ATLFF '15 Official Selection BEAR STORY Receives Academy Award Nomination
ATLFF '15 film "Bear Story (Historia de un oso)" as received a nomination for the Best Animated Short Oscar! Mountainfilm on Tour ATL '15 film "Body Team 12" also received a nomination for Best Documentary Short.
Bear Story (Historia de un oso)
ATLFF '15 official selection "Bear Story (Historia de un oso)" received a nomination for the Best Animated Short Oscar! Directed by Gabriel Osorio Vargas, the film tells the story of an old bear's life through a mechanical diorama.
Mountainfilm on Tour ATL '15 also featured a short film that went on to recieve an Academy Award nomination. "Body Team 12," directed by David Darg, also received a nomination for Best Documentary Short.
Body team 12
The Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying festival in all three short film categories. The winners of our Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short Jury Prizes go on to become eligible for Oscar shortlist inclusion.
Atlanta Celebrates Photography to Screen IMBA MEANS SING
Thursday, October 29th from 6-9pm, this empowering documentary screens alongside two powerful photo exhibits as part of the Atlanta Celebrates Photography festival.
The smash hit documentary IMBA MEANS SING screens in Atlanta once again! If you've missed it thus far, it's not too late....
"IMBA MEANS SING is the story of one little boy who is a big star. Growing up in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, Moses and his family lack enough resources for him to even attend the first grade. We follow Moses as he works for an education and spreads the magic of his African childhood.
The film is an intimate character portrait, stunningly shot and told through Moses’ perspective on his one shot journey from poverty towards his dream of becoming a pilot."
Atlanta Celebrates Photography presents IMBA MEANS SING at ATLFF venue Gallery L1 from 6-9pm on Thursday, October 29th. Ticket cost includes entry to both photography exhibits and a Q&A with the filmmakers!
Learn more about IMBA MEANS SING and RSVP here.
Sixteen ATLFF '15 Films Now On Demand!
Look no further for your next movie night selection!
We love when our selections find a wider audience! Whether you missed it at the 2015 festival or saw it, loved it, and want to share it with friends (who must come with you to the 40th annual festival in April), you can now catch sixteen feature films across various platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, and Vimeo.
Highlights include Blood, Sweat, and Beer, the dynamic craft beer documentary we paired with a sold out afterparty; Breathe (Respire), Mélanie Laurent's dreamy drama and two-time César-award nominee; God Bless the Child, winner of the ATLFF 2015 Narrative Jury Prize; Masculinity/Femininity, Russell Sheaffer's experimental documentary that questions our gender-normative society; and The Sisterhood of Night, the mysterious teen drama that announced our New Mavericks program.
And for the first time, you can find the complete list in one place. Bookmark atlantafilmfestival.com/ondemand; we'll update the list as it grows! No more "What should we watch tonight?" Atlanta Film Festival has you covered.
ATLFF '15 Feature "Breathe" Opens Today!
"Breathe" opens today in Atlanta!
Didn't catch Melanie Laurent's César Award-nominee at the festival this year? Worry not—"Breathe" ("Respire"), her French-directed feature, opens today at Lefont Theaters in Sandy Springs.
ATLFF '15 Hit "Frame by Frame" Returns to Atlanta in October, Get Your Tickets Now!
One of the most moving audience experiences at ATLFF '15, "Frame by Frame" is returning to Atlanta on October 6th at AMC Parkway Pointe 15! This is a Gathr screening, so you have to reserve your ticket NOW for the screening to happen!
"Frame by Frame," the debut feature from filmmakers Alexandra Bombach and Mo Scarpelli, was an official selection in both the Documentary Feature and New Mavericks competitions at ATLFF '15. One of the most moving audience experiences at this last festival, we are so happy that "Frame by Frame" is returning to Atlanta on October 6th at AMC Parkway Pointe!
In 1996, the Taliban banned photography in Afghanistan. When the US invaded after 9/11, the regime toppled, the media blackout disappeared, and a promising industry began to emerge. Using cinema verité and secret, never-before-seen archival footage shot under Taliban rule, this documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists fighting to reclaim their nation's identity by capturing the truth.
This is a Gathr screening, so if you don't get your ticket ahead of time, then the screening won't happen! Just 90 tickets are needed for the screening to take place and it will be the best $11.50 you'll spend on a film all month!
FRAME BY FRAME
Tuesday, October 6, 2015, 7:30 PM
AMC Parkway Pointe 15
ATLFF '15 Feature "Wildlike" to Return to the Plaza on September 25th
The 2015 Official Selection comes back to Atlanta for a theatrical release.
Ready to part ways with summer action flicks and slapstick family dramas? Good news—after playing ATLFF '15 this past spring, Frank Hall Green's latest feature film returns to Atlanta on September 25th at The Plaza Theatre. Starring Ella Purnell, Bruce Greenwood, and endless Alaskan scenery, "Wildlike" has enchanted viewers at more than 150 festivals, winning Best Film awards from more than 30. "Wildlike" is the perfect escape into films of fall. Watch the trailer here.
MovieMaker Magazine Names ATLFF as One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World
After being featured in MovieMaker Magazine's 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, we are excited to announce that they have also included us on this year's list of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World!
For the last two years, the Atlanta Film Festival has made MovieMaker Magazine's list of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. This is quite a tremendous honor, and one we hope to repeat every year in the future.
Today, however, we are excited to announce an even greater honor—MovieMaker has included us on their list of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World! While it is always cool for someone to tell you that you are cool, this list is so important to us because it is compiled by a list of filmmakers and industry professionals. These people experience a lot of film festivals all across the globe and for them to consider us one of the top 25 coolest—we are just so grateful!
Congratulations to all the festivals mentioned! We couldn't be happier to be in your company.
Get Your Tickets for the Theatrical Premiere of ATLFF '15's "Imba Means Sing!"
One of the biggest films from ATLFF '15 plays theatrically this Thursday night at Tara Cinemas 4! Get your tickets now for "Imba Means Sing!"
"Imba Means Sing," directed by Danielle Bernstein, was one of the most highly attended film events at the 2015 Atlanta Film Festival. After a sold-out screening and concert at the Rialto Theatre back in March, we are pleased to share that "Imba Means Sing" will play at Tara Cinemas 4 on Thursday, August 20!
Follow Moses and Angel, members of the Grammy-nominated African Children's Choir from Uganda, on their journey to obtaining an education despite extreme poverty. Against the odds, Moses dreams of becoming a pilot and Angel is determined to become the first female President of Uganda. Along with the choir, Moses and Angel travel to different international venues to bring awareness to the importance of education for all children—regardless of the lack of resources—through their love of music.
Get your tickets now before "Imba Means Sing" sells out again!
IMBA MEANS SING
Thursday, August 20, 2015, 7:30 PM
Tara Cinemas 4
ATLFF '15 Best Narrative Feature Winner "God Bless the Child" Hits Theaters and iTunes
Narrative Feature Jury prize-winner from ATLFF '15, "God Bless the Child" gets a week-long run in New York this week and an iTunes release on Tuesday, August 18th!
The 2015 Atlanta Film Festival's Jury Award-winner in the Narrative Feature category was Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian's "God Bless the Child," which premiered at SXSW just days before its bow at ATLFF.
After a strong festival run throughout the spring and summer—where it was in competition at most, if not all, festivals—"God Bless the Child" is now receiving a theatrical release in New York City and will be released on iTunes on Tuesday, August 18th.
In "God Bless the Child," an often overwhelmed teenager (Harper Graham) tends to the needs of her four younger brothers, all of whom spend the day challenging each other in games of strength and burgeoning masculinity. All the while, Hannah is searching and waiting for the parent who is missing in action. Deftly walking the tightrope between documentary and narrative filmmaking, "God Bless the Child" gives us a keenly real sense of the joys, and the burden, of raising a family with little support financially or emotionally.
Click here for more information about the Independent Filmmaker Project's (IFP) week-long run of "God Bless the Child" at Made in NY Media Center by IFP. Make sure you pre-order the film on iTunes, or check it out on August 18th!
Puppetry Short Films, Live Events and Special Presentations Abound at ATLFF
The Atlanta Film Festival has a long-standing love affair with puppetry—with short films, special presentations, live events and more all showcasing the best puppet offerings each year. Submit your puppetry short now!
The Atlanta Film Festival has a long-standing love affair with puppetry. A city devoted to the art form, Atlanta is home to the Center for Puppetry Arts, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to puppetry. In November, the Center will open its brand new 14 million dollar expansion, The Worlds of Puppetry Museum. It will feature two galleries—one devoted to the Global Collection and one dedicated to the Jim Henson Collection, the world’s most comprehensive collection of Henson’s puppets and artifacts.
For the last several years, puppetry shorts, special presentations, live events and installations have counted among ATLFF's most popular attractions—and we owe an immense deal of gratitude to Beau Brown, our special Puppetry Programmer. Working with Elizabeth Leary, Beau helps curate and plan ATLFF's striking puppet programing.
Beau is Director of Atlanta's Puppet Slam, The Puckin' Fuppet Show; officially recognized and sponsored by the national Puppet Slam Network. Additionally, Beau works as the Community Coordinator for the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Puppetry Track Director for Dragon Con and the National Puppet Slam Curator and Host. As a filmmaker and lead puppeteer for New Puppet Order, Beau has made several short films—many of which have been seen in ATLFF's annual Touch the Puppet Head presentation.
In 2015, ATLFF had an exceptionally strong puppetry program. While our puppetry shorts block boasted films from Australia, Spain, USA and the United Kingdom, we also featured Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams, a selection of short puppet films by independent artists exploring their hand made craft specifically for the camera. If you made it to our spectacular "Game of Thrones" party, you saw many puppets making their way through the crowd—including a larger-than-life dragon!
Since 2013, the Touch the Puppet Head special presentation has been a consistent late-night hit at each ATLFF. Mixing live performances with eccentric puppet films, Touch the Puppet head has seen performances by Lee Bryan, Raymond Carr, Gavin Cummins, Alex Griffin, Jason Hines, Joshua Holden, Charles Kelso, Charles Pillsbury, Carla Rhodes, Dana Samborski, Gregg Van Laningham and Zeb L. West, among others. In 2015, the world premiere of ATLFF's first independent TV pilot showcase, "Pepper's Place," took place at Touch the Puppet Head.
What will 2016's Puppetry Program look like? That's up to you! Submit your puppetry short films now and maybe we can pull some strings.
We are now accepting submissions for the Puppetry Short category and all other categories for the 2016 Atlanta Film Festival. The Regular Deadline is September 18.