Artlightenment Wraps 6th Annual Art Show and Film Festival

Artlightenment wrapped its 6^th consecutive year on Saturday night with its festival themed “the light side of art and film.”

Artlightenment’s 6^th consecutive year showcased underwater photographer Christy Lee Rogers, celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein, and up and coming fashion designer Elisabeth Donaldson, all of whom are based in Nashville.  The festival was held at the Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville.  Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard was an accomplished artist who also wrote articles and books to help artists achieve success through their craft.

The festival’s first event was underwater photographer Christy Lee Rogers’ talk “Making a Career as an Artist.”  Rogers’ success in her career drew a large crowd. She has been described as, “…undeniably contemporary yet also timeless,” by writer Duncan Beebe for Eyemazing Magazine.   At the end of the festival, Rogers took home top honors, the annual Artligthenment Award.

The Film Festival portion of Artlightenment spanned two evenings, Thursday and Friday, and drew full audiences.  Celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein premiered her latest short film ‘Mary and Albert,’ which received an Audience Choice award.  Rubenstein has photographed some of the biggest names in movies, music and pop culture such as Dustin Hoffman, Dolly Parton, Andy Warhol, and iconic singers Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, among others.

The Best Film award went to Jason K. Allen for his film ‘American Sock,’ a whimsical comedy about a girl searching for her soul mate on social media sites which leads to being swept off her feet by the most unlikely of candidates. The film was directed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown and starred Angela Gulner and Sto Strauss.

Free seminars for artists to encourage career success has been an integral part of the festival since its inception.  Screenwriter Annie Kananack delivered a workshop “From Screenplay to Big Screen,” to encourage future screenwriters. Kananack says, “I am most alive and fulfilled when I’m writing,” and takes her inspiration from character-driven films of the 30s and 40s.

The Artlightenment festival takes place during the second weekend of November each year at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, 1130 8^th Avenue South. For more information on the festival, visit artlightenment.com.