(Later That Same Day) NPT at the Nashville Film Festival

The 2009 Nashville Film Festival wrapped up a few weeks ago, after eight days of fantastic World, US and Southeastern premieres, celebrities, panels, workshops and parties. NPT was once again a part of the event, this time in a couple of ways. This year’s winner of the NPT Human Spirit Award was Crude, director Joe Berlinger‘s profile of the Amazon Defense Front’s case against Chevron/Texaco, and the Front’s legal coordinator Pablo Fajardo. The award acknowledges a filmmaker’s work that best explores and captures the human spirit, “illuminating in a high artistic manner the important characteristics of what it means to be human: generosity, kindness, mercy, compassion, fortitude and honor.” On Sunday, April 19, NPT VP of Programming and Technology Kevin Crane was on hand to present the award to Ali Pflaum, who accepted on Berlinger’s behalf. We have since learned that Crude has has been picked up for North American theatrical release by First Run Features. According to indieWIRE, it will have its North American theatrical premiere on September 9th at New York’s IFC Center, followed by Los Angeles on September 18th and San Francisco on September 25th. More cities will follow. Congratulations to Berlinger, Pflaum and everyone involved in the film.

This was NPT’s third year giving out the Human Spirit Award. Previous winners are Sons of Lwala (2008) and The Clinton 12 (2007).

On Wednesday, April 22, NPT, together with the Nashville Public Library and ITVS, brought our popular free ITVS Community Cinema in Nashville series to the Festival, with a packed free screening of Stacy Peralta‘s film, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America,” which has its NPT broadcast premiere tonight, Tuesday, May 12 at 9:00 p.m. as part of the Independent Lens series.

Community Cinema in Nashville organizer Allison Inman, who joined NPT’s Joe Pagetta and the Nashville Public Library’s Elyse Adler in introducing the film, compiled a fantastic panel discussion for after the film. Joining moderator Jonathan Martin from WSMV (Channel 4) on the panel were Clemmie Greenlee of Galaxy Star Drug Awareness and Eric Capehart of All the Kings Men.

ITVS Community Cinema in Nashville ends its 2008-2009 season next week with a May 20 screening of ASK NOT at the Main Library at 6:00 p.m. (5:15 Reception).

See you next week at the Library, and next year at the Festival.