Jim Ridley was a writer and editor at the Nashville Scene for more than twenty-five years, its resident film critic, and most recently the paper's top editor. Under his editorship, the Scene won forty awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, averaging better than five per year. Ridley took home first place in arts criticism twice himself. He also contributed to other publications such as the Village Voice, the Criterion Collection, and Cinema Scope. As a champion of arts cinema, Ridley's advocacy helped save the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville from closure in the early years of the new millennium.