NASHVILLE — Nashville Film Festival 2026 returns for its 57th edition from 24 to 30 September, two days from opening night, with nearly 150 films from more than 25 countries and 24 world premieres. Founded in 1969 and Academy Award–qualifying, NashFilm screens at venues including the Belcourt Theatre, the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), Regal Green Hills Theater and Hooky Entertainment — a Music City map built for both industry and neighbourhood audiences.
The festival's August lineup announcement positions Opening Night on 24 September around Frampton, Rob Arthur's intimate documentary portrait of Peter Frampton preparing for a final tour while confronting a degenerative disease. Frampton is scheduled to attend the Regal Green Hills screenings for post-show Q and A. The film features appearances by Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Sheryl Crow, Kate Hudson, Cameron Crowe and Tom Morello, and was created largely by a Nashville-based team.
Creators Conference and Made in TN Day
Running alongside the screenings, the Creators Conference convenes 25–28 September at NMAAM and Nashville PBS. Panels span AI and artist rights, narrative craft, scoring and supervision, distribution, animation and Tennessee's production economy. The headline casting session — The Art of Casting with John Papsidera — brings the Artios- and Emmy-winning casting director behind Oppenheimer, The Odyssey, Interstellar, Westworld and Yellowstone to discuss ensembles and discovery.
Monday 28 September is Made in TN Day at Nashville PBS, with panels aimed at regional talent and the state's creative-business environment. Individual panel tickets and Creators Conference badges are on sale through festival channels; VIP badge packages unlock networking layers beyond single sessions.
Lineup anchors beyond Opening Night
Special presentations flagged in the initial slate include Anton Corbijn's A Talent for Murder with Helen Mirren, Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care, Louis Paxton's Sundance comedy The Incomer with Domhnall Gleeson, and Samuel Abrahams' Lady. Music-documentary strands range from Songs from the Circle (Grand Ole Opry at Royal Albert Hall) to Sara Bareilles: Good Grief. Tennessee features stretch from Sam Pollard's The Lorraine — screening with extended conversation during the Creators Conference — to world premieres such as Louis L'Amour's FLINT and Where the Hell Is Anna?
Programming Director Lauren Thelen said the 2026 programme "reflects a wide range of genres, themes and perspectives, giving our audiences a global and local view of independent filmmaking," in the festival's lineup release. Shorts (about 100 titles), episodic selections and music videos, including Wet Leg's "pokemon," round out the slate; closing-night and further guest announcements were still rolling at press time.
How to plan the week
Practical search answers for Nashville Film Festival 2026: dates 24–30 September; nearly 150 films / 24 world premieres; Opening Night Frampton at Regal Green Hills with Peter Frampton Q and A; Creators Conference 25–28 September at NMAAM and Nashville PBS; Made in TN Day on 28 September; John Papsidera casting chat as a conference centrepiece. Tickets and schedule grids live on nashvillefilmfestival.org and the Eventive schedule portal.
Why NashFilm still matters for awards and Music City
Because the Nashville Film Festival holds Academy Award–qualifying status, shorts and features that land strongly here can feed Oscar conversation later in the season — one reason programmers lean into world premieres and Tennessee-made work in the same week. The 57th edition's initial slate already pairs global names (Mirren, Leigh, Corbijn) with five world-premiere features rooted in the state, from FLINT to Little Hollywood, Tennessee and One Plant. That local-to-global mix is the festival's durable search angle for Nashville Film Festival 2026.
Music remains the other differentiator. Opening with Frampton, threading Opry-to-London Songs from the Circle, BMI scoring panels and Made in TN Day at Nashville PBS keeps the festival inside Music City's brand without turning every night into a concert film. Industry readers chasing John Papsidera's casting talk or distribution panels can badge the Creators Conference; neighbourhood audiences can build a Regal Green Hills and Belcourt plan around Opening Night and awards night on 27 September. Either route, the verified calendar is 24–30 September — and the advance window closes fast.
For visitors flying into Music City or locals building a badge plan, the advance window is now — Opening Night is 24 September. Attribute reporting to NashFilm's 57th-edition lineup announcement, the Creators Conference schedule pages and festival About notes confirming 1969 founding, Academy Award–qualifying status and the 57th edition span of 24–30 September 2026.