Doc Spotlight

Ticket 5-Pack: $40 ($30 Belcourt members)

PURCHASE TICKET 5-PACKS
Your 5-Pack purchase includes invitations to opening and closing night mixers, as well as a complimentary ticket to a seminar on the documentary genre. (Details on mixer events and the seminar TBA.)

We’re so excited to share some of our recent favorite nonfiction cinematic treasures throughout this month-long salute to documentary film in all its many forms. This year’s lineup features deeply personal explorations of music, mortality and memory — both individual and collective — and offers a unique, humane perspective on the issues our society is facing. Including exciting stories of artists and musicians, tales of rebellion and perseverance in the face of adversity and intimate observations of the human condition, we’ll see some of the most anticipated documentaries of the year.

And it wouldn’t be the Belcourt if we didn’t offer plenty of opportunities to connect with filmmakers, local experts and community members taking on these issues first-hand. In addition to these trademark education and engagement events, we’ll offer a number of chances to meet up with other documentary lovers to celebrate the art form and compare notes on favorites.

Doc Spotlight Opening Night Mixer (Fri, Sep 1 at 6:00pm): As we kick off the month-long Doc Spotlight series with a special screening of LAKOTA NATION VS. THE UNITED STATES, join the Belcourt and other documentary lovers in the upstairs Jackson Education and Engagement Space for complimentary light refreshments and conversation. (Free to ticket holders and Doc Spotlight 5-Pack holders.)

Ways of Seeing: A Documentary Seminar (Sat, Sep 23, 11am-12:15pm): Presented in conjunction with the Belcourt’s Doc Spotlight series, this seminar is for anyone interested in the documentary form. Tickets are $15 ($12 for Belcourt members) or free with purchase of a Doc Spotlight Ticket 5-Pack. Presented by Carmine Grimaldi, documentary filmmaker and assistant professor of cinema and media arts at Vanderbilt University.

Doc Spotlight closing mixer (Sat, Sep 30 at 12:00pm): Join us before INVISIBLE BEAUTY for complimentary refreshments and conversation.

Upcoming Screenings

Encore: Fri-Mon, Sep 22-25

THE ELEPHANT 6 RECORDING CO.

An inside look at the Elephant 6 Recording Co., the ’90s rock collective that launched Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples in Stereo and more. Part of Doc Spotlight and Music City Mondays

Fri-Sun, Sep 15-24

KING COAL

Oscar-nominated Knoxville-based filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking in a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia where coal is not just a resource, but a way of life. Part of Doc Spotlight

Fri-Wed, Sep 22-27

AURORA’S SUNRISE

With a blend of vivid animation, interviews and 18 minutes of surviving footage from the lost silent epic in which she plays herself, AURORA’S SUNRISE tells the true story of how a 14-year-old girl escaped the slaughter of the Armenian genocide and embarked upon an odyssey that took her to the heights of Hollywood stardom. Part of Doc Spotlight

Sat, Sep 23 | 11:00am-12:15pm

Ways of Seeing: A Documentary Seminar

Presented in conjunction with the Belcourt’s Doc Spotlight series, this seminar is for anyone interested in the documentary form. Documentary filmmaker and Vanderbilt cinema and media arts assistant professor Carmine Grimaldi will explore the trajectory of documentary film from the birth of cinema to contemporary trends. He’ll discuss documentary styles and practices and explore multiple ways of looking at documentary films, including some of the titles featured in the Doc Spotlight series. The seminar will challenge viewers to see documentaries in new ways, and send participants home with a list of films for recommended viewing.

Mon, Sep 25 at 4:00pm, 8:00pm

MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES

Explores the life and music of the legendary drummer, composer, bandleader and social activist through a remarkable series of creative peaks, struggles and personal reinventions — from the Jim Crow era to the Civil Rights years, surveying the heady days of post-war modern jazz to hip hop and beyond. Co-directed by Sam Pollard (MR SOUL, MLK/FBI). Part of Doc Spotlight and Music City Mondays

Opens Thu, Sep 28

STOP MAKING SENSE

Director Jonathan Demme's creative genius and the Talking Heads' explosive energy throughout this 16-song performance make this one of the greatest concert films of all time. Part of Doc Spotlight New 4K Restoration

Sat-Tue, Sep 30-Oct 3

INVISIBLE BEAUTY

Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity. In tandem with Frédéric Tcheng (HALSTON, DIOR AND I), Hardison and her co-director craft an absorbing record of Hardison’s accomplishments and a rare contemplation on the life of a radical thinker. Part of Doc Spotlight

Mon, Oct 2 at 8:00pm

The Cramps & The Mutants: The Napa State Tapes

On June 13, 1978, the soon-to-be legendary rock band The Cramps went to play Napa State, a psychiatric hospital in the small town of Napa in Northern California. Opening for them was The Mutants, an eclectic septet of art school punks from nearby San Francisco. Here for the first time ever: the long lost footage, unedited, remastered from the original reel-to-reel videotape, and further contextualized by a short documentary. Part of Doc Spotlight and Music City Mondays

Wed-Sun, Oct 4-8

MUTINY IN HEAVEN: NICK CAVE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

A raw, intimate, immersive look at the influential punk, goth rock band that unleashed Nick Cave to the world stage. Featuring a wealth of unseen footage, original artwork, unreleased tracks, animation, and told exclusively by the group's members, MUTINY IN HEAVEN is the story of epic struggle, artistic genius and total chaos. Part of Doc Spotlight

Past Screenings

Wed, Sep 6 at 3:30pm

LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES

The Lakota’s century-long quest to reclaim the Black Hills is chronicled in filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s searing portrait of resistance, written and narrated by acclaimed poet Layli Long Soldier. Part of Doc Spotlight

Sun-Wed, Sep 3-6

UMBERTO ECO: A LIBRARY OF THE WORLD

Director Davide Ferrario talks with Umberto Eco and friends about his life and his private library, which consists of more than 30,000 volumes of contemporary titles and 1,500 rare and ancient books. Part of Doc Spotlight

Fri-Tue, Sep 8-12

KOKOMO CITY

Filmmaker D. Smith passes the mic to four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City — Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver — who unapologetically break down the walls of their profession. Part of Doc Spotlight

Tue, Sep 12 at 3:20pm, 7:00pm

THE ETERNAL MEMORY

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s eight years ago, a prominent political commentator and his wife struggle with the heartbreaking disease as the film chronicles the couple’s daily routine while they savor what they have left. Winner – Sundance Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary Competition. Part of Doc Spotlight

Tue-Wed, Sep 19-20

OUR BODY

French documentary titan Claire Simon observes the everyday operations of the gynecological ward in a public hospital in Paris. In the tradition of Frederick Wiseman, this stunning and poignant look at the spectrum — from birth to death — of women’s experiences within hospital walls is as relevant as it is revelatory. Part of Doc Spotlight

Mon, Sep 18 at 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm

I WENT TO THE DANCE (J’AI ÉTÉ AU BAL)

Newly restored, the seminal film on the history of the foot-stomping, toe-tapping music of Southwest Louisiana from master documentarian Les Blank and co-director Chris Strachwitz brims with tender affection for its subjects, the vitality of their marvelous music, and a generosity of spirit. Part of Doc Spotlight and Music City Mondays

Doc Spotlight

Upcoming Screenings

THE ELEPHANT 6 RECORDING CO.

KING COAL

AURORA’S SUNRISE

Ways of Seeing: A Documentary Seminar

MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES

STOP MAKING SENSE

INVISIBLE BEAUTY

The Cramps & The Mutants: The Napa State Tapes

MUTINY IN HEAVEN: NICK CAVE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Past Screenings

LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES

UMBERTO ECO: A LIBRARY OF THE WORLD

KOKOMO CITY

THE ETERNAL MEMORY

OUR BODY

I WENT TO THE DANCE (J’AI ÉTÉ AU BAL)

In Theatre

Today

Friday, Sep 22

Saturday, Sep 23

Sunday, Sep 24

Monday, Sep 25

Tuesday, Sep 26

Wednesday, Sep 27

Thursday, Sep 28