The Historic Franklin Theatre and Nashville Film Festival are proud to announce a special Tennessee Short Film Showcase at the Franklin Theatre on Thursday, June 17 at 7pm. The event will feature eight short films from Tennessee filmmakers including: Bury Me at Taylor Hollow directed by Orion Pahl; La Sirena directed by Matteo Servente; Ten by Ten directed by Jami L. Bennett; Hermie directed by Jonathan Becker & Anthony Pitsilos; Champagne For One directed by Seth Iliff; Carthage House of Beauty directed by Allison Inman; A Family That Steals Dogs directed by John C Kelley and Porch Pirates directed by Zack Frost and Jeremy Frost.
The curated selection of short films will be presented and followed by Q&A sessions with attending filmmakers. Each of the films have also been previously featured as official selections of the Nashville Film Festival in recent years.
Bury Me at Taylor Hollow
Synopsis: After 15 years in the funeral industry, John Christian Phifer is creating the first conservation burial ground in Tennessee.
Bury Me at Taylor Hollow follows the growing pains of Larkspur as they set out to buy land for both natural burial and conservation. In light of the climate crisis, it’s an unforgettable and hopeful glimpse into an alternative approach to death and dying in America.
Run time: 31 minutes
Director: Orion Pahl
Producers: Orion Pahl, Rebekah Pahl
Cast: John Christian Phifer, Rev. Becca Stevens, Don Welch
Cinematographer: Orion Pahl
Editor: Orion Pahl
La Sirena
Synopsis: An imaginative 11-year-old boy barrels into a rural town in a stolen Trans-Am, upending the careful routines of a widowed police dispatcher and a secretive barber.
Run time: 13 min
Director: Matteo Servente
Producers: Joseph Carr, Phil Newsom
Cast: Beth Grant, John Diehl, Max Havens
Cinematographer: Ryan Earl Parker
Editor: Laura Jean Hocking
Ten by Ten
Synopsis: After living in Asia for over a decade and longing for a taste of home, Jessica opened a Tennessee-style diner out of her home in Jeju, South Korea. But after appearing on one of the country’s most popular television programs, she and her husband Dongseop must adjust to the shock of newfound TV fame, the crowds of curious new customers it brings, and the growing uncertainty of a global pandemic.
Run time: 29 min
Director(s): Jami L. Bennett
Producer(s): Jami L. Bennett
Cast: Jessica Bennett & Dongseop Shim
Cinematographer: Jami L. Bennett
Editor: Jami L. Bennett
Hermie
Synopsis: An ocean scientist encounters his childhood hermit crab friend in a bathroom, minutes before his big speech at an environmental conference.
Run time: 11 min
Director(s): Jonathan Becker & Anthony Pitsilos
Producer(s): Anthony Pitsilos
Cast: Mike Schminke and Ron E. Rains
Cinematographer: Brandon Hoeg & Mark Irion
Editor: Gordon Glenn
Champagne For One
Synopsis: Based on the award winning humor book by Rebekah Iliff, Champagne for One celebrates the beauty of solitude and showcases how spending time alone can be one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Run time: 2:22
Director: Seth Iliff
Producer: Rebekah Iliff
Cast: Candice Bruder, Lori O’Connor, Andrew E. Jackson, AJ Calvin, Courtney Robers, Jen Sanning
Cinematographer: Seth Iliff
Editor: Seth Iliff
Carthage House of Beauty
Synopsis: Styles change, but one generation of women still get their hair done once a week. This poetic documentary portrait is a day in the life of a beauty shop in Carthage, Tennessee, population 2,466.
Run time: 11:04 min
Director: Allison Inman
Producers: Allison Inman, Jace Freeman, Sean Clark
Cast: Beverly Goad, Teresa Allen
Cinematographer: Jace Freeman
Editor: Jace Freeman and Sean Clark
A Family That Steals Dogs
Director: John C. Kelley
Synopsis: In the disorienting wake of loss, an artist begins to question his identity. Strange experiences – windows that open themselves, phantom dogs on the highway, and all of the brief dog-lives that chaptered an upbringing in rural Arkansas – frame this exploration of grief, mental illness, and family connection.
Run time: 7 min 30 sec
Producer(s): John C. Kelley
Cast: John C. Kelley
Cinematographer: John C. Kelley
Editor: John C. Kelley
Porch Pirates
Director(s): Zack Frost, Jeremy Frost
Run time: 10:35
Synopsis: Amid a tense standoff with the Italian mafia, measured package thief Douglas Turner seeks a negotiation to put an end to the violence against his crew. If Douglas can manage to keep his hot headed partner Keith Burns at bay, the Porch Pirates can stop the bloodshed and get the money they believe their operation deserves.
Producer(s): Justin Key, Jordan Kinard, Zack and Jeremy Frost
Cast:
Shaune May as "Douglas Turner"
Jim Lawrenson as "Keith Burns"
Nick Battiste as "Vinny Abruzzi"
Kimmy Dunn as "Grace Hall"
Zach Hoffman as "Clint Walker"
Wayne Walters as "Uzi"
Patrick Raines as "Pistol"
Chris Ward as "Shotgun"
Cinematographer: Diego Cacho
Editor: Dolores Elaine MacDonald