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The Belcourt Theatre

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!

THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED
Tue, Oct 7 at 5:45pm

THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED

In a Depression-era Mississippi town, a radiant yet restless Southern belle’s romance with a railroad official defies her domineering mother. Adapted from Tennessee Williams’s play, the film was co-written by Nashvillian Fred Coe, whose theatrical roots lie in Belcourt’s playhouse era. A moody portrait of longing and repression, it embodies Southern theatrical tradition and Nashville’s mid-century cinema arts culture and community.
Seminar: The History of The Opry at Belcourt + NASHVILLE REBEL (35mm)
Mon, Nov 17 | Seminar at 7:00pm, Film at 8:00pm

Seminar: The History of The Opry at Belcourt + NASHVILLE REBEL (35mm)

As the Grand Ole Opry grew into a national institution, it spent seven formative months on our stage — then the Hillsboro Theatre. This seminar revisits the Opry’s brief but pivotal stay at the Belcourt (1935–1936), correcting the historical record and exploring its enduring impact on Nashville’s cultural and filmmaking identity while honoring the shared centennials of two Tennessee icons: the Opry and the Belcourt Theatre. Includes a screening NASHVILLE REBEL (35mm) immediately following at 8:00pm.
HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS
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.
Seminar: A History of Nashville’s Film Culture: A Century of Filmmaking in Music City + RANCHO DELUXE
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.
YOU GOT GOLD: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE
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.
AT CLOSE RANGE (35mm)
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.
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
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.
Seminar: Nashville’s Black Cinema Culture: A Hidden History of Film From Music City + STORMY WEATHER
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.
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