Celebrating 100 Years of Film in Tennessee
Tennessee International
Indie Film Festival
August 1-6, 2023 at the Historic
Franklin Theatre
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Best Feature Film
Wish Man
Genre: Drama
Director: Theo Davies
Runtime: 89min
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The true story of FRANK SHANKWITZ, Arizona Motorcycle Cop and tells the story. of his meeting a terminally ill boy which inspires him to to transform his life. This ultimately leads to the founding of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Critics say Wish Man is: "heart wrenching” “funny”, “courageous” "death defying", and ”inspiring”.
Best Short Film
Best Doc Feature
Best Doc Short Film
Wish Man
Genre: Drama
Director: Theo Davies
Runtime: 89min
​
Bio:
The true story of FRANK SHANKWITZ, Arizona Motorcycle Cop and tells the story. of his meeting a terminally ill boy which inspires him to to transform his life. This ultimately leads to the founding of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Critics say Wish Man is: "heart wrenching” “funny”, “courageous” "death defying", and ”inspiring”.
Against the Wall
Genre: Documentary
Director: Kyle Saylors
Runtime: 39min
Bio: This is a true life, inspirational short documentary called, AGAINST THE WALL, about the life of Kevin Foster, who became the only person allowed by the Chinese government to ride a bicycle atop the length of the Great Wall, despite being told by doctors he would never walk or talk again after being electrocuted as a child.
Best Music Film
The Musicianer
Genre: Supernatural
Director: Beth Harrington
Runtime: 24min
Bio: Yodelin’ Vern Lockhart is a hillbilly singer with a problem. On the verge of stardom in the late 1920s, he inadvertently has become immortal, a situation he only dimly glimpses. But when he encounters Jo Cullen, a present-day musicologist who’s expert on Vern’s past, he begins to grasp the deal with the devil he’s made. An Americana music saga with a supernatural bent.
Best Music Video
Angelina Tout
Genre: Music Video
Director: Sarah Mallabar
Runtime: 4min
Best Foreign Film
Kid Gloves
Genre: Romance, Drama
Director: Theresa Kowall Shipp
Runtime: 18min
Country: Canada
Bio: A lonely house cleaner develops an obsession collecting glove thumbs while a little girl goes missing.
Best New Media
Wuchina Twin Time: Feat. Special Guest Greg Kinnear
Directors: Eyon and Ivan Wuchina
Runtime: 19:47
Bio: Our exclusive interview with Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, one of our all time favorite actors!
He gets candid and goes deep as he discusses:
Brian Banks, portraying real life people, his Oscar nomination, Tom Shadyac, having his own action figure, Aldis Hodge, Mystery Men, his thoughts on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The Last Song/Miley Cyrus, Anchorman 2, his favorite movie genres, Auto Focus, California Innocence Project, Little Miss Sunshine, Loser, his favorite actors, As Good As It Gets, his favorite roles, and much, much more!!!
Best Faith Based Feature
Best Faith Based Short Film
Why She Smiles
Genre: Documentary
Director: Caroline Sims
Runtime: 39min
Bio: Why She Smiles is the life and story of 34-year old Jamie Sorum and her fatal diagnosis of Huntington's Disease. "Why She Smiles" brings awareness to the necessity of a cure, and Jamie's unfathomable reality of facing each breath with hope, joy, and incredible bravery.
Best Social Messaging Film
Audience Favorite
The Prison Within
Genre: Documentary
Director: Katherin Hervey
Runtime: 86min
Bio: THE PRISON WITHIN is a relevant and timely documentary exploring the destructive impact of untreated trauma on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in circle inside San Quentin prison.
Best Tennessee Film
The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty
Genre: Documentary
Director: Sergio Valenzuela
Runtime: 82min
Perry, OK is home to a century-old high school wrestling dynasty and the most prolific winning streak in all of sports. But, most don’t know about it.
During the 2016-17 season, the streak was in jeopardy. Decades of sacrifice and tradition were on the line. These teenage kids aren’t just wrestling against an opponent, they are wrestling against the burden of history.
Would this team succumb to pressure or carry on the legacy?
Narrated by Trace Adkins.