEZ was given a Special Jury Prize for her performance in Audition.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short was awarded to the almost impressionistic, Weekends, directed by Trevor Jiminez. The animation jury presented Honorable Mention to Hybrids, directed by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Romain Thirion and Yohan Thireau.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short was given to '63 Boycott, directed by Gordon Quinn. Tightly Wound, directed by Shelby Hadden, and While I Yet Live, directed by Maris Curran, were given Honorable Mentions.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Experimental Short went to director Douwe Dijkstra, for Green Screen Gringo. Honorable Mention was given to Strangers, directed by Eve Duhame and Julian Vallée.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best College Student Short went to Schoolyard Blues, directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht. Lunch Time, directed by Alireza Ghasemi, was named Honorable Mention, while Luca Caruso-Moro was given a Special Jury Prize for Cinematography for Every Grain of Rice.

The Best Graveyard Shift Short Grand Jury Prize went to Socks on Fire: Uncle John and the COPPER Headed Water Rattlers, directed by Bo MaGuire. Paralys, directed by John Boisen and Björn Fävremark, took home the Honorable Mention while a Special Jury Prize Unique and Important Storytelling was awarded to The Devil is in the Details, directed by Fabien Gorgeart.

In the Tennessee First category for films made in Tennessee and/or by Tennessee residents, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Narrative Short was awarded to Hillary Bell's Hunter. Clarksville, 1937, directed by Karen Bullis and Kathy Lee Heuston, was named Best Tennessee Documentary Short, and Pilots, directed by Jason Luckett, won Best Tennessee Student Short. The Order, directed by Chad Cunningham, was given an Honorable Mention, Best Tennessee Narrative Short and QWERTY, directed by John McAmis, took home the Special Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Animated Short.

The Young Filmmakers Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Hitchhiker's Guide to Suburbia, directed by Alex Alford and Zak Denley. That prize comes with an offer of a $20,000 scholarship to Watkins College of Art, Design and Film.

The Feature Film Awards and Episodic Awards as well as the Screenplay Competition Awards will be presented on Friday, May 18.

The NASHVILLE Film Festival offers individual screening tickets, membership prices as low as $45 and more. To learn more, and to see the most updated agenda, visit https://nashvillefilmfestival.org.

ABOUT NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL

During May 10-19, 2018, the NASHVILLE Film Festival celebrates its 49th annual event with 10 days of can't miss film premieres, red carpet events and informational panels featuring industry leaders. The Festival, which was voted one of "50 Film Festivals worth the entry fee" by MovieMaker Magazine, highlighted as One of the Best Film Festival Prizes by Film Festival Today and named by Brooks Institute as one of the top 5 film festivals in the U.S., presents the best in World Cinema, American indies, documentaries, and numerous short form programs by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. With Oscar Award qualifying status and numerous well-attended shorts programs, the NASHVILLE Film Festival has screened many prize-winning narrative and animated shorts including 13 Assassins, (500) Days of Summer, Cyrus and Academy Award nominees, I Am Love, Ajami, and Dogtooth. Celebrity honorees and participants have included Oprah Winfrey, Susan Sarandon, William Shatner, William H. Macy, Al Gore, Nicole Kidman, Danny Glover, Vincent D'Onofrio and many more. Additional information on the festival and its 2018 schedule can be found at nashvillefilmfestival.org.