'After' and 'Beauty is Embarrassing' open, 'BIG EASY EXPRESS' and 'Paul Williams Still Alive' to close; Jurors, Red Carpet Run 5K also announced for 43rd edition of the longest-running film festival in the South.

Nashville, TN - Continuing a trend started several years ago at the Festival, two films will officially open and close the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) presented by Nissan when it takes place April 19-26, 2012 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas.

Previously announced official selection “Beauty is Embarrassing” and the World Premiere of “After” will share the opening honors, while recently announced selections “BIG EASY EXPRESS," presented by the Americana Music Association, and “Paul Williams Still Alive” will close it out.

“What started the last two years, almost by accident, with “Bloodworth” and “Submarine” opening and “Another Earth” and “Terri” closing has turned out to be a successful strategy for us,” says Brian Owens, NaFF artistic director. “It gives people a couple of options and wildly different ones at that, on each of the nights. Whether it’s an oft-hilarious art documentary or a borderline dystopian fantasy, or music films about then or now, we’ve got you covered.”

Written and directed by Ryan Smith, “After “ tells the story of two bus crash survivors (Steven Strait and Karolina Wydra) who awake to discover that they are the only people left in their small town and must form an unlikely alliance in a race to unravel the truth behind their isolation. The film also stars Madison Lintz (“The Walking Dead”) and Sandra Lafferty (“Hunger Games”). The film has strong Nashville connections, as it was produced by Sabyn Mayfield, son of famed casting director Laray Mayfield (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Social Network,” “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” et al) and Brandon Gregory together with Franklin,Tennessee-based Seabourne Pictures, which includes Michael W. Smith and Greg Ham, and Quite Quick Productions. The younger Mayfield also casted the film. Nashville-based Magnetic Dreams Animation did all the visual effects.

Director Neil Berkeley’s “Beauty is Embarrassing” is the funny, irreverent and inspiring story of one of America's most important artists, Wayne White. Raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, White has spent the last 30 years making his indelible mark on pop culture. From his humble roots as a puppeteer in Nashville to his work as one of the creative forces behind “Pee-wee's Playhouse” to award-winning music video work to his current life as a darling in the fine art world, White has inspired millions of people across the country. The film includes plenty of footage shot in Tennessee including a White book signing in Chattanooga bookstore and a visit  with his friend Mike Quinn at the Webb School in Bell Buckle. Variety magazine calls White “a compelling folk hero for those who never knew art could be fun.”

Directed by Emmett Malloy (“Out Cold,” “The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights”) “BIG EASY EXPRESS” documents the musical journey of three bands on one train over thousands of miles of track through six cities. In April of 2011, indie folk heroes Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Nashville’s Old Crow Medicine Show and Britain’s acclaimed Mumford & Sons climbed aboard a beautiful antique train in California, setting out for Louisiana on a “tour of dreams.”  Part road movie and part concert film, “BIG EASY EXPRESS” bears witness to the birth of a new musical era. With poignancy and beauty, Malloy documents these incredible musicians as they ride the rails and wow the crowds, from Oakland … to New Orleans.

“Paul Williams Still Alive” began as a personal investigation by director Steven Kessler to track down and find out what happened to his childhood idol Paul Williams, writer of Three Dog Night’s “An Old Fashioned Love Song”; The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun”; and “Rainbow Connection,” performed by Kermit the Frog in “The Muppet Movie, as well the star of various big and small screen films and shows, most notably Brian DePalma’s “Phantom of the Paradise” (which he also co-scored), a genius orangutan in “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” and a regular guest on Johnny Carson’s couch. Kessler was surprised to learn that Williams is still very much alive, and set out to make a documentary. Williams allows Kessler to accompany him on his travels, but the director soon discovers that his subject isn’t the same man from television that he once idolized.

Jurors for the 2012 Nashville Film Festival presented by Nissan have also been announced. The Bridgestone Narrative Competition is made up of Watkins College of Art, Design and Film’s Robin Fister; Millenium Studios’ executive producer Diego Martinez; and actor Anthony Zerbe (“Cool Hand Luke,” “Star Trek Insurrection,” “The Matrix Revolutions”). The Documentary Competition will be judged by Documentary Channel’s Greg Crofton; artist, director and designer J Bird Lathon; and award-winning sponsored film and documentary maker Anita Moffatt. The New Directors Competition jury is made up of actor Michael Chieffo (“Disclosure,” “Crimson Tide,” “Beginners”); renowned and prolific actress Beth Grant, the only actor in history to have appeared in three Academy Award winning Best Pictures and a Best Animated Feature: “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “Rango;” and Joe Pacheco, award-winning filmmaker of “After the Fall” and an Emmy-nominated cinematographer.

NaFF’s signature Music Films / Music City jury will be comprised of writer/producer and director Todd Elgin; Durango Film Society founder Jane Julian; and Helen Pursell, director of programming and Scheduling for the Documentary Channel. Narrative, Animation and Documentary shorts will be judged by Lauren Avinoam, founder of LA Publicity; Dorothy Henckel, director of Acquisitions for the Documentary Channel; and Suzie Howard, award-winning filmmaker of “Fans and Freaks” and the short film “Creme Roll Confessions.”

To balance off the majority of sitting that goes on at the Festival, organizers this year are also pleased to the present The 1st annual “Rotary Red Carpet Run 5K,” a chipped road race through Green Hills. This race trails through the beautiful community of Green Hills, starting and ending at Avenue Bank directly behind the Mall of Green Hills where NaFF takes place. This race is presented by the Rotary club of Green Hills and benefits the Second Harvest Food Banks Backpacks program. For more information, and to register, please visit http://rotaryredcarpetrun.org/.

A complete list of previously announced feature films in competition and non-competition categories, as well as animated, narrative and documentary shorts, is available now at nashvillefilmfestival.org. A complete schedule will be announced later this week.

Tickets for the festival, which runs April 19-26 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas, go on sale to the general public at nashvillefilmfestival.org on April 11. Members of the media wishing to apply for media credentials may do so until April 5 at nashvillefilmfestival.org/press > "Apply for Media Credentials."

Nashville Film Festival is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and receives funding from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund and William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Ann & Lance Krafft Charitable Lead Trust, The Memorial Foundation, Nashville Metro Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts and its generous patrons and sponsors.

Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) is a cultural arts institution that inspires, educates and entertains through an annual celebration of the art of motion pictures, year-round events and community outreach. Founded in 1969 by Mary Jane Coleman as the Sinking Creek Film Celebration, the organization’s signature eight-day April festival, now known as the Nashville Film Festival presented by Nissan, is the longest running film festival in the South. It also ranks among the most prestigious, continually garnering accolades and notice from a wide range of entertainment and trade publications, including the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal online, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Festival Today, IndieWire, Variety, Billboard, New York and Script Magazine. Since 2004, the Festival has more than doubled its attendance to almost 26,000 and on average screens more than 250 films from 48 nations around the globe each year. In 2012, the festival marks its 43rd year. It is hosted at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Americana Music Association - Festival & Conference
The Americana Music Association is a professional non-profit trade organization whose mission is to promote awareness, provide a forum, and advocate for the creative and economic vitality of the Americana music genre. The Association produces events throughout the year including the annual Americana Music Festival and Conference, which will take place September 12-15, 2012 in Nashville, TN.  Americana Music Festival and Conference Registrations are now available at Early Bird rates through the store at americanamusic.org.

About Nissan Americas
In the Americas, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information, including photos and video b-roll, on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

NASHVILLE, – “Umshini Wam,” by Nashville-based director Harmony Korine; “The Terrys,” by “Adult Swim” creators Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim; and “All Flowers in Time” by “Tarnation” director Jonathan Caouette are among 140 short films from 28 countries that will compete at the 2011 Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) presented by Nissan when it takes place April 14-21 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas.

Joining these films will be three films nominated for Academy Awards in 2011: Live-Action Short winner “God of Love” by American director Luke Matheny; “The Gruffalo,” by U.K. director Barney Goodland and “You Too (Na Wewe)” by Ivan Goldschmidt, filmed in Burundi and Belgium.

Short films for the 2011 NaFF presented by Nissan were selected from a pool of 1639 shorts submitted. NaFF is one of only 24 film festivals in the United States designated as an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. Winners of the narrative and animation short competitions are automatically qualified for Academy Award consideration.

“Because of our Academy Award qualifier status, we tend to receive an impressive amount of short film entries each year,” says Brian Owens, NaFF artistic director. “The downside is that it’s not easy to cull down more than 1,600 short films. There are so many great films we can’t fit. The upside is that what we’ve ended up with is like a mini World Cinema category with ten times as many films! This year’s selection, from both veterans, like Academy Award winner Ray McKinnon, and newcomers, is thrilling.”

A complete list of animated, narrative and documentary shorts follows. Previously announced feature films in competition and non-competition categories, as well as Special Presentations and additional films announced today, are available at nashvillefilmfestival.org. Panels, jurors, music showcases and a complete schedule will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Tickets for the festival go on sale to the general public on April 7. Members of the media wishing to apply for media credentials may do so now at nashvillefilmfestival.org/press > "Apply for Media Credentials."

Nashville Film Festival is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and receives funding from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund and William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Ann & Lance Krafft Charitable Lead Trust, The Memorial Foundation, Nashville Metro Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, and its generous patrons and sponsors.

Short Films in Competition(Director(s) / Country(s) of Origin / Running Time)

Animated Shorts

Amazonia (Sam Chen / USA / 5 minutes)

Barko (Allison Craig / USA / 8 minutes)

Bike Race (Tom Schroeder / USA / 12 minutes)

Birdboy (Pedro Rivero & Alberto Vázquez / Spain / 12 minutes)

Cheez…z (Arut Tantasirin / 3 minutes)

The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger (Bill Plympton / USA / 6 minutes)

Danny & Annie (The Rauch Brothers / USA / 6 minutes)

The Eagleman Stag (Mikey Please / United Kingdom / 9 minutes) – BAFTA winner for Best Animated

Family Portrait (Joseph Pierce / United Kingdom / 5 minutes)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg / USA / 17 minutes)

The Gruffalo (Barney Goodland / United Kingdom / 27 minutes)

Heart (Erick Oh / South Korea / 9 minutes)

The Human Voice (The Rauch Brothers / USA / 4 minutes)

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation (Stefan Leuchtenberg & Martin Wallner / Germany / 15 minutes)

Luna (Rafael & Raúl Cardenas / Mexico / 8 minutes)

Machines of the Working Class (James & Robert Dastoli / USA / 2 minutes)

Margarita (Alex Cervantes / Spain / 14 minutes)

Mobile (Verena Fels / Germany / 6 minutes)

Not Over Easy (Jordan Canning / Canada / 6 minutes)

Paths of Hate (Damian Nenow / Poland / 10 minutes)

Something Left, Something Taken (Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata / USA / 11 minutes)

The Tannery (Iain Gardner / United Kingdom / 6 minutes)

Thought of You (Ryan Woodward / USA / 3 minutes)

Tussilago (Jonas Odell / Sweden / 14 minutes)

Tord and Tord (Niki Lindroth von Bahr / 11 minutes)

Narrative Shorts

 

3x3 (Nuno Rocha / Portugal / 6 minutes)

40 Years (Russell Appleford / United Kingdom / 14 minutes)

After You Left (Jef Taylor / USA / 20 minutes)

Baby (Daniel Mulloy / United Kingdom / 25 minutes) - British Independent Film Award for Best British Short Film 2010

Bedfellows (Pierre Stefanos / USA / 15 minutes)

Close (Tahir Jetter / USA / 8 minutes)

Cockroach (Luke Eve / Australia / 14 minutes)

Cold Turkey (Gavin Keane / Ireland / 11 minutes)

Crazy Beats Strong Every Time (Moon Molson / USA / 27 minutes)

Daddy Bird (Eliav Mason / Israel / 23 minutes)

Darryn Exists (Jamie Lawrence / New Zealand / 15 minutes)

Dead in the Room (Adam Pertofsky / USA / 9 minutes)

Deeper Than Yesterday (Ariel Kleiman / Australia / 20 minutes) 2011 Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking

Disco (Luke Snellin / United Kingdom / 15 minutes)

Ever Here I Be (Kate Burton / United Kingdom / 16 minutes)

Ex-Sex (Michael Mohan / USA / 9 minutes)

The Father (David Easteal / Australia / 16 minutes)

Fatum! (Pablo Millan / Spain / 9 minutes)

Forever's Gonna Start Tonight (Eliza Hittman / USA / 16 minutes)

Franswa Sharl (Hannah Hillard / Australia / 14 minutes) – Winner of the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at 2010 Berlin

God and Moses BFF (John Gray / USA / 11 minutes)

God of Love (Luke Matheny / USA / 18 minutes) - Oscar for live action short film 2011

The Gold Mine (Jacques Bonnavent / Mexico / 11 minutes) Best of the Festival 16th Palm Springs International ShortFest

Habibi (Antonella Perrucci / Italy / 10 minutes)

The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting (Emily Carmichael / USA / 8 minutes)

Incident by a Bank (Ruben Östlund / Sweden / 12 minutes)

Korean Barbeque (Christopher Manus / USA / 8 minutes)

Koreatown (Maura Milan / USA / 6 minutes)

Let's Dance (John Thompson / USA / 6 minutes)

Lights (Giulio Ricciarelli / Germany / 14 minutes)

Little Children, Big Words (Lisa James Larsen / Sweden / 12 minutes)

Love Birds (Brian Lye / Czech Republic / 7 minutes)

Marv Freetell's Wedding Day (Tricia Lee / Canada / 6 minutes)

Mary Last Seen (Sean Durkin / USA / 15 minutes) Winner of the SFR Short Film Award at 2010 Director’s Fortnight in Cannes

Molemate (Geoff Bailey / USA / 7 minutes)

Momentos (Nuno Rocha / Portugal / 7 minutes)

On Leave (Regila) (Asat Saban / Israel / 15 minutes)

One Man and His Dog (Jonathan Hopkins / United Kingdom / 8 minutes)

Pioneer (David Lowery / USA / 15 minutes)

The Pool (Thomas Hefferon / Ireland / 12 minutes)

Protopartículas (Chema García Ibarra / Spain / 7 minutes) 2011 Sundance Film Festival Shorts Jury Awarded Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking

Quality Time (James Redford / USA / 9 minutes)

The Queen (Christina Choe / USA / 8 minutes)

Spanola Pepper Sauce Company (Ray McKinnon / USA / 8 minutes)

The Story of My Life (Toute ma vie) (Pierre Ferriere / France / 6 minutes) 2010 Palm Springs International SHORTFEST AWARD WINNER: Future Filmmaker Award

The Tailor (Gordon Grinberg / USA / 7 minutes)

The Terrys (Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim / USA / 17 minutes)

That Thing You Drew (Kerri Davenport-Burton / United Kingdom / 8 minutes)

To Kill a Bumblebee (Laharog Dvora) (Sharon Maymon / Israel / 7 minutes)

Tuya (Ivan Mazza / Uruguay / Venezuela / 29 minutes)

Umshini Wam (Harmony Korine / USA / 15 minutes)

Vicky and Sam (Nuno Rocha / USA / 14 minutes)

Viki Ficki (Natalie Spinell / Germany / 18 minutes)

White Other (Dan Hartley / United Kingdom / 13 minutes)

Yoghurt (Sanna Lenken / Sweden / 29 minutes)

You Too (Na Wewe) (Ivan Goldschmidt / Burundi / Belgium / 19 minutes)

Documentary Shorts

10 Years to Nashville (10 lat do Nashville) (Katarzyna Trzaska / Poland 38 minutes)

Bathing Micky (Micky Bader) (Frida Kempff / Denmark / 14 minutes) – Jury Prize Short Film 2010 Cannes

Bye (Anthony Morrison / USA / 10 minutes)

Bye Bye Now! (Aideen O'Sullivan / Ireland / 15 minutes)

Departing Rosewood (Susan Hannah Hadary / USA / 27 minutes)

Grandpa's Wet Dream (Chihiro Amemiya / Japan / 16 minutes)

I Love My Woman (Otis Kriegel / USA / 13 minutes)

Just About Famous (Matthew Mamula & Jason Kovacsev / USA / 15 minutes)

Legend:  A Film About Greg Garing (Emily Branham / USA / 8 minutes)

Living for 32 (Kevin Breslin / USA / 40 minutes)

Missed Connections (Mary Robertson / USA / 9 minutes)

Mr. Happy Man (Matt Morris / USA / 11 minutes)

The Rabbi and Cesar Chavez (Daniel Robin / USA / 14 minutes)

Save the Farm (Michael Kuehnert / USA / 24 minutes)

Ultra Violet for Sixteen Minutes (David Henry Gerson / USA / 16 minutes)

Wild Horses in Winds of Change (Mara LeGrand / USA / 30 minutes)

Experimental Shorts

Abstract? (Alexei Dmitriev / Russia / 4 minutes)

All Flowers in Time (Jonathan Caouette / Canada / 14 minutes)

close your eyes (Billy Roisz / Austria / 13 minutes)

the Healers (Tim Leyendekker / Netherlands / 10 minutes)

The Holy Chicken of Life and Music (Yannis Konstantinidis / Greece / 3 minutes)

In Between (Tamar Shippony / Israel / 2 minutes)

Ink Eraser (Veronika Schubert / Austria / 4 minutes)

just a meaning that you attribute to it (Bernadette Anzengruber / Austria / 10 minutes)

Mugs (Ronnie Cramer / USA / 4 minutes)

One (TJ Thyne / USA / 4 minutes)

Rain (Regen) (Magdalena Barthofer / Austria / 2 minutes)

STATE OF FLUX - Wave#3 (Rainer Gamsjäger / Austria / 11 minutes)

The Waltz King (Adnan Popovic / Austria / 5 minutes)

Who By Fire (Aleisa Moussa / USA / 12 minutes)

Worship (Natalie Bennett / United Kingdom / 11 minutes)

Tennessee Shorts

The 30-Day Challenge (Drew Langer / USA / 30 minutes)

City of Dreams: Artists for Tennessee Flood Relief (Julian Chojnacki / USA / 5 minutes)

Crème Roll Confessions (Stephen Lackey / USA / 8) – Best Mockumentary, 2010 Nashville 48 Hour Film Project

Figure / Ground (Daniel Henry / USA / 15 minutes)

40 Years on the Farm (Ed Lamvert / USA / 52 minutes)

Jesus with a Mohawk (Kevin Scott Page / USA / 4 minutes)

John Delaney Died Last Night (Charles Kanganis / USA / 21 minutes)

Mast Farm Inn Sessions (A Study in Songwriting) (Craig Havighurst / USA / 26 minutes)

Nashville Rises (Zac Adams / USA / 28 minutes)

Scorned (Waheed AlQawasmi / USA / 12 minutes)

Swing (Matt Schosser & Shane Bartlett / USA / 7 minutes)

A Toast to J. Edgar Hoover (William M. Akers / USA / 10 minutes)

M.I. (Paul Cain & Doug Mallette / USA / 9 minutes)

Young Filmmakers Shorts

2AM (Joseph Procopio / Canada / 6 minutes)

J’adoube (Watkins Pre-College Film Students / USA / 17 minutes)

Finding My Way (Emma Strebel / USA / 2 minutes)

The Forest (Rachel Clyde / USA / 3)

Larry Hunt: Bucketman (Miguel Calayan / USA / 6 minutes)

The Math Test (Sam Rubin / USA / 5 minutes)

Ndapewa: I Am Given (Erin Buckley / Namibia / 15 minutes)