Nashville: A City On Film

This June marks the Belcourt's 100th birthday — and our 25th year as a nonprofit. To commemorate, we launch an ongoing project exploring the history of films shot in and around Nashville. From studio-backed features to scrappy indie productions, these films capture a city in flux and reflect a filmmaking legacy that continues to evolve — much of it intersecting with the Belcourt’s own past in interesting ways. This initial series highlights just eight such titles — but it’s only the beginning. In other words, watch this space!

Mon, Mar 2 at 8:00pm

COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (35mm)

Ossie Davis’s 1970 action-comedy follows Harlem detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson as they unravel a con involving stolen charity funds and a crooked Back-to-Africa scheme. Featuring Redd Foxx and Nashville-born actress Helen Martin, the film blends satire and social critique, marking a turning point in Black independent cinema.

Mon, Feb 23 | Seminar at 7:00pm, Film at 8:00pm

Seminar: Nashville’s Black Cinema Culture: A Hidden History of Film From Music City + STORMY WEATHER

This Belcourt 100 seminar reveals a century of filmmaking shaped by Black Nashvillians, examining the actors, directors, writers, exhibitors and theaters that fostered Black cinema culture during and after Jim Crow segregation — and traces how Nashville’s Black creatives used the moving image to reflect lived experience and shape cultural identity, positioning Music City as an overlooked center of African American cinema. Includes a screening of STORMY WEATHER immediately following at 8:00pm.

Mon, Jan 5 at 2:20pm, 8:00pm

HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS

Marking its 50th anniversary, HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS captures the rise of Outlaw Country through intimate portraits of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and others. Filmed in Texas and Nashville, it traces the genre’s raw, rebellious roots within the city’s evolving history in American roots music culture.

Mon, Jan 12 | Seminar at 7:00pm, Film at 8:00pm

Seminar: A History of Nashville’s Film Culture: A Century of Filmmaking in Music City + RANCHO DELUXE

Tracing a century of filmmaking in and about Music City, this seminar explores how Nashville became both a subject and a site for American cinema. From Southern stories to music-driven productions, it also highlights Belcourt's enduring role in shaping — and showcasing — the city’s evolving film culture. Includes a screening of RANCHO DELUXE immediately following at 8:00pm.

Encore: Sun, Jan 25 at 11:50am

YOU GOT GOLD: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE

Capturing a star-studded tribute to the legendary songwriter filmed in October 2022 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, YOU GOT GOLD brings together acclaimed artists, friends and family to share behind-the-scenes stories and perform classic songs, honoring John Prine's enduring legacy.

Thu, Feb 5 at 2:50pm, 8:00pm

DEAD POETS SOCIETY

Directed by Peter Weir and written by Nashville native Tom Schulman, DEAD POETS SOCIETY stars Robin Williams as a teacher who inspires students to defy conformity. Featuring Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard, the story draws from Schulman’s experience at Montgomery Bell Academy, shaping the film’s Nashville themes and setting.

Mon, Feb 2 at 2:50pm, 8:00pm

AT CLOSE RANGE (35mm)

Inspired by true events, James Foley (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS) directs Sean Penn and Christopher Walken as a father-son-duo caught in a violent crime ring. Filmed just outside Nashville, the film blends Southern noir with Brat Pack-era sincerity, featuring Mary Stuart Masterson and Kiefer Sutherland.

Encores: Thu, Jul 3 at 4:50pm | Fri, Jul 4 at 12:30pm

NASHVILLE

In its 50th anniversary, NASHVILLE serves as a fitting kick-off for the Belcourt’s own 100th anniversary. A panoramic view of political and cultural landscapes set in the milieu of 1970s Nashville, Robert Altman’s cornerstone film weaves the stories of 24 characters — from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress — into a cinematic tapestry that’s equal parts comedy, tragedy and musical. Part of Nashville: A City On Film and Weekend Classics: Altman at 100

Sat, Jun 7 | 10:00–11:00am

Nashville: Hick Flick, U.S.A.

Nashville: Hick Flick, U.S.A. explores the city’s 1960s–’70s exploitation film scene, where low-budget Southern stories met national audiences through drive-ins and neighborhood theaters. The program traces the legacy of these films into the 2000s—from the Ernest franchise to Harmony Korine—and their lasting ties to Belcourt's own history. A Belcourt 100 Seminar

Mon, Jun 9 at 8:00pm

THE THING CALLED LOVE (35mm)

Relocating to Nashville from her native New York, a singer/songwriter hopeful (Samantha Mathis) lands a job at the Bluebird and falls in with a new group of friends and musicians — navigating romance, auditions, and writer sessions in early ‘90s Music City. Local cameos and time capsule locations abound in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1993 drama. Part of Nashville: A City On Film

Nashville: A City On Film

COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (35mm)

Seminar: Nashville’s Black Cinema Culture: A Hidden History of Film From Music City + STORMY WEATHER

HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS

Seminar: A History of Nashville’s Film Culture: A Century of Filmmaking in Music City + RANCHO DELUXE

YOU GOT GOLD: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE

DEAD POETS SOCIETY

AT CLOSE RANGE (35mm)

NASHVILLE

Nashville: Hick Flick, U.S.A.

THE THING CALLED LOVE (35mm)

In Theatre

Today

Tuesday, Feb 17

Wednesday, Feb 18

Thursday, Feb 19

Friday, Feb 20

Saturday, Feb 21

Sunday, Feb 22

Monday, Feb 23