Tennessee Films & TV

Discover the wide variety of films and television shows that have been made in and around Tennessee.

• ELVIS

Elvis is a biographical drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann, which follows the story of the infamous rock ‘n’ roll star Elvis Presley.  Told from the perspective of Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, the film explores Elvis Presley’s high and lows and the many challenges and controversies he received throughout his career. The story delves into the complex and dynamic relationship between Elvis and Parker spanning over 20 years. Starring Austin Butler who won Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes and Best Actor in a Leading Role at the British Academy Film Awards and Tom Hanks as the controversial manager with a mysterious past, who had a key role in The Kings success as well as his downfall.

• The Blind Side

Based on a true story, this heart-warming film will have you cheering! Michael Oher is a homeless teen and Leigh Anne Tuohy an interior designer – neither know the other’s world. But when they meet their lives change. He finds a home and goes on to be a football start and her family gets an addition.

Starring: Tim McGraw, Sandra Bullock, Lily Collins

• Walk The Line

Following the life of the legendary 'Man in Black', Johnny Cash. The movie begins in 1955, when a tough, skinny guitar-slinger who called himself J.R. Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) walks into the soon-to-be-famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was a moment that would have an indelible effect on American culture. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as deep and black as night, Cash sang blistering songs of heartache and survival that were gutsy, full of real life and unlike anything heard before. That day kicked off the electrifying early career of Johnny Cash. As he pioneered a fiercely original sound that blazed a trail for rock, country, punk, folk and rap stars to come, Cash began a rough-and-tumble journey of personal transformation. In the most volatile period of his life, he evolved from a self-destructive pop star into the iconic 'Man in Black' - facing down his demons, fighting for the love that would save him time and again, and learning how to walk the razor-thin line between destruction and redemption. Reese Witherspoon won a Best Actress Academy Award for her role as June Carter, Cash's long-suffering wife.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

• Wild Rose

Starring Jessie Buckley and Academy Award nominee Julie Waters, Wild Rose tells the complicated story of musician Rose-Lynn, a woman from Scotland who is on a quest to become a country music stat while also grappling with the responsibilities of being recently released from prison and a young mother of two children.

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Julie Waters, Sophie Okonedo

• An American Haunting

In 1818, a family began to experience disturbances on their property. At first, the hauntings were slight, unexplained noises, but the spirit grew, becoming aggressive and singling out the father, John, and his only daughter Betsy. The family desperately searched for the cause of the spirit in the hope of finding a way of defeating it, but it continued its brutal assault. It developed voices….

Based on true events that took place in Tennessee during the 1800s - the only documented case in US history and validated by the State of Tennessee.

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Matthew Marsh

• 9 to 5

Frank Hart is a pg. He takes advantage of the women who work with him in the grossest manner. When his three assistants manage to trap him in his own house, they assume control of his department and productivity leaps, but just how long can they keep Hart tied up?

Starring: Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin

• Hustle & Flow

Inner-city rap drama starring Ludacris and Terrence Howard. Street hustler and low-grade pimp DJ (Howard) spends his time selling sexy Nola (Taryn Manning) to clients so that he can support pregnant girlfriend Shug (Taraji Henson), but his sleazy lifestyle leaves him feeling hollow and unfulfilled.

Starring: Anthony Anderson, DJ Qualls, Taraji P. Henson

• Mystery Train

Aloof teenage Japanese tourists, a frazzled Italian widow and a disgruntled British immigrant all converge in the city of dreams – which, in Mystery Train, from Jim Jarmusch, is Memphis. Made with its director’s customary precision and wit, this triptych of stories pays playful tribute to the home of Stax Records, Sun Studio, Graceland, Carl Perkins and, of course, the King.

Starring: Masatoshi Nagese, Youki Kudoh, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

TV Box Sets

• Nashville

Rayna James is the established “Queen of Country” music. However, her latest album is not selling well. Her record label suggests that she open for Juliette Barnes, the young Juliette Barnes, the young and sext bestselling singer of ‘bubble gum country’.

Starring: Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Clare Bowen

• Country Music (mini-series by Ken Burns)

Step back in time and journey through the compelling history of a musical art form with Country Music, an eight-part, 16-hour documentary series directed by Ken Burns, and produced by Burns and his long-time collaborators Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey. More than eight years in the making, the film follows the evolution of country music from its humble yet diverse origins to becoming a worldwide phenomenon by the end of the twentieth century.

• Bluff City Law

Bluff City Law is an American legal drama television series set in Memphis, Tennessee, the series depicts a law firm led by attorney Elijah Strait (played by Jimmy Smits) and his daughter, Sydney. The firm handles controversial civil rights cases.

If you're interested in reading books set in or about Tennessee, click here.