Mayne
The longest-running film festival in the Southeast, the Nashville Film Festival was launched in 1969 as the Sinking Creek Film Festival. Named by founder Mary Jane Coleman for a stream on the farm that housed the fest during its early days, the event soon moved to Vanderbilt U., where, in 1988, it underwent a name change.
The fest's emphasis has always been on independent films, and early attendees got first looks at projects by Ken Burns, John Lasseter and Will Vinton.
Current exec director Sallie Mayne admits there was a dormant period, with attendance dipping until Michael Catalano joined as artistic director in 1998. "We didn't quite die," she says, "but he certainly breathed new life into it."
Some volatility followed before Mayne came onboard in 2004. "My first goal was to stabilize the organization," she says. "Our content has always been strong, and my job is to make sure we have everything needed for the artistic director to do his job."
Prominent premieres in the fest's history -- including "Spellbound," "Sherman's March" and "Crumb" -- emphasized the ongoing search for top docs. Adding to the fest's allure for nonfiction filmmakers is the fact that Nashville has Academy Award-nominating status: Winners of the short narrative and animation competitions are automatically qualified for Academy Award consideration.
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