Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology has announced its sponsorship of the 2009 Nashville Film Festival (NaFF). Gibson will present a customized Gibson acoustic guitar to legendary actor William Shatner as part of The 2009 Nashville Film Festival President’s Impact Award for his film Gonzo Ballet. Gibson will also host a private VIP reception at the Nashville Gibson Entertainment Relations Showroom on Friday, April 17. The festival, which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, takes place April 16-23, 2009 at Regal Green Hills Cinema.
Shatner will receive a
Gibson acoustic guitar, with custom artwork by
Mandy Lawson, presented in the theater prior to the screening at 7 pm in front of the sold-out audience for the world premiere of
Gonzo Ballet, a film chronicling the quest by the Milwaukee Ballet to create a new work based upon
Shatner's critically acclaimed album,
Has Been. The film, by directors
Patrick Buckley and
Kevin Layne, will screen on Friday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. with producer
Ben Folds,
Milwaukee Ballet choreographer and director
Margo Sappington and country music star
Brad Paisley scheduled to attend. Much celebration will follow during the invitation only private Reception which will be held at the Gibson Entertainment Relations Showroom in downtown Nashville.
On Saturday, April 18, the Nashville Film Festival will award the Impact of Music Award sponsored by Gibson Guitar for the feature film (narrative or documentary) that most effectively explores or celebrates the impact of music on the human experience. Recipients of this award will receive an Epiphone guitar. The winner will be selected by the jurors on Saturday, April 18, in the afternoon and will be presented with the award at the screening, if the filmmaker is present. Films in contention can be found on the website.
Individual tickets for the 2009 Nashville Film Festival are now available online at NashvilleFilmFestival.org.
The longest-running film festival in the South, NaFF also ranks among the most prestigious, continually garnering accolades and notice from a wide range of entertainment and trade publications, including the Associated Press, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Festival Today, IndieWire, Variety, Billboard, New York and Script Magazine. Between 2003 and 2007, NaFF’s attendance numbers doubled, capped off with a staggering 26% increase in festival goers between 2006 and 2007. In 2008, more than 22,000 film lovers, entertainment professionals and industry insiders from all over the world made the trek to NaFF, enjoying 240 films from 44 countries, incisive industry panels, music showcases and spirited party mixers. Among the diverse group of celebrities who have attended NaFF in the past either as film presenters, award recipients or film fans are William H. Macy, Vincent D'Onofrio, Patricia Neal, Rob Thomas, Lawrence Bender, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Craig Brewer, Harmony Korine, Al Gore, Nicole Kidman, Kiefer Sutherland, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Peter Falk, Paul Reiser, Patrick Swayze, Rick Schroder, John Waters, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Redford, Harry Belafonte, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Moore, and D.A. Pennebaker.
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