Atlanta Film Festival Postpones 2020 Event

STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER ESCOBAR

ATLANTA, GA (March 19, 2020) - In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 44th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF), originally slated for April 30 – May 10, 2020. We remain committed to presenting ATLFF in 2020 in a way that the city can be proud of, and recognize that with recent guidelines by both the City of Atlanta and the CDC, it is no longer possible on the previously announced dates. We are already in the process of selecting new dates for later in the year, which we hope to announce very soon.

This is not a decision we make lightly, but we are committed to protecting the safety of our staff, filmmakers and all those who attend our event. We also recognize the importance of playing our part to slow the effects of COVID-19 in order to keep those among us who are most vulnerable safe. 

We are incredibly proud of the work we will showcase in our 2020 program, and remain committed to bringing a diverse lineup of selected films and creative works, in addition to our Creative Conference and special events, to audiences at a time that it is safe to do so. The lineup of programming, selected from a record-breaking 8,550 submissions, has been chosen and will be announced with the forthcoming revised dates for the 2020 event. 

Film festivals have always been deeply rooted in community. While the upheaval in the festival landscape is unprecedented and can feel disheartening, we are encouraged by the level of kindness and support we have witnessed amongst our festival peers, sponsors, the filmmaking community and the city of Atlanta. With this support and collaboration, ATLFF and its parent organization, the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS), remain committed to our mission to provide support, education and a voice for the arts and filmmakers across the globe, and especially in the state of Georgia. 

ATLFS will continue to explore online options for classes and events as needed over the coming months, following the guidelines of the CDC and local officials as we move forward.

We realize that moving our dates may bring about scheduling conflicts with our attendees. Any purchased badges will be honored for the new dates. In the event you can no longer attend the festival and have already purchased badges for the original dates, we have relaxed our refund policy and will provide a window to request refunds. Please refer to our website and FAQ page for details on refunds—these pages will be updated as soon as our new dates are announced.

To stay up-to-date on new festival dates, announcements on the lineup and other Atlanta Film Festival news, please visit AtlantaFilmFestival.com and follow the festival on social media via Facebook (@atlantafilmfestival), Twitter (@atlantafilmfest) and Instagram (@atlantafilmfestival).

About the Atlanta Film Festival and Atlanta Film Society 
The Atlanta Film Festival, now in its fifth decade, is an Academy Award-qualifying festival and one of the region’s largest and longest-running preeminent celebrations of cinema in the Southeast United States. More than 30,000 festival attendees enjoy independent, animated, documentary and short films each year, selected from more than 8,550 submissions from 118 countries. The Atlanta Film Festival is the chief annual operation of the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS), one of the oldest and largest organizations dedicated to the promotion and education of film in the United States, which enriches the community through screenings, classes, workshops and other events year-round. It is also the most distinguished event in its class, recognized on USA Today’s ‘10Best Film Festivals’, as well as the 'Best Spring Festival' by Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 'Best Film Festival' by Creative Loafing and Atlanta Magazine, and one of the '25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World' by MovieMaker Magazine. Major funding for the Atlanta Film Society is provided by WarnerMedia, SPANX and the Sara Blakely Foundation, the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners through the Fulton County Arts & Culture Department and the National Endowment for the Arts through the Art Works category and Delta Airlines.