The Sundown Series Returns!
Tomorrow night: live music from 6-8pm before "The Long Start to the Journey" screens at sundown. Director Chris Gallaway will be in attendance!
Save the last Wednesday in August, September, and October for progressive evenings of art, music, food, and film hosted in conjunction with Westside Provisions District (WSPD)! Join us tomorrow night, August 26th, as we welcome the Sundown Series in its second year. Enjoy live music from Paul Melançon & The New Insecurities from 6pm to 8pm before “The Long Start to the Journey,” ATLFF Official Selection in 2015, begins at sundown. Director and leading man Chris "Frost" Gallaway will be in attendance! Check out the trailer for his beautiful documentary on his thru hike up the Appalachian Trail:
This event is free! You can find directions and more details about WSPD here.
"The Watermelon Woman" Opens Up the First Ever New Mavericks Film Series Tonight!
The first ever New Mavericks film series kicks off tonight at Synchronicity Theatre with Cheryl Dunye's "The Watermelon Woman!"
THE WATERMELON WOMAN directed by Cheryl Dunye
Friday, August 21st @ 8PM ; $10
Cheryl Dunye's debut feature is as controversial as it is sexy and funny. Cheryl is a twenty-something black lesbian working as a clerk in a video store while struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, an obscure black actress from the 1930's. Cheryl is surprised to discover that Richards (known popularly as "the Watermelon Woman") had a white lesbian lover. At the same time, Cheryl falls in love with a very cute white customer at the video store (Guinevere Turner from Go Fish).
Such are the complexities of race and sex in this startlingly fresh debut, which has been attacked by conservative Congressmen for having been funded by the NEA and lavishingly praised in the editorial pages for being charming and courageous.
Join us at 7PM for Happy Hour in the Synchronicity Lobby; then after the screening for an after-party hangout at Tavernpointe.
ATLFF Filmmaker-in-Residence Brantly Watts Wants to Share "Birthday Cake" With You!
Contribute now and claim your piece of "Birthday Cake!" ATLFF Filmmaker-in-Residence Brantly Watts is looking for help making her first narrative short film.
Brantly Jackson Watts, along with her husband and frequent filmmaking partner, Jon Watts, first came into the Atlanta Film Festival fold with their feature debut, "AKA Blondie," at ATLFF '12. Focusing on the Clermont Lounge's most famous dancer-poet-activist-author-celebrity, Anita Rae 'Blondie' Strange, that film became a local phenomenon and catapulted Brantly and Jon into positions as local film community leaders. Now in their second year as ATLFF Filmmakers-in-Residence, Brantly and Jon have been exceptionally busy in recent years. They both launched the Homespun Series in 2014, and Brantly has been a central figure in the birth of the New Mavericks program that launched early this year.
Now, we are excited as Brantly prepares to make her first ever narrative film, "Birthday Cake."
Set in the deep south, Birdie marks the first anniversary of leaving her abusive lover, Donnie, with a ceremonial candle on a cake. As the evening unfurls, Birdie will be confronted by more than an aching heart in this Southern Gothic thriller. A haunting story of love, survival and the complexities found in relationships, this film examines modern domestic violence and abuse in a way that is seldom explored. Violence in relationships is often viewed with very clear moral distinction, without any gradations. "Birthday Cake" delves deeper into the issue to reveal the grey areas we often choose to ignore. An important film that promises to remain with viewers, "Birthday Cake" is as captivating as it is powerful.
The campaign was launched nine days ago and has already raised an incredible 86% of its $8,000 goal! However, stretch goals will be applied and the more money raised, the harder Brantly will work to make the film as perfect as possible! Check out the campaign and claim your perks now.
Contribute now!
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
Get your Tickets to Taste of Atlanta Here and You Will Help Support ATLFF!
Get your regularly-priced general admission or VIP tickets to Taste of Atlanta through us and we will get $5 back!
After successfully serving up the city's best fare for more than a decade, Taste of Atlanta is back with bigger features and bolder flavors in its 14th year! The legendary three-day food festival returns to Midtown at Tech Square Friday, September 25 - Sunday, September 27, 2015.
This year's event takes festival-goers on a culinary adventure through the city's many diverse neighborhoods by featuring the chefs and restaurants that give these communities their true personality and flavor. Food lovers of all ages are invited to join Taste of Atlanta this September in celebrating the dynamic energy and variety of the local restaurant scene while savoring what makes the city the food capital of the South!
From now through August 31, if you purchase a regularly-priced ticket ($25 General Admission or $75 VIP) through this link (or the button below), ATLFF will receive a $5 donation for every ticket purchased!
ATLFF Filmmaker-in-Residence Darrell C. Hazelrig Needs Your Help (and Money!)
Hazelrig's "Edgor & Izzy" is an epic, cerebral, fantasy feature film. The IndieGoGo campaign ends tomorrow, August 15! Contribute now!
Darrell C. Hazelrig has been an Atlanta Film Festival alum for years, working on a variety of live action and puppetry features and short films, in various roles. In 2015, Hazelrig entered into the role of ATLFF Filmmaker-in-Residence and began prep work for his first feature film at the helm, "Edgor & Izzy (And Somewhere in the Middle is Me)."
"Edgor & Izzy (And Somewhere in the Middle is Me)" is an epic, cerebral, fantasy feature film—the long-lost love child of "8 1/2" and "The Wizard of Oz." Two cantankerous siblings, Edgor and Izzy, awake to find themselves trapped in the mythical Lonely Desert. As they try to solve the mysterious disappearance of their female companion, Rose, they encounter a multitude of strange characters who prove equal parts help and hindrance to their quest, all the while evading the relentless pursuit of Erebus, the dark-spirited madman who lusts for their destruction.
In the first three weeks of the campaign, 118 people have contributed, snagging some of the incredible perks offered! The goal is steep—$100,000—but possible. The good news is, IndieGoGo allows you to keep whatever you raise, unlike the all-or-nothing Kickstarter, so your money will 100% go towards getting "Edgor & Izzy" produced and on the big screen!
Contribute now!
WonderRoot's Local Film Series Wants You to Submit Your Films!
WonderRoot is looking for submissions for the fall edition of its Local Film Series! Experimental shorts, documentaries, narratives, animation, music videos, and video art are all considered. Submit by August 21.
WonderRoot is looking for submissions for the fall edition of its Local Film Series! Experimental shorts, documentaries, narratives, animation, music videos, and video art are all considered, as long as they are made in Georgia.
The deadline for submissions is August 21st and the next screening will be on September 24th at the Plaza Theatre. Jury prizes will be awarded and winning filmmakers receive funding to submit their work to other local and national film festivals, as well as a private consultation with the ATLFF's Creative Director, Kristy Breneman, and Senior Shorts Programmer, Christina Humphrey.
Submit your local film today!
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!
Listen to Reason and Get Your Tickets to Plaza Theatre Foundation's "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" Screening
You've already seen "Clueless" and "Friday," now check out our spectacular grand finale to the Plaza Theatre Foundation's Summer Series... "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
In the final of three summer series screenings, ATLFF and The Plaza Theatre Foundation are presenting "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" next Wednesday, August 12th at 7:30 PM!
Get your tickets to "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" now! Pay what you can.
Doors open at 7:00 PM.
"The Ring" Kicks Off Pay-What-You-Can 'Sinister Series' of Horror Films at Plaza This Saturday
Leading up to the theatrical release of "Sinister 2," ATLFF and Focus Features present the Sinister Series of horror classics! Things kick off at the Plaza on Saturday, August 8th with "The Ring" (2002) at 9:30 PM.
Leading up to the release of "Sinister 2" on Friday, August 21st, Focus Features and ATLFF present SINISTER SERIES—a series of horror films that inspired the creation of "Sinister." Exclusive footage from "Sinister 2" will be shown before each screening!
Things kick off at the Plaza on Saturday, August 8th with "The Ring" (2002) at 9:30 PM. "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) screens on Saturday, August 15th at 9:30 PM, followed by the original "Sinister" on Tuesday, August 18th at 9:30 PM.
Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can, so there is no excuse to miss these classics!