Using archival and present-day footage from two family vacations captured by a father and daughter, this short documentary is a portrait of one family’s grief through the lens of memory and nostalgia.

Last Resort

One week after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a father and his three daughters go on a family vacation to the same resort they visited 25 years ago.

At the cusp of high school, 14-year-old Skye and her friends reunite for a week of summer camp. Crushes, body image, and shifting friendships are all intensified by a small love triangle within the group. Through dialogue between Skye and her filmmaker aunt, Summer Camp explores how much—and how little—has changed in the emotional landscape of girlhood.

Summer Camp

At summer camp, 14-year-old Skye and her friends navigate a small love triangle, stirring nostalgic memories for her filmmaker aunt.

Markus’ great-great-great-grandfather invented the nutcracker in 1870 and thus began the “Original Füchtner Company”. For 150 years, each son of each father has taken the company over and then passed it down. Today, Markus Füchtner is the self-described ‘Nutcracker King’. Markus trains his adolescent son to become the ninth generation while discussing his family’s unique history.

The Chimney Sweeper

Markus — whose great-great-great-grandfather invented the nutcracker doll — makes nutcrackers for a living, as did each of his forefathers who descended from the great inventor. Markus discusses his life decisions.

Listen is a short documentary set in the largest wilderness on Earth. It follows Alaskan author Hank Lentfer as he records forgotten sounds of the natural world and cares for his mother with dementia. Listen is a sensory immersion that dissolves the boundaries between us and the more-than-human world.

Listen

As his mother slips away into dementia, an Alaskan sound recordist listens for what remains.

After a volcanic eruption, Ramón walks the island of La Palma with his microphone, looking for ghosts.

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts

After a volcanic eruption, Ramón walks the island of La Palma with his microphone, looking for ghosts.

In late 2025, The Minnesota Star Tribune announced plans to cut costs by outsourcing its printing to a USA Today Co. facility in Iowa, marking the end of over 150 years of printing the paper in Minnesota. "Final Press" documents the final printing run of The Minnesota Star Tribune's Heritage Center in Minneapolis. Punctuated with reflections from longtime employees of the paper, the film confronts an altered, digital-first newspaper industry. As the Heritage Center moves closer to closure, employees contend with a changing world while acknowledging nostalgia for practices and rituals—like reading a physical newspaper—that seem to be slowly slipping away.

Final Press

Workers at The Minnesota Star Tribune complete the last run of the newspaper’s Heritage printing plant, ending 150 years of printing the paper in Minnesota.

A NEW INFERNO is a vérité short documentary set during Phoenix’s historically hottest month, July, when record-breaking heat turns deadly, especially for the unhoused. In 2024, 608 people in Maricopa County died from heat-related illness, representing a staggering tenfold increase over the past decade. The film follows the crew at Arizona’s busiest firehouse as they race to save heatstroke victims using a radical new treatment. Against the backdrop of rising global temperatures, urban heat islands, and under-resourced services, Phoenix has become a climate canary. A NEW INFERNO offers a visceral, street-level view of the climate crisis as it unfolds in one of the hottest major cities on Earth.

A New Inferno

Filmed during the hottest days of Phoenix, Arizona’s summer heatwave, A New Inferno follows paramedics as they race to save the lives of heatstroke victims using a radical new treatment: ice immersion therapy.

When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence OR on November 12th, 1970, he had no idea that the story he was about to tell would forever define his career. Following a small Oregon town, an exploding whale, and the man who made the story famous, Oh Whale is about how we don't get to choose our fate, only what we make of it.

Oh Whale

One man. One Whale. Twenty cases of dynamite.

Following crackdowns on protests in Iran, civilians begin documenting the unrest from behind windows. When a woman is shot while recording, a film student writes her a letter raising the question: Can revolution emerge from behind windows?

Memories of a Window

As civilians document Iran’s protests from behind windows, a woman is shot while filming. A film student responds with a letter asking: Can revolution emerge from behind windows?

In 1970, Pat Palinkas became the first woman to play professional football when she stepped onto the field for the Orlando Panthers. A schoolteacher with no playbook and everything to prove, she shocked the nation with her appearance and was quickly forgotten. Panther Pat resurrects this high-stakes moment in sports history, tracing how one woman challenged the gender barrier of America's game.

Panther Pat

In 1970, a schoolteacher crashes into the brutal world of professional football, shattering its gender barrier.

Carroll B. Williams Jr. (1929-2024) was the first African-American to receive a doctorate in forestry and entomology, the first African-American scientist to be hired by the U.S. Forest Service, and among the first African-Americans to be a part of the environmental science and forestry faculties at both Yale and UC Berkeley. Featuring stunning 16mm cinematography, this experimental documentary explores the life and legacy of a groundbreaking scientist through intimate conversation with his daughter and grandchild. The film engages questions around personal and collective memory, the human/nature divide, the ongoing impact of settler-colonialism in the Americas, and the possibilities and limitations of an individual human life in effecting social change. At times, Buckskin is grand in its scope: envisioning how white supremacy has shaped human societies and natural environments alike over nearly a century. At other times, the film is deeply personal: a moving portrait of a fascinating and exceptional person told from the perspective of a loving and curious grandchild.

Buckskin

An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather: Carroll B. Williams Jr., a ground-breaking African-American forester, reflecting on his work and legacy in the twilight of his life.

United States of America

Documentary Shorts 

Virtual Admission

Nashville Film Festival161 Rains AveNashville, TN 37203

Donation to {{name}}

Donate to NashFilm

Gift Cards

None available

Memberships

The 56th Nashville Film Festival will take place September 18-24, 2025, showcasing more than 140 films from around the globe, alongside captivating Q&A sessions with filmmakers, dynamic industry panels, unforgettable parties, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow creatives.

These are all the memberships tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_membership_link|Looking to buy more memberships?}}

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

These are all your purchased tickets. Open this page on your phone, and at the door tap the "Show Barcode" button and show your screen to the attendant. Prefer paper? Print the PDF attached to the order confirmation email, or click one of the gears below and select "Download tickets PDF". If purchasing multiple tickets, be sure to print or show each unique ticket barcode.

CREATORS CONFERENCE

Film & Creator's Conference Badge

Film Focus Badge

 Icon Badge

Icon + Package

Icon+ Package

Music Program Badge

SPOTLIGHT BADGE

Virtual Creator's Conference Pass

VIP Badges & Ticket Packages

Ticket Packages

A selection of festival films will be available from Monday, September 28 through Monday, October 5 for at-home viewing. Please note that not all films screening in-person will be made available in the Virtual Cinema and in limited cases, geo-based restrictions may apply to some viewers outside of Tennessee or the United States. Tickets for virtual film screenings can be purchased individually or are included at no additional cost for certain badge holders. For more information on accessing and optimizing Virtual Cinema content, please visit https://watch.nashfilm.org/help or contact festival@nashfilm.org.  

Welcome! This channel features official selections from the 57th Nashville Film Festival, including local and international shorts and features in a wide range of genres, like horror, comedy, documentary and more.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No worries. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.