The 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival, starting next month, has more Atlanta-area creatives involved in selected films than ever before, a sign of the burgeoning local filmmaking community, according to executive director Christopher Escobar.
“I think it’s going to be Atlanta in the spotlight in a way that hasn’t happened before to this degree,” said Escobar, who has run the festival for 15 years, three times longer than any of his 15 predecessors. “We have more features made not just in Georgia but made by Georgians and owned by Georgians.”
The festival, which runs from April 24 to May 4, will feature 150 films, including 48 feature-length movies and more than 100 shorts ranging from two minutes to 32 minutes long. Almost all will be shown at either the Tara Theatre or the Plaza Theatre, both owned by Escobar. Badges to access all films start at $175 and can be purchased at atlff25.eventive.org/passes/buy. Tickets to individual screenings are available at atlff25.eventive.org/schedule.
Credit: ATLANTA STORY PARTNERS
Credit: ATLANTA STORY PARTNERS
The selections were culled from more than 8,000 submissions by about 200 volunteers and a coterie of paid panelists.
Opening night at the Plaza on Thursday, April 24 will highlight “Color Book,” a locally filmed movie directed by Atlanta native David Fortune. The movie debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and has won multiple awards at several film festivals. It follows a father and his son with Down syndrome on their journey to an Atlanta Braves game. Fortune is expected to attend along with cast members Will Catlett and Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, who received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his work in the film.
On Saturday, April 26, the festival will highlight local documentary “The Games in Black & White” created by George Hirthler and Bob Judson. The film focuses on the unlikely story of how the 1996 Summer Olympics landed in Atlanta over presumptive favorite Athens, Greece. The screening ― which will include scheduled appearances by Billy Payne and civil rights legend Andrew Young, two of the key architects of the bid ― will be held at the Rialto Center for the Arts four blocks from Centennial Olympic Park, one of the most enduring legacies of the games.
Atlanta actor Omar Epps and Atlanta rap star 2 Chainz will appear April 30 at a screening at the Tara of their short film “Red Clay.” The 22-minute movie, which was co-written and co-produced by the pair, focuses on Nook, struggling to define a future for himself beyond the world perpetuated by his mother’s addiction.
Another notable film, Escobar said, is “Withdrawal,” a world premiere April 30 at the Plaza directed by Atlanta’s Aaron Strand about a co-dependent couple that gets addicted to heroin. “It kinds of tells the story in reverse,’ Escobar said. “It also reflects the writer-director’s own experience with substance addiction.”
Escobar noted that the film festival has come a long way from where it was 15 years ago when he first took over. The number of submissions that year was 1,500, which has since more than quintupled. The festival now gives away about $100,000 in cash and services to winners.
The festival’s final day falls on May 4, when Star Wars fans celebrate the film franchise based on the pun “May the 4th Be With You.” Last year, a screening of “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace” drew star Ewan McGregor. Escobar said he can’t guarantee another celebrity appearance this year but the festival will screen both the 10th anniversary of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the 45th anniversary of “Empire Strikes Back.” (The locations have not been finalized.)
The festival has also partnered with Atlanta Sustainability Fashion Week with a screening of short films about sustainable fashion, a fashion show and an after-party. The festival is also working with Seed & Spark on the Creative Sustainability Summit on Monday, April 28 at the Plaza featuring workshops on movie funding and distribution and panels from industry leaders and local creatives.
Celebrity appearances will be announced in the coming weeks
Most films will be available to watch virtually following the in-person events.
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