Knoxville's Sundance: Film Fest Knox Brings Big Prizes & Opportunities At This Film Festival
- Jared Hagemann
- 1 hour ago
- 10 min read
Film Fest Knox returns November 6th-9th for its third year to Downtown Knoxville, showcasing the immense talent outside Hollywood, both from Tennessee and the region.
The festival, presented by Visit Knoxville & Regal Cinemas, recently recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the top "50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," Film Fest Knox is more than just a showcase of films, with prizes including an Oscar-qualifying nationwide Regal Cinemas theater run and a chance for proof-of-concept films to get the help needed to make a feature film.
Film Fest Knox will be broken up into five different programs, "American Regional Competition," "Currents," "Made in Tennessee," "Revival," and "Elev8or Pitch," as well as a few panels and educational opportunities.
Most of festival takes screen at the Regal Riviera movie theater on Gay St, and the panels will be at the Hyatt Place in their SEC conference room.
Passes range from $20 to single shows to $100 for the weekend to $275 for the fancy VIP passes. Check those out here
Elev8or Pitch
Kicking off the festival on Thursday, November 6th is the "Elev8or Pitch," an opportunity for filmmaker teams to have their proof of concept films screened in the form of an elevator pitch to a panel of industry professionals with opportunities to win cash prizes, mentorships (including script consultations), and more to assist the teams in turning their dreams into a feature film.
20 teams submitted films, and the top eight of those will have their opportunity to pitch and screen their films that night, and the top three will be awarded prizes.
All the films will be screened from 1:30PM-5PM on Saturday, November 8th in two blocks with a short break in between, and here's that schedule.
November 8 - 1:30PM - Regal 1 - Elev8or Shorts 1
All Endless Things
Static Skies
Elephant
Used to Be
Just Partners
The Mountains Are Calling
Pink Sync
Shadow Gap
All These Pieces
Sleeping Princess
November 8 - 3:15PM - Regal 1 - Elev8or Shorts 2
A Captive God
Getaway
Hiraeth
Dreamers
7 Deadly Kids
In a Red State
Unnatural Intelligence
In the Darkest of Minds
Another Day in the Neighborhood
The Marleys
American Regional Cinema
The meat of the festival starts on Friday, November 8th, with the "American Regional Cinema" competition, which includes the grand prize of an Oscar-qualifying run in Regal Cinemas in 10 of the top 50 US film markets.
Five films from a variety of genres were chosen to showcase the skill in talent of filmmakers outside Hollywood & NYC, and here's what you have the opportunity to watch.
November 7 - 6PM - Regal 1 - Bird in Hand
Directed by Melody C. Roscher
A biracial bride-to-be seeks a connection with her charismatic hippie mother, while using her wedding plans to manipulate everyone in her orbit.
November 8 - 1PM - Regal 2 - Other Houses
Directed by S. Cagney Gentry & Thomas Southerland
Immigrant Radka Winslow must choose between the American Dream or living a creative life back in Bulgaria.
November 8 - 5:15PM - Regal 2 - Charliebird
Directed by Libby Ewing
When a music therapist begins working with a unique young patient, she is confronted with her past and what it means to live. Set in a small, rural town in Texas.
November 8 - 7:30PM - Regal 2 - Mouse
Directed by Kenny Riches
A petty thief living with his mother, signs up for a penpal service in hopes of finding a friend, or maybe more. Unfortunately, his penpal has other plans.
November 9 - 2PM - Regal 2 - Tropical Park
Directed by Hansel Porras Garcia
During a driving lesson, two Cuban siblings -- a newly arrived trans woman and her estranged conservative brother -- face each other for the first time in years.
Made in Tennessee
The "Made in Tennessee" program showcases some of the best work from across our great state of Tennessee through two feature films and 17 short films, and here's what you can watch!
November 8 - 11:30AM - Regal 1 - Made in Tennessee Shorts 1
Directed by Riley Housden
In a retro-futuristic world, brothers Jack and Ollie take on their latest high-stakes heist: stealing from greedy CEO, Bon Keiser.
Directed by Logan Robinson
An artist starts a painting, but will it ever be finished?
Directed by Caitlin Nitschke & Johnny Mansueto
Join the studio of acclaimed Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire as he prepares for his largest exhibition yet.
Directed by Jadyn Heinrichs
Windsor must go on a journey to find Chaise, the love of his life, after the two lovers (chairs) get tragically separated at a garage sale.
Directed by Aaron Lusk
A reticent widower's car breaks down on the way to connect with his late wife.
Directed by Christy Sherrell
A young woman finds the courage to make a decision that could ultimately impact her relationship.
Directed by Amelia Bartlett
An unexpected inheritance forces a disillusioned millennial to choose between investing in the future she’s creating or risking it all for a new one.
Directed by Emily Steele
Three Appalachian women are visited by a mysterious, ever-growing cult.
Directed by Kara McLeland
Rachel and Nick are desperately clinging to normalcy after a baby alien throws their life into chaos. One deadly dinner party changes everything.
November 8 - 5:15PM - Regal 1 - A Long Hard Streak
Directed by Scott Rabideau
Billy Dean Anderson was a prolific criminal and outsider artist who lived in a Tennessee cave for almost five years while on the run from the FBI.
November 8 - 9:30PM - Regal 1 - The Easy Kind
Directed by Katy Chevigny
A rollicking journey inspired by and starring Elizabeth Cook as she breaks through the constraints of country music to become the artist that she’s meant to be.
November 9 - 12PM - Regal 1 - Made in Tennessee Shorts 2
Directed by Evan Eslava
A visually poetic animated short that follows a young explorer whose pursuit of a dream takes an unexpected turn, forcing him to choose between holding on and moving forward.
Directed by Riley Fitchpatrick
A filmmaker returns to his hometown that built the atomic bomb. There he meets the workers who created humanity's greatest weapon and now wrestle with their legacy.
Directed by Isaiah Moncher
A stubborn VCR technician quits his job at a tech-solutions conglomerate to start his own business in hopes of making a final stand to stay relevant.
Directed by Asya Hildenbrand & Shalyn Grow
Two sisters attempt to get through the repast of their estranged, abusive mother.
Directed by Emily Pope
Ruth, a temporal physicist, tries to use her research to her own advantage, but ends up somewhere unexpected. Again.
Directed by Elle Hoytt
A woman trying to finish a major project finds her sanity unraveling after an interdimensional clock shows up on her doorstep and refuses to be ignored.
Directed by Wesley Reagan
After forgetting her fake ID when trying to buy alcohol for a party, a high schooler sneaks into a church to steal a bottle of communion wine.
Directed by Matt Webb
During a mandatory curfew, a man reluctantly allows strangers who show up at his doorstep to spend the night waiting inside.
Currents
The "Currents" program brings award-winning films from top festivals from around the world that would be unlikely to find a screen in Knoxville, particularly those that showcase ways to approach regional filmmaking, with five features and six short films.
November 7 - 10PM - Regal 1 - Sirât
Directed by Óliver Laxe
A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa.
November 8 - 3PM - Regal 1 - Afternoons of Solitude
Directed by Albert Serra
Explores the spiritual pain of bullfighting, the tormented torero in a ring, one of the most excessive and graphic examples of the origin of Southern European civilization.
November 8 - 3:30PM - Regal 2 - Arco
Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
On his first flight through time, Arco (10) crash lands from the year 3000 into our near future. His fall is witnessed by a little girl, Iris, who helps him return home.
November 8 - 7:15PM - Regal 1 - Young Mothers
Directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Five young mothers living in a shelter strive for a better future for themselves and kids amidst challenging upbringings.
November 8 - 9:45PM - Regal 8 - Flicker and Wow (Six Short Films)
Directed by Nathan Swann
Rhythms emerge through repetition, like a song finding its root note, echoing liturgical movement, gestures repeated, images revisited.
Directed by Janie Geiser
Medical illustrations merge with images of cultivated and wild plants in an elliptical journey toward ephemerality.
Directed by Scott Stark
Stereo photos of 1950s-era cocktail parties are transformed into an intense visual playland.
Directed by Janelle VanderKelen
Not all teachers are human in a bustling Spanish farmhouse.
Directed by Basma al-Sharif
Morning Circle follows a father and son in their intimate rituals as they prepare to start the day and head to kindergarten.
Directed by Blake Williams
During a traverse across the Western United States, we observe familiar sites in a new light, and the world gets lost in the fold. In 3D.
November 9 - 4PM - Regal 2 - Zodiac Killer Project
Directed by Charlie Shackleton
Against the backdrop of deserted spaces, a filmmaker explores his abandoned Zodiac Killer documentary, delving into the true crime genre's inner workings.
Revival
The "Revial" program presents older and often unseen films, giving viewers the opportunity to rediscover these works.
This year, as part of the program, independent fillmmaking collective Sailor Bear will receive the first ever James Agee Prize for their work in American regional cinema, featuring a retrospective of their work, several short films, and a panel discussion with Toby Halbrooks and James M. Johnston.
Here are the three features and 16 short films being screened!
November 7 - 5:45PM - Regal 2 - Spring Night Summer Night
Directed by Joseph L. Anderson
Jessica, the eldest daughter of a coal miner-turned-farmer, has a fling with her half-brother Carl, which complicates things more when she becomes pregnant.
November 7 - 8PM - Regal 2 - The Old Man & The Gun
Directed by David Lowery
In his final leading role, Robert Redford plays a real-life prison escapee who became a folk hero after pulling off several bank heists at 70.
November 8 - 11:30AM - Regal 2 - Edited Documents: Films by Peter Bundy (Nine Short Films)
A survey of work made by regional filmmaker Peter Bundy between 1978-1982.
Ships pass under the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge, while cars pass over.
Appalachian skies and landscapes become objects of contemplation.
“I like a meeting that’s lively—all get up and sing." A poetic ramble through southern Alabama, from the dancing fish of Dauphin Island to the singing insects of Coffeeville.
The mesmerizing abstraction of melting ice.
To and from Childhood ... A Portrait
"I never tried to know myself. 'Finding yourself!' Those are the words I don't understand, you see?"
Close-up photography and double exposures turn a swinging pendulum into Cubist-like design.
"When a sound can replace an image, cut the image or neutralize it. The ear goes more toward the within, the eye toward the outer." - Robert Bresson
"By God, you wanted the change, and now you got it!" A trip through the rolling hills of Wyoming, with a stop at Old Faithful.
Like a Kodachrome memory of a David Hockney painting.
November 9 - 12PM - Regal 2 - Songs & Stories: Short Films by Sailor Bear (Seven Short Films)
A program of rarely-screened films by Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, and David Lowery.
Directed by Toby Halbrooks
A man keeps digging a hole, which arouses suspicions of his family and neighbors.
Directed by James M. Johnston
Music video for "Red Tailed Hawk (feat. Matt Kinsey)" by Bill Callahan and Bonnie Prince Billy.
Directed by David Lowery
A father tells his little boy the most epic bedtime story ever.
Directed by Toby Halbrooks
Music video for "Blackness of the Night (feat. AZITA)" by Bill Callahan and Bonnie Prince Billy.
Oak Thorn & The Old Rose of Love
Directed by David Lowery
Two entities exchange their knowledge in unconventional ways.
Directed by David Lowery
Music video for "Arise, Therefore (feat. Six Organs of Admittance)" by Bill Callahan and Bonnie Prince Billy.
Directed by James M. Johnston
Marcus is dealing with some serious shit but he can't seem to talk to anyone about it.
November 9 - 2PM - Regal 1 - A Ghost Story
Directed by David Lowery
A recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.
Panels & Award Ceremony & Other Stuff
Film Fest Knox isn't just about screening films, there's also panels, parties, and the awards ceremony, and below is all the exciting things you can do.
November 6 - 5PM - The Vault - Opening Cocktail Party
(VIP Passholders only) "Join us for an intimate evening at The Vault, a below-the-surface cocktail lounge reminiscent of old Hollywood."
November 7 - 10PM - Five Thirty Lounge - Opening Night Party
(VIP Passholders & Guests) "Join us for a night of celebration and networking at the Five Thirty Lounge atop the Hyatt Place hotel"
November 8 - 10AM - Hyatt Place (SEC Room) - Festival Strategies: Ashton Campbell, Bedatri Choudhury, and Chad Cunningham
"Join us for a discussion with visiting jurors Ashton Campbell (Emmy-winning documentarian and director of the Oak Cliff Film Festival in Dallas) and Bedatri Choudhury (Arts and Entertainment Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and programmer at DocNYC, True/False, and SFFILM), along with Chad Cunningham, whose 2023 Elev8or short, Catacombs, screened at dozens of festivals around the world. Attendees will get candid insights into the selection process from programmers, learn strategies for targeting submissions, and hear advice for making the most of every festival visit."
November 9 - 10AM - Hyatt Place (SEC Room) - Film Distribution Case Studies: Kelsey Taylor and Vera Brunner-Sung
"Join us for a discussion with filmmakers Kelsey Taylor (To Kill a Wolf) and Vera Brunner-Sung (Bitterroot) as they share the unique distribution journeys of their feature films. Taylor discusses the theatrical release strategy behind To Kill a Wolf, while Brunner-Sung will discuss the grassroots, community-based approach used for Bitterroot. Through these contrasting case studies, attendees will gain practical insights into how distribution choices align with a film’s goals, audience, and impact. Ideal for emerging filmmakers looking to navigate the evolving landscape of independent film distribution."
November 9 - 6PM - Regal Riviera - Awards Ceremony
"Join us as we announce the major prizes and celebrate the weekend."
November 9 - 7PM - Scruffy City Hall - Closing Night Party
(VIP & Full-Fest Passholders) After the Awards Ceremony, send off the 2024 FILM FEST KNOX at Scruffy City Hall.
Pass Information
There are numerous pass options for Film Fest Knox, ranging from single screening to VIP, and here's that breakdown.
All Festival Pass - $100
Access to everything except the VIP stuff
VIP Festival Pass - $275
Access to everything in additional to the VIP parties, a gift box, VIP tent, and white glove film selection assistance
Single Tickets - $20
Access to a single screening or block
5 Block Pass - $75
Choose from five blocks throughout the festival