CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A documentary created by APSU students and alumni has been accepted into the Nashville Film Festival The festival will be held October 3-12 at Hollywood Theaters in Nashville.

The Nashville Film Festival is an internationally acclaimed event with Academy Award qualifying status. Filmmakers from around the world submit their work.

“Listen Hear” is the creation of APSU senior Taylor Moore and recent graduates Lizzy Patterson and Josef Clark. The 23-minute documentary tells the story of Clarksville’s local music scene through the eyes of three musicians.

As the film’s introductory music fades, local musician Ryan Gardner appears in a knit cap and sunglasses: “There’s some really cool cats playing some really cool music in the Clarksville music scene.” Another artist, Rufus Dawkins, adds, “I think the scene is very nurturing, I guess, because this is where it started everything, you know.”

The next frame, however, splinters Gardner and Dawkins’ cool-cat nurturing as local country singer Justin Mobley draws on a cigarette – deeply – and exhales with a smirk, “You really want my truthful thoughts?” A voice off screen responds, “Yeah.” Mobley pauses and blinks. And the screen goes black.

“I remembered when Lizzy pitched the idea, it was a very optimistic view, and I knew quite a few people with a very negative view about the Clarksville music scene,” Clark said. “I thought it would be interesting to contrast those.”

Throughout, the musicians – though interviewed separately – seem to punch and counterpunch each other’s observations.

Dawkins discusses how his niche is as a solo artist, though he’d “go to hell and back” for past band members. Mobley counters, “I’ve been a part of four (bands), but at the end of the day, people suck as people.”

“We wanted to explore one artist’s view then get the polar opposite right after that,” said Clark. “We wanted to get the rhythm of opposing views, kind of like they were bantering, almost as if they were responding to one another like they were having a dialogue. Structurally, that was the whole thing.”

Moore cried when he found out the film was selected for the Nashville Film Festival. He said he might cry when he watches it at the festival.

“It encompassed so much of my time and so much of my effort,” he said. “It’s one of my proudest achievements.”

Patterson agreed. “I feel like we all put in blood, sweat and tears.”

“I think what I was scared of (when starting on the film) was someone not loving the piece as much as I would love it,” she added. “And they loved it as much as I wanted to love it. This is awesome because I have people with the same passion.”

“Listen Hear will make its festival debut on October 6 at 12:30.

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OTHER APSU FILMS IN THE FESTIVAL

  • “The End of the Hall” is a short horror film captured on campus by recent graduates Lynsie Cook and Tiara Hall – and starring APSU students Elizabeth Pegram and Elizabeth Patterson and APSU adjunct Sara Anderson.
    • PLOT: A young nursing student works late after clinicals and is met with something horrific at “the end of the hall.”
    • QUOTE: “Lynsie and I were overjoyed to find out we were selected. The film is some of our most prideful work, and the festival is the biggest form of recognition we have ever received on our short films,” Hall said.
    • SHOWING: 3 p.m. Oct. 6 in Theater 2.
  • “The Nashville Parthenon” is a history documentary short by Assistant Professor Karen Bullis in Austin Peay’s Department of Communication.
    • SUMMARY: The film shows current and archival footage of the Parthenon in Nashville and explains its history and significance to Tennessee’s capitol, aka “Athens of the South.”
    • SHOWINGS: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in Theater 1 and 10:30 a.m. in Theater 1.