2024 FILM FEST KNOX Lineup Announced

October 8, 2024

Visit Knoxville announces today the full festival lineup for 2024 FILM FEST KNOX, taking place at the Downtown Regal Riviera November 14-17, 2024. In addition to the previously announced five feature films for the American Regional Cinema Competition (Bitterroot, Bob Trevino Likes It, Griffin in Summer, The World Drops Dead, and To Kill a Wolf) FILM FEST KNOX programming includes an exciting array of acclaimed festival highlights and revivals, the Elev8or Pitch, Made in Tennessee films, panels, networking opportunities, and more.

“Building on last year’s success, the 2024 FILM FEST KNOX continues to prioritize excellent programming as well as welcoming incredible talent from the independent filmmaking world who will be on the ground this year,” said Curt Willis, Sr. Director of the Visit Knoxville Film Office. “Audiences will be able to connect with these invited guests via panels, Q&As after films, and through networking opportunities spread throughout the festival.”

Invited guests who will be participating throughout the festival include Yen Tan and Kelly Williams (Director and Producer) of All That We Love; Brandon Colvin, Yumna Jane, Nora Stone, Tony Oswald, Pisie Hochheim (Director, Lead Actress, and Producers) of The World Drops Dead; Kelsey Taylor and Adam Lee (Director and Producer) of To Kill a Wolf; Tracie Laymon (Director) of Bob Trevino Likes It; Vera Brunner-Sung and Kazua Melissa Vang (Director and Producer) of Bitterroot; Nicholas Colia (Director) of Griffin in Summer; Mike Basta (Producer) of Eephus; and Robert Colom (Producer) of Ana Y La Distancia.

Jurors for the American Regional Cinema Competition include C. Mason Wells (Director of Theatrical Distribution for MUBI and Writer/Producer of Between the Temples), Robert Colom (Programmer of Third Horizon Film Festival in Miami and Writer/Producer of Mountains), and Nellie Killian (Programmer for Criterion Channel and Brooklyn Academy of Music). Jurors for the Made in Tennessee Competition include Brian Loschiavo (Co-Founder of Riverside Entertainment), Keith Thomas (Head of Development for Marcus Entertainment), and Betsy Pickle (Film Critic). Jurors for the Elev8or Pitch Competition include Taylor Shung (Producer of Nomadland and Past Lives), Kristin Shrader (Founder of Shrader Communications and Publicist), and Kelly Williams (Co-Founder of Ten Acre Films and Spirit Award-Winning Producer of Sorry to Bother You).

The Elev8or Pitch Competition kicks off the festival on Thursday, November 14. The top eight teams will have their films screened, followed by their one-minute pitch in front of a live audience and panel of judges. The other Elev8or Pitch films will be screened on Saturday.

The Made in Tennessee program once again spotlights the best new films shot throughout the state, including several that were made in and around Knoxville. The two features and 18 short films competing in Made in Tennessee were selected from nearly 150 submissions.

FILM FEST KNOX’s focus on personal, ambitious regional filmmaking has shaped the International Currents and Revival programs as well. This year we are presenting a four-film retrospective of classic American regional films, including the new restoration of Northern Lights (1978), fresh off its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, along with Wanda(1970), Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), and Desert Hearts (1985). International Currents will highlight films from the year’s top festivals, including Eephus (Cannes, NYFF), The Damned (Cannes, TIFF, NYFF), Dahomey (Cannes, TIFF, NYFF), and Empire (Berlin).

The opening night film on Friday, November 15, is All That We Love, a heartfelt and poignant depiction of grief and what it means to start anew. This film stars Margaret Cho as Emma Gwon, who is navigating a midlife awakening while inadvertantly making everything more chaotic for everyone in her path. Co-starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), All That We Love is a tears-and-laughter kind of crowd-pleaser. Director Yen Tan and Producer Kelly Williams will be in attendance.

Additionally, FILM FEST KNOX will offer educational opportunities designed for filmmakers and film enthusiasts. The panel “New Directions in Regional Filmmaking” will be moderated by Scott Macaulay, Producer and Filmmaker Magazine’s Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief. The workshop “Stretch That Buck: Film Budgeting 101” will be presented by Sav Rodgers, Marketing Director of Seed & Spark.

FILM FEST KNOX will wrap on Sunday with an awards ceremony, recognizing the winners of various categories, including the American Regional Cinema Competition, where the winner of Best Film receives an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run courtesy of Regal. Awards in that category also include Best Director and Jury Prize. Awards in the Made in Tennessee category include Best Film and Jury Prize. Awards will also be given for Best Film in the Elev8or Pitch category as well as various other prizes. FILM FEST KNOX is proud to award a total of $18,000 in cash prizes to our talented award winners.

“We’re incredibly excited about the industry’s response to what we’re building here in Knoxville,” said Artistic Director Darren Hughes. “In year two, FILM FEST KNOX is already becoming a premier showcase of regional cinema. We were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of films submissions this year, and by the enthusiasm of our invited guests. It’s going to be a really fun weekend.”

In advance of the festival, the public is invited to attend “How to Fest” on October 29 at 6PM at The Square Room. This event is an opportunity to learn more about what a film festival is and how to experience it. Darren Hughes will provide an overview of this year’s festival, serving as a guide to the 2024 lineup. Attendees will be shown how to use the Agile ticketing app to select film blocks and reserve their spots in the theatre. Additionally, the top 8 winners of the Elev8or Pitch Competition will be announced.

Full Festival and VIP passes are on sale now. Festival passholders will be able to select their films on October 14. Single tickets and 4- and 8-ticket blocks will go on sale October 21.

International Currents

All That We Love (Dir. Yen Tan)
90 minutes, 2024
Upon the loss of her beloved dog, Emma faces an empty nest and renewed feelings for her estranged ex-husband, as she navigates the joy and sorrow of starting anew.

Ana Y La Distancia (Dir. Hansel Porras Garcia)
10 minutes, 2024
A Cuban mother exiled in Miami anxiously awaits the arrival of her son, who is crossing Central American borders to join her.

Dahomey (Dir. Mati Diop)
68 minutes, 202
The journey of 26 plundered royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin. Diop artistically voices a new generation’s demands.

The Damned (Dir. Roberto Minervini)
89 minutes, 2024
In the winter of 1862, during the Civil War, the U.S. Army sends a volunteer company to patrol the uncharted Western territories.

Eephus (Dir. Carson Lund)
98 minutes, 2024
Grown men’s recreational baseball game stretches to extra innings on their beloved field’s final day before demolition. Humor and nostalgia intertwine as daylight fades, signaling an era’s end.

The Empire (Dir. Bruno Dumont)
110 minutes, 2024
In a picturesque fishing village in Northern France, the birth of a special child unleashes a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil.

Revival

Desert Hearts (Dir. Donna Deitch)
91 minutes, 1985
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed professor of literature is unexpectedly seduced by a carefree, spirited young woman.

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (Dir. John D. Hancock)
89 minutes, 1971
A recently institutionalized woman has bizarre experiences after moving into a supposedly haunted country farmhouse and fears she may be losing her sanity once again.

Northern Lights (Dir. John Hanson and Rob Nilsson)
95 minutes, 1978
The bitter-sweet story of young lovers caught up in an political struggle waged by farmers against the grain trade, the banks and the railroads, Northern Lights brings back a forgotten era of American history and evokes the austere beauty of the Northern Plains.

Wanda (Dir. Barbara Loden)
103 minutes, 1970
Wanda, a lonely housewife, drifts through mining country until she meets a petty thief who takes her in.

Flicker & Wow: Experimental Shorts

Potemkin Piece (Dir. Justin C. Rhody)
Against Time (Dir. Ben Russell)
All Flesh is Grass (Dir. Nathan Swann)

Made in Tennessee

Angel of Light (Dir. Crue Smith)
90 minutes, 2024
Diagnosed with cancer, a car salesman asks a pastor to help him get right with God. But, when the salesman discovers the pastor can perform miracles, he begs the pastor to heal him. But, in exchange for the salesman’s family.

Glass Valley (Dir. Nicholas Crockett)
65 minutes, 2024
Upon returning to his hometown in rural Appalachia, a young man is reunited with his estranged father and introduced to a seedy side of life.

Made in Tennessee Shorts

Baking and Entering (Dir. Cole Keisling)
Batmite (Dir. Jake Morlock)
Bless Her Heart (Dir. Eli Heaton, Callie Bacon)
Close the Door (Dir. Michelle Ford)
Frog-Man V (Dir. Rachael Camp)
Hell is High School Theatre (Dir. Leigh McTeer Shields)
How to Sue the Klan (Dir. John Beder)
Midnight Moon (Dir. Kai Wingo)
Patch (Dir. John Thomas Dickson)
Perfect Words (Dir. Anna Clary)
Plus One (Dir. Maddilyn Shea)
Solo Otro Dia (Dir. Matt Webb)
The Booth (Dir. Julee Ellis)
The Buoyancy of Apples (Dir. Tori Mills)
The Legend of Bill (Dir. Jacob Birmingham)
The Places You Go (Dir. Shannon Ferguson)
Where the Bullets Go (Dir. Cody Duncum)

Previously Announced

Bitterroot (Dir. Vera Brunner-Sung)
86 minutes – Drama
Reeling from a failed marriage and in need of comfort and a new perspective, a middle-aged man takes care of his aging mother within the deceptively tranquil landscape of rural Montana. Shot in Missoula, Montana. 2024 Special Jury Mention Winner for Cinematography in a U.S. Feature and Nominee Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature and at its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Wa Yang, Qu Kue, April Charlo, and Gia Vang.

Bob Trevino Likes It (Dir. Tracie Laymon)
102 minutes – Comedy, Drama
When lonely 20-something Lily Trevino accidentally befriends a stranger online who shares the same name as her own self-centered father, encouragement and support from this new Bob Trevino could change her life. Inspired by a true story. Shot in Louisville, Kentucky. Winner of the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award for Narrative Feature at 2024 SXSW Film Festival; Starring Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), John Leguizamo (John Wick, Moulin Rouge, Encanto), and French Stewart (3rd Rock from the Sun).

Griffin in Summer (Dir. Nicholas Colia)
90 minutes – Comedy
Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. But once he meets handsome twenty-five-year-old handyman Brad, his life (and play) will never be the same. Shot in Richmond, Virginia. 2024 Winner Founders Award of Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay for U.S. Narrative Feature, and Special Jury Mention for New Narrative Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men, Heavenly Creatures), and Owen Teague (NCIS: Los Angeles, It).

The World Drops Dead (Dir. Brandon Colvin)
71 minutes – Drama, Horror
Claire struggles to cope as the shock of her father’s suicide ripples through her small Quaker community. Desperate to reunite with the only person who seemed to understand her, she reaches out to her father across the boundary of death. Shot in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Starring Yumna Jane, Sanam Erfani, and Larry Ratliff.

To Kill a Wolf (Dir. Kelsey Taylor)
92 minutes – Drama, Mystery
In a modern re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood, a social pariah discovers a teenage runaway in the Oregon Wilderness and does his best to help her find a way home. Shot in Rhododendron, Oregon. Starring Maddison Brown (Strangerland, Dynasty), Ivan Martin (Ozark, Suits), Michael Esper (Fallout, The Creator) and Kaitlin Doubleday (Catch Me If You Can, Empire).