Eddie Vedder and the Graveyard Shift horror shorts have one thing in common at the 2025 Nashville Film Festival: They’re both alive and kicking! And if you’re an attendee at this year’s big event, you might get the opportunity to see both subjects up close and personal… on the big screen.

Taking place from September 18th to the 24th in Middle Tennessee at a variety of locations, the 56th Annual Nashville Film Festival features music, culture and of course, film. Make sure to check out the event schedule as soon as possible, because tickets and screenings are selling out quickly. And did you catch the recent announcement that the Music City’s resident Golden Globe Award winner/Academy Award winner/Music City Film Critics Association Jim Ridley Award winner Nicole Kidman will be making an appearance following a special screening of Cold Mountain in a Q&A session titled: Where Art Meets Home in Nashville?

Whether you’re looking forward to witnessing first-time filmmaking debuts or wanting to watch similar-themed programming through a variety of genres (“We Are Family”), or you’re possibly passionate about past cultural landmarks that were wrongly taken from Tennesseans (Opryland USA: A Circle Broken), there really is something for everyone. But that’s not all!

The Nashville Film Festival’s Graveyard Shift always features intriguing horror programming (including both feature films and shorts), and this year’s offerings are no different. Which is why I requested Graveyard Shift Programmer and Tennessee Features Programmer Jennifer Bonior to provide a sneak peek into an interesting music documentary and infinite horrors that are both alive this year:

Matter of Time follows Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder contributing to a passionate community, hoping to bring people together to cure a rare disease that causes extremely fragile skin through the power of music to make a difference.

“Set against the backdrop of Seattle, Vedder organizes two landmark concerts to fund critical research into EB (epidermolysis bullosa). Though Eddie Vedder is unable to attend, director Matt Finlin will be in attendance for the Q&A post screening.”

What if Hitler had a four-legged best friend? Blondi explores the bizarre bond between the Führer and his German Shepherd in this Graveyard Short making its North American premiere at the 2025 Nashville Film Festival!

I wondered aloud about the process that Bonior used for selecting the Graveyard Shorts and feature films for 2025.

“For our Graveyard Shorts program, The Parental Figures block is a dark and twisted look at how people raise their young. This collection of eight films ranges from unsettling body horror to razor-sharp satire, exploring the terrifying line between protection and abuse. Whatever your taste in horror, you’ll find something to make you squirm.”

“Truth Be Told is a seven-film block exploring the slippery nature of truth. This block of dark comedies is filled with grotesque and horrific moments but also biting social commentary. It’s a hilarious and disgusting look at characters who try to avoid, embrace or even spin reality.”

“Programming for any film genre comes with its own set of hurdles. Our goal with the Graveyard program is to honor the dark spirit of the category, while also seeking out films that subvert the traditional horror or sci-fi tropes, pushing boundaries and ultimately delivering an unforgettable experience.”

Don’t let Matter of Time (featuring Eddie Vedder) and all of the horrors of the Graveyard, both short and long, disappear. Get your Nashville Film Festival ticket information now.