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Exit 207: The Soul of Nashville

“Exit 207: The Soul of Nashville” tells the story of Jefferson Street in North Nashville, a proud and resilient community that thrived during the Civil Rights Era, was deeply affected by the construction of Interstate 40 and is now fostering the future identity of Nashville’s Black community.

  • Chase Thomson
    Director
  • Chase Thomson
    Director of Photography
  • Chandler Maynard
    Executive Producers
  • David Pang
    Executive Producers
  • Audrey Akins
    Writer
  • Anna D'Amico
    Writer
  • David Pang
    Writer
  • Gus Sneh
    Writer
  • Karson Eaton
    Writer
  • Leah Kuhn
    Writer
  • Anna D'Amico
    Producer
  • Audrey Akins
    Producer
  • Camille Walters
    Producer
  • Franco Basso
    Producer
  • Gus Sneh
    Producer
  • Jessica Weippert
    Producer
  • Karson Eaton
    Producer
  • Leah Kuhn
    Producer
  • Ruthie Helfer
    Producer
  • Camille Walters
    Assistant Directors
  • Chandler Maynard
    Assistant Directors
  • Karson Eaton
    Assistant Directors
  • Franco Basso
    Gaffer/Grip
  • Rustin Rushing
    Gaffer/Grip
  • Nicole Buttrey
    Production Design
  • Karson Eaton
    First Assistant Camera
  • Rustin Rushing
    Second Assistant Camera
  • Isaac Wetzel
    Additional Photography
  • Caleb Wilkerson
    Location and Post Production Sound
  • David Pang
    Location and Post Production Sound
  • Nicholas Gale
    Location and Post Production Sound
  • Erin Kelly
    Editors
  • Grace Garrett
    Editors
  • Henry Brooks
    Editors
  • Jessica Weippert
    Editors
  • Karson Eaton
    Editors
  • Lexa Thompson
    Editors
    Tale of Figaro
  • Ruthie Helfer
    Editors
  • Jessica Weippert
    Lead Assistant Editor
  • Rustin Rushing
    Graphics
  • Ruthie Helfer
    Graphics
  • Lillie Burke
    Graphics
  • Alex Becker
    Archival Producers
  • Camille Walters
    Archival Producers
  • Chandler Maynard
    Archival Producers
  • Chase Thomson
    Archival Producers
  • Connor Daryani
    Archival Producers
  • Hanley Riggs
    Archival Producers
  • Jessica Weippert
    Archival Producers
  • Nicole Buttrey
    Archival Producers
  • Audrey Akins
    Publicity
  • Franco Basso
    Publicity
  • Leah Kuhn
    Publicity
  • Hanley Riggs
    Publicity
  • Caleb Wilkerson
    Music and Soundtrack
  • Gus Sneh
    Music and Soundtrack
  • Nicholas Gale
    Music and Soundtrack
  • Lorenzo Washington
    Key Cast
  • Charlane Oliver
    Key Cast
  • Linda Wynn
    Key Cast
  • LaDonna Boyd
    Key Cast
  • Rev. Bernard Lafayette, Jr.
    Key Cast
  • Learotha Williams, Jr.
    Key Cast
  • Ken Spring
    Key Cast
  • Caroline Rosenberg
    Key Cast
  • Carlos Partee
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 4, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Belmont University
  • Belmont University Premiere
    Nashville,TN
    United States
    May 4, 2023
    North American Premiere
Director Biography - Chase Thomson

Chase Thomson is a senior majoring in motion pictures. He is originally from Temecula, California. Chase is the Director of Photography on the project. He also worked as an archival producer on the film. He decided to join the class because he feels one of the best ways to tell stories is through the visual medium. Nashville has been a critical part of his education, and he wanted to give back to the city, especially a community that has historically not been given much light.

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Director Statement

The difficulty of embarking on the ultimate group project was immediately evident when the team sat down in September to choose a topic for this documentary. Our parameters were to choose a social justice topic pertaining to the city of Nashville. To educate ourselves and explore different options, we read “I’ll Take You There: Exploring Nashville’s Social Justice Sites” by Amie Thurber and Leathora Williams, the latter of which is featured in the documentary. After multiple brainstorming sessions with a group of Motion Pictures, Audio Engineering, Journalism, and Emerging Media students, we came to the consensus of choosing a story that spoke to the way Nashville’s gentrification is pushing out its natives.

We chose to focus on North Nashville, because it is one of the only areas left in Nashville that hasn’t been fully gentrified, and remnants of its rich history still remain. We set out to tell the story of why the community looks so drastically different than it did prior to World War II, in the hopes that we are able to let the people a part of this community tell their story. Jefferson Street in North Nashville is a proud and resilient neighborhood that served as a place of sanctuary and promise during tense race relations, and played a primary role in the Civil Rights Movement. However, when Interstate 40 was built, it cut right through this neighborhood, fracturing the community and contributing to a loss of the area’s culture and vibrance.

“Exit 207: The Soul of Nashville” gives voice to prominent Black leaders in the North Nashville community to tell the story of what Jefferson Street used to be, and what it could be in the future. Though the story is marked by targeted gentrification and destruction, it also is one of hope, as we have discovered ways the community still thrives through the people we have met and interviewed in the process of creating this documentary. Our hope is that “Exit 207: The Soul of Nashville” lets those directly affected by Nashville’s expansion tell their own story, and by doing so, spread awareness for how all Nashville citizens, native or not, can rally around the community in supporting their rich culture and history.