05/24/2026
Next Sat, May 30 at 11:00, join us for the final Belcourt 100 seminar in our year-long centennial series, presented by T. Minton, the Belcourt’s public historian/archivist — ‘How the Belcourt Was Saved’ tells the story of how the Belcourt Theatre was rescued, rebuilt, and reimagined after 1999 as Nashville’s nonprofit film center. Combining institutional history with a staff panel, the seminar looks at the Belcourt’s early years as a arts organization and the collective effort that sustained it — and how (then and now) the Belcourt’s depended on civic commitment, innovative programming, and a shared belief that film culture matters to the life of our city.
And come a little early to help us celebrate the new history exhibit in our lobby’s alcove, tracing the Belcourt’s evolution from its opening in 1925 — and the public display of local artist Devin Drake’s miniature replica of the theatre before the renovation (on the 2nd floor).
Then, stay for Elia Kazan’s 1960 WILD RIVER at 12:00pm — which opened the Belcourt’s 2010 22-film mega-series ‘Visions of the South.’ This classic (25 years in the making and considered one of Kazan’s best) is the director’s masterful recreation of a unique period in Tennessee history and the first major studio film shot in its entirety in Tennessee.
The Belcourt education and engagement director Allison Inman will introduce WILD RIVER. Just a few months shy of joining the Belcourt team in 2011, Allison hosted the opening night Q&A for WILD RIVER for ‘Visions of the South’ — and had just completed a one-hour documentary about the making of Kazan’s film and the production’s impact on the local people who brought the film to life. Her doc — MUD ON THE STARS: STORIES FROM ELIA KAZAN’S WILD RIVER — screens at the Belcourt on Sat, Jun 6 at 10:00am.
