Skip to site content

Milestones of the Last Quarter Century

As we conclude a year of programs, seminars and special events dedicated Belcourt 100, our centennial as Nashville’s oldest neighborhood cinema, it seemed appropriate to look back specifically at our last quarter century — a turning point (starting in 2000) when our building was saved, a new 501(c) was formed, and the Belcourt Theatre earned the moniker we hold today as Nashville’s Nonprofit Film Center. To do so, we have gathered this unique collection of films, each its own kind of milestone in our last quarter century and tied to a particular moment.

This series made possible with generous support from the Manzlers and Webbs.
Synopses and context compiled by Toby Leonard

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
Mon, May 18 at 1:15pm, 5:30pm

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

As the Belcourt simultaneously wraps our 26th year as a nonprofit and the building’s 100th, our look back at this past quarter-century kicks off with a beacon of sorts. Morgan Neville’s inspiring portrait of Mister Rogers, America's favorite neighbor, took us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe. It was and remains the most successful run of our tenure — but more importantly, an anecdote from the not-too-distant past to the weight of our current time.
MOONRISE KINGDOM
Tue, May 19 at 1:00pm, 6:05pm

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. It was also at the center of a positively scorching Nashville summer and a possibly childbirth-inducing opening weekend.
I AM CUBA
Tue, May 19 at 3:10pm, 8:10pm

I AM CUBA

Director Mikhail Kalatozov’s delirious 1964 masterpiece unfolds in four stunning vignettes that paint a portrait of pre-revolutionary Cuba — its culture and the people who call the island home. Shot soon after the Cuban Missile Crisis, this wildly offbeat but influential work represents an early effort to keep abreast of the ongoing and crucial work of film preservation — even if our means of exhibition left much to be desired at the time.
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR
Wed, May 20 at 1:55pm, 6:50pm

AU HASARD BALTHAZAR

Widely considered to be Robert Bresson’s masterpiece, AU HASARD BALTHAZAR charts the adverse lives of a donkey named Balthazar and Marie, the young girl who named him.
THE TREE OF LIFE
Wed, May 20 at 4:00pm

THE TREE OF LIFE

As the Nashville Scene’s dearly departed editor and film critic Jim Ridley noted at the top of his review of THE TREE OF LIFE: “Nothing makes people hate Terrence Malick's movies more than someone describing Terrence Malick's movies.” At its core, THE TREE OF LIFE is the story of a family in Waco, TX circa mid-1950s. Among others, it stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain and Tye Sheridan in his feature debut. Sundays at the Belcourt can hold a special place.
ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL
Mon, May 18 at 3:40pm, 8:00pm

ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL

Lifelong friends and Torontonians Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner founded Anvil in 1978, bridging the era of 70s hard rock and 80s metal. As bands they’d influenced rose to icon status, Anvil struggled in relative obscurity and yet their dedication to their craft and to each other never once wavered. Documented in the ensuing decades by their friend and roadie, this documentary was born, the band toured with it and brought it here for one night only.
THE WILD BUNCH (35mm)
Sat, May 23 at 12:00pm | Sun, May 24 at 12:00pm, 7:45pm

THE WILD BUNCH (35mm)

A master work of the Revisionist Western subgenre and a personal fave of our dear, recently passed H.G. Webb, Sam Peckinpah’s classic THE WILD BUNCH tells the tale of a band of aging outlaws forced to contend with the inevitable death of their chosen lifestyle and the Old West as they once knew it.
BOYHOOD
Sat, May 23 at 3:10pm | Mon, May 25 at 4:35pm

BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater's groundbreaking film is seen through the eyes of a child (Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes, and stars Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents. It was filmed incrementally over 12 years, and it’s now been 12 years since most people have seen it.
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
Tue, May 26 at 6:15pm

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO

Beyond its relevance as a great documentary in a time of change, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO unwittingly marked a crucial entry point into in a golden era of documentaries that really turned folks out — as much and even more than narrative features at the time. Raoul Peck’s modern classic remains essential.
STOP MAKING SENSE
Mon, May 25 at 2:30pm, 8:00pm, 10:05pm

STOP MAKING SENSE

Of the Talking Heads’ 1984 concert film, Jim Ridley wrote, “The first concert I ever saw was the Talking Heads’ Speaking in Tongues tour at Municipal Auditorium in 1983; it made me a concertgoer for life, but I’m not sure I got as much out of it live as I did reliving it through Jonathan Demme’s peerless performance film.” STOP MAKING SENSE screens in Jim’s honor.