The Belcourt Theatre

Opened as the Hillsboro Theatre on May 18, 1925, the Belcourt is Nashville’s oldest neighborhood cinema—and the city’s longest continuously operating home for film. In a town where more than 90 theaters have come and gone, it remains the only independent movie house still in operation. 

Originally built for vaudeville and silent film, it quickly adapted to changing entertainment tastes. The Belcourt became home to the city’s first formal theatrical organizations—Nashville Little Theatre Guild, Children’s Theatre, and Community Playhouse—and even briefly hosted the Grand Ole Opry. In the 1960s, they re-opened as the arthouse Belcourt Cinema, and by 1968 became Tennessee’s first two-screen cinema.

Over the decades, it has served as a creative incubator, supporting and developing filmmaking careers. Locally made features like Charlie Daniels’s Volunteer Jam, Chris Columbus’s Heartbreak Hotel, and John R. Cherry III’s Ernest Scared Stupid have all had premieres here. Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers also premiered here—its archival 35mm print is also housed and distributed from Belcourt. Golden Globe winner Fred Coe, Oscar-winners Delbert Mann and Claude Jarman, Jr., and entertainers like Dinah Shore and Sarah Cannon—better known as Minnie Pearl—have all acted on this stage.

At the Belcourt, the staff doesn’t just sell tickets—they make movies. Writers, directors, animators, and editors are part of the team. Former programmer Gene Nash wrote, directed, and scored the 1970 LGBTQ classic Dinah East. Director of Education and Engagement Allison Inman is a documentarian whose work includes Carthage House of Beauty (2021), and staffer Jason Shawhan is chief film critic at The Nashville Scene.

From the 1970s through the 1990s—under Carmike Cinemas—the Belcourt screened new releases, second-run titles, and occasional indies. By the late 1990s, it leaned further into boundary-pushing independent films like The Crying Game (1992) and launched repertory series such as Midnight Movies, solidifying its role as a hub for inclusive storytelling. As Nashville Scene editor Jim Ridley once wrote, the Belcourt had “found its niche—and its following.”

But the theater nearly didn’t survive. Facing demolition in the late 1990s, a grassroots campaign—sparked by Ridley’s 1999 column—successfully rallied to save it. “Lose the Belcourt,” he warned, “and we lose one more irretrievable piece of our identity.” The effort succeeded and led to the Belcourt becoming a nonprofit in 2000. A major restoration in 2016, preserved it for future generations. Today, with a mission rooted in independent, international, and repertory film, the Belcourt remains the centerpiece of Nashville’s cinematic landscape. For more on The Belcourt Theatre, take our Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt tour.

Our next stop is a filming location: Scarritt Bennett Center, 1027 18th Ave S. Drive down Belcourt Ave. away from 21st Avenue and turn RIGHT onto 24th Avenue then turn RIGHT onto Blakemore Ave. At the light, turn LEFT onto 21st Ave S. In about a half mile, turn RIGHT onto Edgehill Ave. then take a LEFT onto 18th Ave S. Park in Parking Lot A at Scarritt Bennett Center on your left. Check in at the Welcome Center then feel free to explore the campus.