Note: This story was updated June 25 to correct the day of the screening highlights listed.
The Chattanooga Film Festival is finally back in person after going virtual for three years, and the festival directors picked a worthy location: the historic (and supposedly haunted) Read House downtown.
The hotel had always been a dream location for the event since its inception, festival executive director and lead film programmer Chris Dortch said in an interview Saturday. The legend of the death of Annalisa Netherly and her subsequent haunting of Room 311 is a story that has long fascinated fest-goers and locals, including Dortch. But the dream of having the Read House host the festival didn’t become a reality until recent renovations on the hotel were completed.
“There was suddenly a page on their website devoted to Annalisa. And it was like, ‘What if we contact them and say, ‘Look, we’ve got a huge audience that loves ghost stories, will you let us do this?’ and they’ve been truly an amazing partner,” Dortch said. He plans to bring the festival back to the hotel in 2024, and hopes to make the Read House the festival’s permanent home.
Friday’s highlights