Wanna be cultured?
Nashville has carved out an identity throughout its long, rich history. Easily identified as “Music City”, Nashville is obviously a home to the music business. But the cultural experience doesn’t stop there! Nashville has become a huge city for the film industry, and The Belcourt Theatre has been fostering and advancing that reputation for many, many years.
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With a classic box office, lit up arches, and velvet-draped seats, The Belcourt is a Nashville landmark. Opened in 1925 as the Hillsboro Theatre, The Belcourt was our city’s go-to place for silent film. In the 1930’s, the building was even home to the Grand Ole Opry, hosting country legends on what was then Nashville’s biggest stage. Throughout the years, The Belcourt was the subject of a few changes of ownership, but the building was always a hub for the type of art that makes Nashville special. In 2007, the Belcourt YES! group formalized the name “The Belcourt Theatre”, and supporters gave generously to refurbish the building and open its doors to film lovers. We are so happy they did!
There are so many can’t-miss events at The Belcourt, it can be hard to keep it all straight! Many historic theaters stick to a niche. While the theatre carries out their events and programs with excellence, they also have so much variety for different kinds of moviegoers. For the rowdy crowd, there are Midnight Movies. If you’re looking for a unique experience that is guaranteed to be a blast filled with crowd participation, look no further. One of our favorite events is the screening of so-bad-it-is-so-so-good film “The Room” (written, directed, produced, and starred in by cinematic treasure Tommy Wiseau). Bring plastic spoons, a football, and your outside voice (there are a lot of things to yell at opportune times, and you’ll catch on quick). You can’t make this stuff up! This week’s midnight movie is a double feature of horror classic “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Let’s Scare Jessica To Death”. We’ll be there. They’ve also showed Space Jam, Spice World, The Shining (backwards and forwards, for all you conspiracy theorists out there), and more!
This month is a huge month for The Belcourt. They’re kicking off October with the iNDie Festival Fundraiser, a collection of amazing events at unique places around town to raise money for their education and engagement programs (Q&As with filmmakers, screenings and film education for children and students, etc.). This year the festival is headed up by our friend at Yelp Nashville, Marcia Masulla, who is serving as iNDie Festival Chairperson. Get your patron passes here and support what they do – you are sure to have a wonderful time for a wonderful cause. One of the events is so great we can hardly stand it – Alloy Orchestra will be providing the music for classic silent film “Man with the Movie Camera” at Third Man Records. Yes, that event is real. And it sounds incredible.
Love a good documentary? We thought so! Then you don’t want to miss “Doctober“, a month-long screening of documentaries, including a discussion following the screening of “Inequality For All”. Check the lineup because it is going to be an impactful, film-filled month.
Some of our favorite Nashville days ever have been spent at The Belcourt at their Weekend Classic series. Whether it is a double feature of “Prince and the Showgirl” and “My Week With Marilyn” or a screening of Woody Allen’s acclaimed film “Manhattan” (does it get any better than those opening credits? We don’t think so…), you’re in for a treat. This month things are getting classically spooky, with films from the Master of Menace, Vincent Price! We can’t wait.
We also can’t forget the critically acclaimed independent films shown at The Belcourt on a daily basis. There are a wide selection of genres…everything from Lake Bell comedies (voiceover actress comedy “In A World”) to a tale of cultural struggle (Nigerians in Brooklyn drama “Mother of George”). They truly bring you the best of the independent film scene. And even though they’re the leaders of the film scene in Nashville, they don’t neglect Nashville’s musical roots. The Belcourt is also a popular venue for presenting musical acts. Tonight (10/1) acclaimed artist KT Tunstall is playing at the theatre!
So block off an afternoon or evening and duck into The Belcourt for some movie magic. This building and organization is 100% worth supporting, and we are so glad they are around enriching our city’s cultural identity. We know we can’t possibly cover all the cool things they do, so get Wannado and subscribe to their feed to stay up to date on all their events! We’ll see you at the picture show, Nashville.
– Your local guide.
