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Welcome
to TIIFF!

Welcome to the Tennessee International Indie Film Festival, or as it is affectionately referred to by many, 'Tennessee Indie'. Here we showcase the best in both Tennessee and global independent cinema! As a premier destination for both emerging and established filmmakers, we strive to celebrate and foster creativity, diversity, and innovation in the independent film community.

We host local arts and film related events throughout the year, with our flagship event being the annual Tennessee International Indie Film Festival! Come join us for an amazing time!

A Message from our Director

On behalf of Williamson County Cultural Arts Commission (WCCAC), the historic Franklin Theatre and the heritage foundations of both Franklin and Williamson County, our sponsors, staff, and volunteers, I want to welcome you to the 7th edition of TIIFF - August 1-6 2023.

In celebration of 100 years of film in Tennessee, we gather collaborators and industry influencers of today for our filmmakers, audiences, and new media makers. TIIFF would not be possible without our creative community of film lovers and enthusiasts. 

Franklin is a place where country music royalty and Hollywood stars collide with a friendly, local crowd. We'd be honored if you'd join us. Come for a film and stay for a panel or meetup with like-minded filmgoers. There are talkbacks after each film block to provide perspective and insights that may help on your filmmaking journey. Thank you for coming to the Tennessee International Indie Film Festival!

Nancy Puetz, Festival Director

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Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl
01:00
Hating Peter Tatchell Trailer
02:21

Hating Peter Tatchell Trailer

Winner of the Audience Award at this year's Sydney Mardi Gras Queer Screen's Film Festival and Winner of Best Original Score at the Documentary at the International Sound & Film Music Festival, Hating Peter Tatchell is one of this year's must-see documentaries. Nominated for multiple awards including Best Feature Length Documentary at the Screen Producers Australia Awards and Best Direction in a Documentary Feature at the Director's Guild Awards. A contender for this year's Australian Academy of Cinema, Television Arts (AACTA) for Best Documentary craft awards and Asia Pacific Screen Awards. From executive producers Elton John and David Furnish, Hating Peter Tatchell is the powerful and inspiring true story of the controversial human rights campaigner whose provocative acts of civil disobedience rocked the British establishment, and revolutionise attitudes to homosexuality and exposed world tyrants. Featuring an amazing array of rare archives and an intimate conversation between celebrated actor Ian McKellen and Peter himself, as well as evocative interviews with the likes of former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, activist Angela Mason, and actor Stephen Fry, this film explores what motivates Peter Tatchell's lifelong fight for equality. The documentary follows Peter Tatchell’s childhood life, his relationship with his mother and his influences in Melbourne, Australia, including his involvement in the movement against the Vietnam War and the draft in the 1960s. Hating Peter Tatchell also includes Peter’s confrontations with Mike Tyson (2002) and Robert Mugabe (1999 and 2001), his Bermondsey by-election bid for parliament in 1983 (the most homophobic election in British history), staging the first LGBT+ protest in a communist country (East Germany 1973), and his Easter Sunday protest in Canterbury Cathedral in 1998 against the anti-gay policies of the then leader of the global Anglican church, Archbishop George Carey. The film shadows him as he embarks on his bid to protest at the FIFA World Cup in Moscow in 2018, to draw attention to the persecution of LGBT+ people in Russia and Chechnya. We witness his arrest near Red Square and the Kremlin.
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