40th Anniversary Opening & Closing Nights, Creative Conference Released
In addition to the previously announced lineup of more than 150 feature length and short films, the 2016 festival will present gala screenings with talent appearances, eight Marquee screening events, a 40-panel Creative Conference, and the Morphine Dreams series.
In addition to the previously announced lineup of more than 150 feature length and short films, the 2016 festival will present Opening Night and Closing Night gala screenings with talent appearances, as well as eight Marquee screening events. To kick off the 40th anniversary fest, ATLFF is pleased to welcome an Atlanta-made feature film, THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING, as the Opening Night presentation. The film stars Paul Rudd, Selena Gomez and Jennifer Ehle and was lensed in Atlanta last year. Director Rob Burnett (WE MADE THIS MOVIE, The Late Show with David Letterman) is expected to return to Atlanta to attend the Opening Night celebration.
Marquee screenings that will take place throughout the festival include a mix of studio and independent films that span a wide assortment of subject matters and styles of filmmaking, highlighted by two events with talent appearances. Cast members Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman and Blake Jenner are scheduled to appear at the Saturday, April 2, 2016 Marquee screening of EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! from director Richard Linklater (DAZED AND CONFUSED). On Sunday, April 3, 2016, festival goers will get a first-look screening of HBO’s CONFIRMATION, with star Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Treme) scheduled to be in attendance. Pierce co-stars in the made-in-Atlanta feature film alongside Kerry Washington, Greg Kinnear, Eric Stonestreet and Jennifer Hudson.
ATLFF will close with MORRIS FROM AMERICA, a heartwarming and crowd-pleasing coming-of-age comedy with a unique spin starring Craig Robinson (THIS IS THE END, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE). Filmmaker Chad Hartigan (LUKE AND BRIE ARE ON A FIRST DATE, THIS IS MARTIN BRONNER) is expected to attend.
Also announced is the Morphine Dreams series and Creative Conference full schedule. ATLFF Creative Conference is a five-day program of nearly 40 panels, talks, and demos on hot filmmaking topics such as screenwriting, acting, producing, casting, funding and distribution. Presenting guests include representatives from The People Store, SAG-AFTRA, Seed & Spark, Kickstarter and more.
The Morphine Dreams series spotlights three unique and surreal narrative features, anchored by the World Premiere of locally shot FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS, directed by festival alumnus James Bickert.
“We're honored and excited to present these highlights of our 40th anniversary Atlanta Film Festival program. This milestone year inspired us to focus on gala screenings and educational offerings as compelling and varied as the community we're dedicated to serving,” said Executive Director Christopher Escobar.
OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION:
The Fundamentals of Caring
with scheduled appearance by director Rob Burnett
directed by Rob Burnett
USA, 2016, English, 93 minutes
Friday, April 1, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Having suffered a tragedy, Ben's life is on hold. In need of work, he becomes a caregiver, where he is put through his paces by his first client, Trevor, a hilarious 18-year-old from England with muscular dystrophy. Instead of bowing to Trevor's irreverent tactics, Ben treats Trevor in a way no caregiver has ever done before: without kid gloves. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, the two bond through humor in a way only broken people can. They hit the open road on a trip that takes them through the majestic pines of the Pacific Northwest, the foothills of Idaho and Montana, and finally through the open plains of the American Southwest. Along the way, they find some other lost souls, including a 21-year-old runaway who is the sexiest girl Trevor has ever seen in person and not on TV.
#Georgia
Opening Night presentation and party presented by the SIM Group.
CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION:
Morris From America
with scheduled appearance by director Chad Hartigan
directed by Chad Hartigan
USA/Germany, 2016, English/German, 91 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 7:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
A heartwarming and crowd-pleasing coming-of-age comedy with a unique spin, “Morris from America” centers on Morris Gentry (Markees Christmas, in an incredible breakout performance), a 13-year-old who has just relocated with his single father, Curtis (Craig Robinson), to Heidelberg, Germany. Morris, who fancies himself the next Notorious B.I.G., is a complete fish-out-of-water—a budding hip-hop star in an EDM world. To complicate matters further, Morris quickly falls hard for his cool, rebellious, 15-year-old classmate Katrin. Morris sets out against all odds to take the hip-hop world by storm and win the girl of his dreams.
HBO Films Presents: Confirmation
with scheduled appearance by actor Wendell Pierce
directed by Rick Famuyima
USA, 2016, English
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 6:00 PM — Rialto Center for the Arts — FREE
Filmed in Atlanta, “Confirmation” takes a look behind the curtain of Washington politics, depicting the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings where Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment. The hearings brought the country to a standstill and became a pivotal moment in American culture forever changing how we perceive and experience workplace equality and gender politics. Kerry Washington, Wendell Pierce, Greg Kinnear, Eric Stonestreet, and Jennifer Hudson star. Written by Susannah Grant.
#Georgia
Everybody Wants Some!!
with scheduled appearance by actors Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman and Blake Jenner
directed by Richard Linklater
USA, 2016, English, 116 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
A new ‘spiritual sequel’ to “Dazed and Confused” set in the world of 1980 college life, “Everybody Wants Some!!” is a comedy that follows a group of friends as they navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood. Get ready for the best weekend ever.
directed by Stella Meghie
Canada/USA, 2016, English, 82 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 5:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Writer-director Stella Meghie's feature revolves around the troubled Jones family, one of whom dies at the start of the movie. When the paramedic who answers their 911 call falls for rambunctious Jean, the courtship goes south during a calamitous Jones funeral. This screenplay won the 2011 ATLFF Screenplay Competition.
#NewMavericks
CREATIVE CONFERENCE:
MONDAY, APRIL 4th
What’s the Big Idea? — 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
SCREENWRITING PANEL — Where do ideas come from? How do you know what to do with an idea once you have it, and how do you know if it's good or bad? Get started on that screenplay with help from experienced screenwriters!
Invading Hollywood — 1:30 PM-2:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
SCREENWRITING PANEL — How do you break into the industry and find an agent or manager? Find out what to do with your written, polished script.
90-Second Pitch Fest — 3:00 PM-4:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
SCREENWRITING PANEL — Show up and pitch your idea in only 90 seconds! At the end of the session, audience and participants alike will vote for the best 3 pitches. The winner receives admission for one to Michael Lucker's Screenwriting School!
Table Read: Best 10 — 4:30 PM-5:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
SCREENWRITING PANEL — Professional actors read 10 pages from each of the winning scripts from our screenplay competition.
Dewitt Insurance Presents: Understanding Production Insurance — 10:30 AM-11:30 AM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
FINANCE PANEL — When something goes wrong, production insurance is the first line of defense for producers and financiers. DeWitt Stern’s experienced insurance professionals and Greenberg Traurig’s Andy Velcoff explain important production insurance clauses, why tight contracts are essential, and how to navigate a claim. Learn how production insurance goes further when you ask the right questions.
Do I Need An Agent? — 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
ACTING PANEL — What does an agent do? What do they look for? How do I find the right agent for me? Answers questions a novice actor would have as they begin their professional career. Casting Directors from The People Store will be there to answer these questions and more!
Unions and Guilds — 2:30 PM-3:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
UNION PANEL — Producers work with actors and crew from a number of different unions. Learn which unions and guilds cover which crafts.
Resume Building — 4:00 PM-5:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
PRE-PRODUCTION PANEL — Producer and resumé-coach Linda Burns provides tips that ensure your resumé works to get you the job rather than keep you from getting it.
TUESDAY, APRIL 5th
Grip Truck Show & Tell — 10:30 AM-11:30 AM, 7 Stages Theatre
DEMO — Need grip & electric gear for your next indie? Tour Day-1 Production Services’ 3-ton grip truck and learn why every indie should rent one.
Light & Shoot Your Indie — 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
DEMO — Need camera, grip & lighting for your next indie? Production Consultants and Equipment (PC&E) Film Production Rentals has you covered! Survey the latest cameras and get tips for lighting your next project.
Sound Good? — 1:30 PM-2:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
DEMO — You may know that bad sound can ruin a great movie, but do you know how to achieve quality sound? This demo features local sound mixers and boom operators who will supply you with tips to help you record professional quality audio on a budget.
The Animation Studio Simulation Workshop — 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
ANIMATION WORKSHOP — Be a part of an animation simulation! ASIFA-South members present a mock scenario that recreates a basic animation pipeline. Work with others and troubleshoot scenarios such as pushed deadlines and sudden script revisions. Presented by International Animation Society (ASIFA-South) and My Animation Life. (Open to kids age 7+ with supervision. No artistic or animation skill required).
Airport Short Animation: Behind the Scenes — 5:30 PM-6:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
ANIMATION PANEL- Come behind the scenes to see how of our five minute Airport Shorts animation was created incorporating the use of basic motion tracking in a month and a half. Learn the breakdowns from the simplifications of the storyboarding process, the challenges of working with a remote team over three time zones/ countries, and adapting a horizontal format animation to vertical while keeping the flow of the story, and music composing for animation.
Analyze This: A Webseries Pilot Case Study — 11:00 AM-12:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
PILOTS PANEL — Up-and-coming filmmakers pitch their prospective web series pilots to a panel of seasoned industry professionals. Filmmakers receive invaluable feedback to help them push their pilot to the next level. Audience members get a chance to see the process in action.
The Florida State University College Of Motion Picture Arts Presents: Selected Keylight Films — 1:00 PM-2:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
FSU SCREENING + PANEL — The FSU College of Motion Pictures Arts presents a showcase of eight short student films followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the College. Ranked by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top 25 film schools in the country, FSU College of Motion Picture Arts produces student films that regularly win prestigious awards like the Student Emmys and Oscars. Join us for an afternoon of cinematic entertainment as we showcase this year's selected Keylight Films.
Direct Me! — 3:00 PM-4:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
DIRECTING/ACTING PANEL — Directors and actors discuss the relationship between them. It's about more than just communication and trust. How do you get or give a good performance? What makes a director effective in the actor’s eye? What can a director do to get a good performance from their cast?
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6th
Cast Me! Cast Me! — 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
OPEN CASTING CALL — Are you an actor in the Atlanta area? Want an opportunity to get in front of some of the city's best casting directors? Here's your chance! Atlanta-based principle and extras casting directors will be on hand to meet new faces. Actors should come prepared with a two-minute monologue or pitch about themselves to present in front of the panel.
A Working Actor: What It Takes — 2:00 PM-3:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
ACTING PANEL — Atlanta-based actors will have the opportunity to ask some of the hardest working casting directors in our market about the business. Learn what it takes to make it as a working actor during this informative question-and-answer panel.
SAGindie: SAG Contracts Made Simple — 3:30 PM-4:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
UNION PANEL — Are you a filmmaker about to cast a project? Now is the time to learn about SAG! Are you an actor who wants to know more about the union? Here's the opportunity! The SAG Indie-Atlanta Outreach Committee reps will be on hand to answer all of your questions.
CSX Presents-Stop and Care: Set Safety — 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
PRODUCING PANEL — From insurance and permitting to safety meetings and common sense, this panel shares ways to keep the set safe. “Stop and care” is more than just a slogan; it's #setlife.
Produce This — 12:30 PM-1:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
PRODUCING PANEL — Producers can spend years on one movie. How do they choose? This panel covers what goes into a "good" project, from story and the director's vision to budget and marketability.
But What’s The Budget? — 2:00 PM-3:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
PRODUCING PANEL — Budgeting isn't just about what things cost. How much you can raise? What can the market bear once you sell the movie? Producers discuss how they budget their films.
The Art Of Directing No- & Low-Budget Indies — 3:30 PM-4:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
DIRECTING PANEL — Independent filmmakers never have enough money nor time to tell their stories. Short and feature narrative and documentary directors discuss how they "make it work" creatively on no- or low-budget projects.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7th
Through The Lens: A Cinematography Case Study — 10:30 AM-11:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
CINEMATOGRAPHY PANEL — Industry cinematographers screen samples of their work to be analyzed, explained and studied by fellow cinematographers and audience members. Learn the personal techniques and different elements that help craft each scene.
SCORE!: How To Compose A Quality Film Score Within Budget — 12:30 PM-1:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
COMPOSING PANEL — Licensing songs and creating original music can be expensive. But Georgia is full of amazing musicians, songwriters, composers, and music producers. Review your options for scoring on a budget.
Tips & Tricks From the Cutting Room Floor — 2:00 PM-3:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
EDITING PANEL — Editors, used to fixing things in post-production, are valuable storytellers as well as technicians. Learn tips for production and post-production that can save you time and money while preserving the story.
Visual Effects: Raising The Value Of Indie Production — 3:30 PM-4:30 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
VFX PANEL — This presentation demonstrates that regardless of budget and genre, independent filmmakers can (and should) boost their storytelling ability with visual effects. Presented by Brendon Murphy and Sean Thigpen from the Emmy Award-winning Stargate Studios (The Walking Dead, Heroes Reborn).
Support for Creative Activists — 10:30 AM-11:30 AM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
CREATIVE VISIONS PRESENTATION — Come hear from local filmmaker Erin Bernhardt on how Creative Visions can help you with networking, fundraising, mentorship, film incubation and impact campaigns, and more. Creative Visions is committed to serving people and stories that use the media, arts and creative industries to create positive social and environmental change locally and globally.
Art of The Pitch — 12:00 PM-1:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
SEED & SPARK — Art of the Pitch is about your story and how you tell it. But it's really about how you enter the room. Build the tools you need for a successful pitch meeting: identify your end game, craft the story, and convey confidence. The panel covers the basics of pitching anything from film and tech to non-profits and branding. Come prepared to pitch your current or next project! You may be selected from the audience for a 3-minute pitch!
Range And Representation: Earn More At The Box Office — 2:00 PM-3:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
DIRECTING/PRODUCING PANEL — Diversity in filmmaking isn't just about equal representation; it's about leaving money on the table. Whether behind or in front of the camera, age, race, and gender parity can put butts in seats and money in your pocket.
Filmmaker As Activist — 3:30 PM-4:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING PANEL — Documentary filmmakers discuss the inherent activism that happens both on and off screen when shooting their stories.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8th
Pre-Production Law — 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
ENTERTAINMENT LAW PANEL — Experienced entertainment attorneys discuss the legalities of pre-production for narrative, documentary, television, and webcasting projects. Topics include: optioning source materials, copyrights, life-story rights, liability for defamation, publicity rights, contracts and clearances. Panelists will also offer industry insights and review of some of the latest Hollywood legal disputes.
In The Trenches: Communicating With Your Crew — 2:00 PM-3:00 PM, 7 Stages Theatre
DIRECTING PANEL — Directors work closely with every department on a film set, answering hundreds of creative and logistical questions each day. Learn how to properly communicate with your crew to ensure your vision shines through while inspiring theirs.
Distribute This — 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
DISTRIBUTION PANEL — While many new, ever-changing platforms exist for distribution today, distribution is still the goal for many indie filmmakers. But where do you find distribution? What are distributors looking for and what’s the best way to approach them?
Crowdfunding to Independence — 12:30 PM- 2:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
SEED & SPARK PRESENTATION — The only proven path to independence as an artist is a direct connection to your audience, and crowdfunding has become a fundamental piece of many independent films. But many filmmakers miss the opportunity to turn their funding campaigns into audience-building opportunities that can last an entire career and provide groundwork for distribution that. Film-related projects will be provided with the crowdfunding action plan most likely to create a lasting, flourishing, direct relationship with your audience.
Kickstarter How To: Audience Building & Engagement — 2:30 PM-3:30 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
CROWDFUNDING PRESENTATION — Over the past six years, Kickstarter has transformed the creative process, proving that when artists and audiences band together, there is no limit on what can be accomplished. Join Film Outreach Lead Dan Schoenbrun for an overview of the past, the present, and the future of film on Kickstarter. We'll explore the essentials of a great Kickstarter project, discuss best practices and key takeaways from several of our most notable, forward-thinking film campaigns, and discuss how to build and engage audiences on Kickstarter.
Tax Incentive Talk — 4:00 PM-5:00 PM, Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
FINANCE PANEL — Learn about Georgia's tax incentives: how they work, the paperwork required to apply for them, and how to track your expenses.
MORPHINE DREAMS SERIES:
From unadulterated surrealism to down-and-dirty grindhouse, this a high-octane, uncompromising trio of films that propels you into the deepest level of your subconscious.
Frankenstein Created Bikers
directed by James Bickert
USA, 2016, English
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 9:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main and $12 at door/$10 in advance
An outlaw biker finds himself addicted to a diabolical substance and hunted by a grenade-tossing femme fatale, bounty hunters, law enforcement, a rival motorcycle gang, mutations and a topless stripper hit squad.
#WorldPremiere #Georgia
The Forbidden Room
directed by Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson
Canada, 2015, English, 130 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 7:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre and $12 at door/$10 in advance
A never-before-seen woodsman mysteriously appears aboard a submarine that's been trapped deep under water for months with an unstable cargo. As the terrified crew make their way through the corridors of the doomed vessel, they find themselves on a voyage into the origins of their darkest fears.
Belladonna of Sadness
directed by Eiichi Yamamoto
Japan, 1973, Japanese, 93 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 9:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main and $12 at door/$10 in advance
Based on the book “Satanism and Witchcraft” by French writer Jules Michelet, young and innocent Jeanne is ravaged by the local lord and makes a pact with the Devil himself. The Devil appears in phallic forms and, through Jeanne, incites the village into a sexual frenzy. In a new restoration using the original camera negatives, this erotic and psychedelic trip of a film springs to life. “Belladonna of Sadness” has previously never been released in the USA.
All tickets are now on sale! Visit our festival overview to view the full lineup by category, purchase passes and memberships, and learn about our Creative Conference. Full schedule forthcoming!
ATLFF '14 Hit LIMO RIDE is On the Road to Distribution—And You Can Help!
LIMO RIDE was a two-time sell-out world premiere huge hit at the 2014 festival. BUY THE MOVIE. FUND THE RELEASE.
Atlanta Film Festival alumni Gideon Kennedy and Marcus Rosentrater are taking the next step in distributing their film "Limo Ride!" Not only is their film amazing, but they have a kick-ass Kickstarter to promote their project. The campaign is not to produce the movie (it’s already done, crazy! Not to mention it had its world premiere at the 2014 ATLFF), it is to distribute the film and backers get a copy of "Limo Ride" just by donating!
Care to know more? "Limo Ride" follows ten friends re-accounting a tale of well-mannered debauchery. The reenactment of their 24-hour excursion through possession, trespassing, kidnapping, assault, intoxication and indecency, ultimately being stranded in the middle of nowhere is too good to be a lie, and you will want to be a part of it. Make these Georgia/Alabama filmmakers’ dream a reality and back the experimental documentary comedy and travel with them from Mobile, Alabama to the annual Polar Bear Plunge at the Gulf Coast.
Volunteer Orientation 2 of 3 This Saturday
Join us this weekend from 10am-1pm on Saturday, 3/5 to learn more about volunteering for the Atlanta Film Festival! Every volunteer is required to attend at least one.
This Saturday from 10am-1pm at The Plaza Theatre, join your future friends at the second of three Volunteer Orientations for 2016 ATLFF volunteers! We require each prospective volunteer to attend at least one. Learn about each department, how volunteering for ATLFF works, and what you get in return! We'll give you a hint: "your face here" in the picture above is just the beginning. And did we mention the coffee and donuts?
Now that we have your attention, please make sure you apply to be a volunteer before you arrive! See you there.
Full 40th Anniversary Film Lineup Announced
Announcing the 51 features, 100 shorts, and 11 special presentations comprising the 2016 ATLFF program, screening April 1-10. Passes available now!
We're pleased to announce the full lineup of feature length and short film programming for the 40th Anniversary Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF). In addition to the announced lineup, the ten-day event will highlight opening and closing night presentations and galas, 37 Creative Conference events and over a dozen unique Special Presentations and events. Of the nearly 5,000 film submissions for the 2016 festival, the final lineup includes 51 feature length films and 100 short films representing 37 countries.
Christopher Escobar, ATLFF Executive Director said, "We're working harder than ever to hold our festival in places unique to Atlanta. In everything from retro film presentations to special homecoming guests and original branding, we're paying homage to the last four decades. And like our founders set out to be in 1976, we're especially committed to creating an opportunity for independent voices to be heard and celebrated."
Kristy Breneman, ATLFF Creative Director said, "As an independent film festival we are not beholden to studio standards for what makes a voice worth hearing or a face worth seeing. This year's lineup pays respect to this independence and to our responsibility to amplify borderless stories."
Information on the opening night, closing night and marquee screenings and galas, specialty events and Creative Conference is forthcoming! Passes for the festival are available for purchase now. Individual screening tickets go on sale March 9, 2016.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
The Arbalest
directed by Adam Pinney
USA, 2016, English, 73 minutes
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 9:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
“The Arbalest” is a confessional recount of the reclusive private life of Foster Kalt, the world-renowned inventor of the Kalt Cube. The strange reflection pieces together strange events and romantic obsessions that compound in a disturbing invention despite his ten-year vow of silence. —My Nguyen
#Georgia
Cheerleader
directed by Irving Franco
USA, 2015, English, 70 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Bubblegum, side ponytails, and eighties-inspired hits blanket this witty satire centered around Mickey, a naive and promiscuous teenager who—reeling from her first heartbreak—seeks calculated revenge on her ex-boyfriend by turning her attention to an unlikely subject. —Mikaela Dyett & Alex James
#Competition, #WorldPremiere
collective:unconscious
directed by Lily Baldwin, Frances Bodomo, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Josephine Decker, Lauren Wolkstein
USA, 2016, English, 81 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 3:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
A man and his grandmother hide out from an ominous broadcast. The Grim Reaper hosts a TV show. The formerly incarcerated recount their first days of freedom. A suburban mom's life is upturned by the beast growing inside of her. And a high school gym teacher runs drills from inside a volcano. —Lucy Doughty
#NewMavericks
Cuckold
directed by Charlie Vundla
South Africa, 2015, English/Zulu, 95 minutes
Thursday, April 7, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Amidst a drug and alcohol-fueled depression following his wife’s affair, Smanga aimlessly copes with the unraveling of his life. When he finds himself in the company of an old friend, a deep companionship develops. As Smanga mends his shattered life, confusion strikes. His wife returns, but he can’t forgo his friend’s counsel. Their attempt to cohabitate presents some peculiar challenges. —David Williams
#Competition
The Cursed Ones
directed by Nana Obiri Yeboah
Ghana/UK, 2015, English, 100 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
A young girl accused of a village's series of misfortunes. A pastor abusing his rhetoric power to instill fear and distrust in the congregation. A disillusioned reporter swept up in the witchhunt, fighting false prophets in order to save the girl's life. Set in rural West Africa, "The Cursed Ones" is a thrilling, suspenseful story of superstition, morality, corruption and community in the heart of Africa. —My Nguyen
#Competition
Das Wetter in geschlossenen Räumen (The Weather Inside)
directed by Isabelle Stever
Germany, 2015, German/English/French/Italian, 100 minutes
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Dorothea, an aid worker with a humanitarian organization who helps people menaced by a civil war, finds the luxury of her wealthy world reflected cynically in surrounding poverty. After embarking on an affair with much younger Alec, a seemingly simple and charismatic Arab drifter, two worlds collide within a mutual lust for adventure. As her passion increases, Dorothea loses control, jeopardizing both her aid initiative and her life. —Lucy Doughty
#Competition
Embers
directed by Claire Carré
USA/Poland, 2015, English/Spanish, 86 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 12:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
What do you do when you lose all your memories? In a world reeling from a neurological epidemic and its aftermath, five stories weave through time, space, love, and struggle to reconcile a future with no past. —Jamie Traner
#NewMavericks
The Fits
directed by Anna Rose Holmer
USA, 2015, English, 72 minutes
Thursday, April 7, 2016, 9:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Developed and produced through a micro-budget, micro-timeline initiative for first and second-time filmmakers, "The Fits" stars fresh face Royalty Hightower as Toni—an 11-year-old tomboy emboldened by a strong, confident group of young dancers. While the team navigates a sudden, unexplained outbreak of fainting spells, Toni navigates her innocent but furtive desire to fit in. —Lucy Doughty
#NewMavericks
Good Ol’ Boy
directed by Frank Lotito
USA, 2015, English, 103 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 12:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
When ten-year-old Smith moves with his Indian family to small town America in 1979, assimilating into a new culture proves as challenging as wooing the girl-next-door. Brilliant colors and brighter characters propel this tale of young love, traditional parents, and what it means to navigate the American Dream. —Jamie Traner
#FamilyFriendly
Here Comes Rusty
directed by Tyler Russell
USA, 2016, English, 80 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 7:00 PM — Buckhead Theatre
Dicky St. Jon is a struggling businessman with a failing greyhound derby. Desperate to save his track, Dicky agrees to a winner-takes-all wager with Mak Hoffstadt: whomever wins the final race in the Magnolia Derby takes the loser’s business. The only person more determined than Dicky to right past mistakes and make their family proud is Hoffstadt himself—used car salesman, brother-in-law and lifelong rival. —Rashid Nellons
#World Premiere, #Georgia
How to Tell You’re a Douchebag
directed by Tahir Jetter
USA, 2016, English, 80 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 4:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Eligible bachelor Ray Livingston views women as an endless pool of possibilities. After an unexpectedly tragic marriage proposal, Ray navigates these possibilities as an emotionless player in a game of hook-ups and heartbreak. Not until his lifestyle stops him in his tracks does Ray realize this element is anything but natural. —Mikaela Dyett
Hunky Dory
directed by Michael Curtis Johnson
USA, 2015, English, 86 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 12:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Sidney—an artist of many things but an extraordinaire of nothing at all—struggles to live up to the expectations of his glam rock dream. After the mother of his child goes missing, Sidney's messy life takes an even wilder turn as he's forced to accept responsibility for his eleven-year-old son, George, and graduate from his rockstar facade. —My Nguyen
#Competition, #PinkPeach
It Had to Be You
directed by Sasha Gordon
USA, 2015, English, 85 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 7:00 PM — Serenbe
Sonia is a musician approaching her thirties who's terrified upon discovering her laidback boyfriend's intention to propose. Though most of her friends are married parents, she fears she isn’t where she dreamed she'd be by now. When forced to comply with now embarrassed Chris's ultimatum, Sonia's anxiety and uncertainty fuel a three-day crash course in self-realization. —Rashid Nellons
#NewMavericks
Jeder der fällt hat Flügel (Those Who Fall Have Wings)
directed by Peter Brunner
Austria, 2015, German, 92 minutes
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Fifteen-year-old Kati wrestles her fear of death after witnessing her grandmother's last days. The strains of adolescence render Kati's responsibility to her four-year-old sister an afterthought. Poetic illustrations and recurring memories illuminate the effects of death on young Kati, her influence on her impressionable sister, and the mark their grandmother left on them both. —Mikaela Dyett
#Competition
Last Summer
directed by Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli
Italy, 2014, English/Japanese, 94 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 9:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Upon losing her custody battle, a Japanese woman is given four final days with her six-year-old son aboard her affluent ex's yacht. Desperate to connect with her child, she must weather disparagement from a cold, obedient crew in order to prepare for many years without him. —Jamie Traner
A Light Beneath Their Feet
directed by Valerie Weiss
USA, 2015, English, 90 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 2:50 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
High school senior Beth spends every spare moment caring for her sick mother. Burdened by an early onset role of the ‘responsible adult,’ she yearns for the freedom to be a normal teenager. When presented with an opportunity to attend her dream college, she is torn between her own sanity and her mother’s. —Rashid Nellons
#NewMavericks
Like Lambs
directed by Ted Marcus
USA, 2016, English, 83 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 9:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
America faces economic collapse. When students from an exclusive boarding school discover the dirty secrets of elite bankers, they forge a plan to seek justice. The newly elected class president leads a revolt to kidnap fellow classmates in an effort to restore the economy. When his ransom video goes viral, the bourgeois must either release trillions from offshore tax havens, or watch as their children are executed on national television. —Rashid Nellons
#Competition, #WorldPremiere
Love & Friendship
directed by Whit Stillman
Ireland/Netherlands/France/USA, 2016, English, 92 minutes
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 12:50 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
While waiting for social chatter about a personal indiscretion to pass, the beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws’ estate. While there, the intelligent, flirtatious, and amusingly egotistical Lady Vernon is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica—and herself too, naturally. She enlists the assistance of her old friend Alicia, but two particularly handsome suitors complicate her orchestrations.
Miles Ahead
directed by Don Cheadle
USA, 2015, English, 100 minutes
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 2:45 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
In the midst of a dazzling and prolific career at the forefront of modern jazz innovation, Miles Davis virtually disappears from public view for a period of five years in the late 1970s. Alone and holed up in his home, he is beset by chronic pain from a deteriorating hip, his musical voice stifled and numbed by drugs and pain medications, his mind haunted by unsettling ghosts from the past. A wily music reporter forces his way into Davis' house and the two men unwittingly embark on a wild and sometimes harrowing adventure to recover a stolen tape of the musician's latest compositions.
A Morning Light
directed by Ian Clark
USA, 2015, English, 82 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 2:35 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Zach and Ellyn attempt to rekindle their old relationship with a trip to the wilderness. Strange celestial phenomena unfold as they explore this remote landscape. This tense, atmospheric sci-fi explores the concept of extraterrestrial visitation through ecological and psychological impact and our natural connection to the great unknown. —My Nguyen
#Competition
Neptune
directed by Derek Kimball
USA, 2015, English, 101 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 4:45 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Hannah Newcombe's coming-of-age summer calls Maine's coastline home. When she witnesses the possible death of a classmate, Hannah grapples with future plans in the wake of his absence. Having lived the sheltered life of an obedient Catholic girl, Hannah seeks to expand her perspective and mute haunted dreams by replacing the boy on his father's lobster-boat—but grueling, grievous conditions threaten to compromise a measured search for broader horizons. —Jamie Traner
Remittance
directed by Joel Fendelman & Patrick Daly
Philippines/Singapore/USA, 2015, English/Tagalog, 90 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 5:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Determined to support her family in the Philippines, Marie adopts both a job as a maid and a whole new set of hardships. She builds a new life in Singapore while her family's financial demands grow stronger still, and in the wake of a betrayal, Marie is forced to choose between her family and dreams of self-sufficiency. —Mikaela Dyett
#Competition
Sink
directed by Brett Michael Innes
South Africa, 2015, Afrikaans, 115 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 9:35 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
A Mozambican domestic worker struggles to stay afloat while working for a suburban couple in Johannesburg. Her hardships deepen upon discovery that her daughter's death was at the fault of her employers. Leaving the situation for her poverty-stricken homeland would jeopardize her visa and financial family support. Her conflicted indecision intensifies when she discovers that the couple is expecting their first child. —Mikaela Dyett
#Competition
Exclusive Sneak Peek:
Siren
directed by Gregg Bishop
USA, 2016, English, 86 minutes
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 7:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
A bachelor party becomes a savage fight for survival when the groomsmen unwittingly unleash a fabled predator upon the festivities. A feature adaptation of the segment "Amateur Night" from the horror anthology "V/H/S."
#Georgia
Sisters of the Plague
directed by Jorge Torres-Torres
USA, 2016, English, 74 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 7:35 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
In the absence of her late mother, a ghost tour guide in New Orleans seeks to understand her life whilst an unwanted force unravels her haunted world. —Jamie Traner
#PinkPeach
Te Prometo Anarquia (I Promise You Anarchy)
directed by Julio Hernández Cordón
Mexico/Germany, 2015, Spanish/English, 100 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 5:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Miguel and Johnny revel in teenage exploration of sexuality and boyish shenanigans as they skate through Mexico City's chaotic neighborhoods by day and toy by night with the web of black-market blood trafficking. Amplified by the chillingly honest performances of social-media-cast leads, this chromatic drama juxtaposes the promise of youth with the lust and innocence lost at the hands of a drug war. —My Nguyen
#PinkPeach
Viva
directed by Paddy Breathnach
Cuba/Ireland, 2015, Spanish, 100 minutes
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Jesus, a young hairdresser working at a Havana nightclub that showcases drag performers, dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by his mentor, Mama, Jesus finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when his estranged father abruptly reenters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, “Viva” becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and reconcile as a family.
#PinkPeach
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Above and Below
directed by Nicolas Steiner
Switzerland/Germany/USA, 2015, English, 110 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 2:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
From Mars to Earth and underneath. “Above and Below” is a rough and rhythmic rollercoaster ride seating five survivors in their daily hustle through an apocalyptic world. A journey of challenges and beauty in uncomfortable places: Rick & Cindy, Godfather Lalo in the flood channels deep down under the shiny strip of Sin City. Dave in the dry and lonesome Californian desert and April in simulation for a Mars mission in the Utah desert. Through the hustle, the pain and the laughs, we are whisked away to an unfamiliar world, yet quickly discover the souls we encounter are perhaps not that different from our own.
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America
directed by Matt Ornstein
USA, 2016, English, 75 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 2:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
When accomplished musician Daryl Davis isn’t playing piano, he's developing an unusual hobby: he befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan, determined to understand their supremacist perspective. In satisfying this curiosity, Daryl connects with Klan members on a personal level, considering many his friends and reforming countless others. His impressive collection of vacated Klan robes represents those he inspired to leave and provides impetus for his dream to one day open a Klan museum. —Rashid Nellons
Art of the Prank
directed by Andrea Marini
USA/Italy/UK, 2015, English, 82 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 7:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
He's at it again: world-renowned prankster Joey Skaggs is famous for gaining national real-news attention from prestigious journalists for satirical gags such as Celebrity Sperm Bank, the Fat Squad, and Portofess. Filmmaker Andrea Marini follows the legend as he prepares to execute his latest plan to trick America with his most daunting hoax yet. —Jamie Traner
Concerto
directed by Cristina Cassidy
USA, 2015, English, 74 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 5:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Two brothers who are gifted musicians struggle to overcome a childhood at the hands of a disturbed but brilliant composer father. Christopher Rex has been the Principal Cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1979. Charles Rex has been a first violinist with the New York Philharmonic since 1981. The brothers transcend a traumatic childhood of abuse by their father to reach the heights of notoriety as adults in the world of classical music.
#WorldPremiere, #Georgia
Driving With Selvi
directed by Elisa Paloschi
India/Canada, 2015, Kannada/English, 74 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
This is the story of a young Indian girl's struggle to survive. Forced to marry years ago at the age of 14, Selvi finds herself determined to leave an increasingly destructive situation. Selvi starts a new life for herself by becoming South India's first female taxi driver. Ride along as we observe through ten years in Selvi's eyes the challenges many women living in India face. —Rashid Nellons
#Competition, #NewMavericks
The Founders
directed by Charlene Fisk & Carrie Schrader
USA, 2016, English, 85 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 9:15 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Battling the sexism and stereotypes made sturdy in the 1950s, thirteen women founded the Ladies Pro Golf Association (LPGA). Rare archival footage, historical re-enactments and current-day interviews with surviving founders and leading players present an underdog story never before seen. Despite competing against one another on the greens, these pioneers worked together to keep their dreams of professional golf careers alive. —LeeAnne Goldman
#NewMavericks, #Georgia
Fursonas
directed by Dominic Rodriguez
USA, 2015, English, 81 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 2:30 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
This look into the fascinating furry fandom provides insight into the lives of people interested in anthropomorphic animals. Taboo practices are presented as norms in this captivating documentary. Individuals venture to unearth their true ‘fursonas’ and define their own lifestyles contrary to myths spread by the media. —Mikaela Dyett
#PinkPeach
The Ground Beneath Their Feet
directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy
Pakistan, 2015, Urdu, 75 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 5:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
After a devastating earthquake north of Pakistan paralyzes Ruquiya and Khalida, the young women fight to fulfill their culture role of becoming wives and mothers. Women make up just twenty percent of the Pakistani workforce, a hindrance that bears a weight that other cultures may never understand. Viewers experience the profound effects of this physically and emotionally-jarring event through the eyes of the courageous women who faced it. —Mikaela Dyett
#NewMavericks
In Pursuit of Silence
directed by Patrick Shen
USA, 2015, English, 81 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 4:45 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
As much a work of devotion as it is a documentary, “In Pursuit of Silence” is a meditative exploration of our relationship with silence and the impact of noise on our lives. In our race towards modernity, amidst all the technological innovation and the rapid growth of our cities, silence is now quickly passing into legend. From causing aggressive behavior to hundreds of thousands of heart attacks around the world, there is no aspect of human life that noise does not infringe upon. Silence as a resource for respite and renewal from the sensory onslaught of our modern lives is now more important than ever before.
#Competition
A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers
directed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy & Geeta Gandbhir
USA/Bangladesh/Pakistan, 2015, Bengali/English/Creek, 95 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 3:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
The world's first all-female, predominantly Muslim peacekeeping unit accepts a Bangladeshi mission to join the United Nations Stabilizing Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Leaving home for Haiti, the women leave behind families and the traditional lives of women in Bangladesh. Centered around a 160-woman unit, the harsh realities for three foot soldiers in the UN Peacekeeping Mission become the focus of this brave and beautiful profile. —Mikaela Dyett
#Competition, #NewMavericks
Juanicas
directed by Karina Garcia Casanova
Canada/Mexico, 2015, Spanish/English/French, 78 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 1:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
When Karina Garcia Casanova set out to film her brother, Juan, upon his return from their Mexican birthplace, she knew she wanted a feature debut anchored in more than home footage—but the paranoia and depression into which Juan falls casts a shadow she can't control. "Juanicas" is a transparent, autobiographical portrait of mental health, familial introspection, and the futility of taking one without the other. —Lucy Doughty
#Competition, #NewMavericks
Lamerica
directed by Stefano Galli
USA/Italy, 2015, English, 43 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 12:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
A breadbasket of raw, unearthed slices of America shot on 16mm film. The choppy collection of visual stories allows a quiet, quirky, comfortingly intimate peek into this country of characters without beginning or end. —My Nguyen
#Competition
Last of the Elephant Men
directed by Arnaud Bouquet & Daniel Ferguson
France/Canada/Cambodia, 2015, Aboriginal/Khmer/English, 90 minutes
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 9:35 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
For centuries, the Bunong indigenous people of Eastern Cambodia lived with elephants, depending on them for every aspect of life. Now with the forest around them threatened by logging and mining companies, both the Bunong and the elephant face a desperate struggle to survive. “Last of the Elephant Men” follows three members of the tribe as they attempt to prevent the disappearance of the animal at the heart of their culture.
#Competition
The Legend of Swee’ Pea
directed by Benjamin May
USA, 2015, English, 75 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 12:30 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Lloyd ‘Swee' Pea’ Daniels is a basketball legend. The fame he earned on 1980s neighborhood courts nursed a taste for something harder, but his career transcended the effects. Arrested for smoking cocaine and later shot three times, Swee' Pea suffered a fall from grace that only a man as talented and resilient as he could survive. —LeeAnne Goldman
Loa
directed by Georg Koszulinski
USA/Haiti, 2015, Creole, 61 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 9:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Filmmaker Georg Koszulinski follows Extanta Aoleé, a local houngan or ‘Vodou man,’ who has served ancient Haitian spirits called Loa for over fifty years. A family tradition to commune with these spirits gives the practitioner supernatural powers to either heal or harm. This mystical, experimental film brings to light an unseen world beyond the veil. —Rashid Nellons
#Competition, #WorldPremiere
Missing People
directed by David Shapiro
USA, 2015, English, 81 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Martina Batan, an eccentric New Yorker, hires a private investigator to look into her brother's long unsolved, brutal murder. In the meantime she alternates between Manhattan and New Orleans, hoping to find herself in the life and art of the late Roy Ferdinand—an artist known for explicit depictions of his urban environment. The more Martina delves into her art excursions, the more entwined she becomes with her brother and difficult past in this riveting documentary. —Jamie Traner
Mully
directed by Scott Haze
Kenya/USA, 2015, English, 81 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 3:00 PM — Rialto Center for the Arts
This is the true story of Charles Mully, whose unlikely stratospheric rise to wealth and power leaves him questioning his own existence, searching for meaning in life. Against the better judgment of family and community, Mully sets out to enrich the fate of orphaned children across Kenya. Jeopardizing his own life and the security of his family, Charles Mully risks everything and sets in motion a series of events that is nothing short of astonishing.
#FamilyFriendly
A Peculiar Noise
directed by Jorge Torres-Torres
USA, 2015, English, 75 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 7:30 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Jorge Torres-Torres's feature debut documents the past and present of DIY underground music in Athens, Georgia. From the B-52s to REM to Pylon, the quintessential college town has inspired rockstar dreams for decades. This bright, nostalgic walk through Georgia's rock haven is both a symphonic treasure hunt and an endearing time capsule of hometown greats. —Lucy Doughty
#WorldPremiere, #Georgia
Presenting Princess Shaw
directed by Ido Haar
Israel, 2015, English, 80 minutes
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 5:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
A rousing documentary crowd-pleaser about a star-crossed singer-songwriter and her crafty secret admirer, “Presenting Princess Shaw” examines loneliness, anonymity and connectivity in the Internet age, where showbiz dreams remain but a mouse-click away for even the most hardscrabble striver.
#PinkPeach
Romeo is Bleeding
directed by Jason Zeldes
USA, 2015, English, 93 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 4:15 PM — High Museum, Hill Auditorium
Richmond, California native Donté Clark is sick of the violence that has plagued his neighborhood for decades. Armed only with the power of poetry and theater, he inspires his community by creating a platform for the youth to express themselves. Together they perform an emotionally powerful play based loosely on Romeo and Juliet with a modern twist that illustrates the tragedy of their struggle. —Rashid Nellons
#FamilyFriendly
Speed Sisters
directed by Amber Fares
Palestine/USA, 2015, Arabic/English, 80 minutes
Thursday, April 7, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
The first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East coined themselves The Speed Sisters. These female professionals are no strangers to headlines, drama, or trophies, but crossing the finish-line in a male-dominated industry takes more than experience. Amplified by larger-than-life personalities, this race to become the best while working together wins the hearts of both sport and documentary spectators. —Mikaela Dyett
#Competition, #NewMavericks
The Witness
directed by James D. Solomon
USA, 2015, English, 83 minutes
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 7:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Fifty years ago, the name Kitty Genovese became synonymous with urban apathy after news that she was stabbed to death on a Queens street while 38 witnesses in nearby apartments did nothing. Forty years later, her brother Bill, who was 16 at the time of his sister’s death, decides to find the truth buried beneath the story. In the process, he uncovers a lie that transformed his life, condemned a city, and defined an era.
#Competition, #Georgia
The Wrong Light
directed by Dave Adams & Josie Swantek
USA/Thailand, 2015, English, 80 minutes
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 9:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Thousands of desperate families have sold daughters into Thailand's rampant sex trafficking industry. ‘Activist’ Mickey Choothesa founded a shelter to rescue young girls from their misfortune. He provides food, education, and family…or at least that’s his story. But Mickey's story doesn't quite add up. Is he manipulating these vulnerable girls for profit? "The Wrong Light" exposes Choothesa and the dark side of misrepresented global aid. —Rashid Nellons
#NewMavericks, #WorldPremiere
SHORT FILMS
CANDY
Short and sweet.
Animated & Narrative, 60 minutes, Ages 7+
Saturday, April 2, 2016,12:00PM — High Museum, Hill Auditorium
Presented in partnership with ASIFA-Atlanta
Sky High | directed by Stewart Powers, United Kingdom, 1:56
Whiteboard animation about the upwards adventure of a young boy.
My Brother is a Zombie | directed by Russell Yaffe, USA, 8:48
Abigail's younger brother, Norman, is the most annoying brother in the world—and he's a zombie! When Abigail gets fed up with taking care of him, she makes a decision that could change their relationship forever.
The Story of Percival Pilts | directed by Janette Goodey & John Lewis, Australia, 8:00
While playing on stilts, young Percival Pilts vows 'Never again shall my feet touch the ground!' Compelled ever higher, he builds his stilts so tall that he no longer fits into normal society.
A whimsical story about the challenges and charms of living an impractical life.
#Competition
Crap You! | directed by Theo Taplitz, USA, 3:38
Ask not for whom the raven craps; it craps for you.
Welcome To My Life | directed by Elizabeth Ito, USA/France, 8:46
The real life story of a normal, Monster-American family.
Simon’s Cat: Off to the Vet | directed by Simon Tofield, United Kingdom, 12:45
A clever cat will go to great lengths to avoid an imminent visit to the vet.
#Competition
COPPER
A pliable backbone.
Experimental, 96 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 7:00PM — 7 Stages Theatre
On Surgery | directed by Russell Sheaffer & Aaron Michael Smith, USA, 7:36
“On Surgery” is a part of a series of collaborative works that explore the intersections of trauma, memory, and abstraction.
A Place I've Never Been | directed by Adrian Flury, Switzerland, 4:40
By sourcing multiple digital images of the same place from different archives, this experiment in film makes use of frame-by-frame montage to give new meaning to the prevailing redundancy of these pictures.
Ripple | directed by Connor Griffith, USA, 3:12
The shapes we make. An advertisement for planet earth.
Theoretical Architectures | directed by Josh Gibson, USA, 5:26
The shadow landscapes on hard plaster secure the days.
untitled | directed by Bonne Fee, USA, 3:00
A passage across a body of water, an audio documentary of childhood and excerpts of motherhood.
This is Yates | directed by Josh Yates, USA, 17:00
“This is Yates” is an autobiographical document that hates itself. Compiled from over 15 years of footage, this film acknowledges the fragmented, media-made self and ultimately builds a collage of home, decaying images, and a body the filmmaker knows will be lost.
The Interior | directed by Jonathan Rattner, USA, 23:55
January, the Alaskan Interior, 56 mushing dogs, 4 humans, and 5 hours of sunlight. This observational work—shot on both 16mm and digital video—examines the interior worlds of its subjects and explores how to write with limited light.
Erasure | directed by Ana Teresa Fernandez, Mexico, 5:39
On September 26, 2014, 43 poor young men, students from a rural teacher’s college were kidnapped in the town of Iguala, Mexico, apparently because their activities might disrupt the speech of the wife of the mayor of Iguala. Reports say the mayor told the police chief to make them disappear.
From Ally to Accomplice | directed by Kelly Gallagher, USA, 17:38
Stories of committed accomplices in struggle who have fought to destroy white supremacy and racism by any means necessary.
An Ecstatic Experience | directed by Ja'Tovia Gary, USA, 6:11
An invocation and a meditation on transcendence as a means of restoration and resistance.
CORAL
Crucial and vibrant.
Documentary, 90 minutes
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 7:00PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Bacon & God's Wrath | directed by Sol Friedman, Canada, 8:55
A 90-year-old Jewish woman reflects on her life’s experiences as she prepares to try bacon for the first time.
Irregulars | directed by Fabio Palmieri, Italy, 8:55
Each year 40,000 people from Africa, Asia and Middle East, try to enter Europe. They flee from war, persecution and poverty. Since the ways by land have been interrupted, they board overloaded vessels and face a dangerous and often deadly voyage across the Mediterranean.
Homecoming Queen | directed by Robert Machoian, USA, 3:52
A found footage documentary about a homecoming queen.
SUPER UNIT | directed by Teresa Czepiec, Poland, 19:00
A peek inside a few doors in a Polish ‘housing machine’ comprised of 15 floors and 762 stories where emotions throb, expectations build and desires come true… or not.
Home at Dawn | directed by William Silva Reddington and Guille Isa, Peru, 4:38
An old fisherman recounts his life, the changing world, and his love for the ocean as he embarks out to sea early one morning.
The Tricks List | directed by Brian Bolster, USA, 19:00
A gay man's journey to memorialize and document every sexual encounter he has ever had.
#PinkPeach
Tokyo Vacations | directed by Adam Svanell, Sweden/Japan, 10:00
An average Japanese employee takes 7 days of vacation per year. In “Tokyo Vacations” we meet five ordinary people in colourless offices who tell us about their best vacation memories. Underneath it all lies the question: how much of our lives do we dedicate to work?
The Send-Off | directed by Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, USA, 12:34
Emboldened by a giant block party on the evening of their high school prom, a group of students enter the night with the hope of transcending their rural town and the industrial landscape that surrounds them.
COTTON
Hardy and tight-knit.
Documentary, 90 minutes
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 7:00PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Presented in partnership with Homespun, a series crafted by Atlanta Film Society Filmmakers-in-Residence Jon Watts & Brantly Watts
Hotel Clermont | directed by Heather L Huston, USA, 29:10
“Hotel Clermont” documents the last days of a storied Atlanta hotel and the lives of its residents.
#Georgia
The New Orleans Sazerac | directed by James Martin, USA, 20:28
“The New Orleans Sazerac” is a short documentary that explores the expansive history and modern applications of the classic cocktail through interviews with historians, authors, experts, and bartenders.
#Georgia
Eat White Dirt | directed by Adam Forrester, USA, 37:25
“Eat White Dirt” weaves the story of Tammy Wright, a 37-year-old mother addicted to eating kaolin, with that of scientists, local historians, a physician, an artist, and three other practitioners of geophagy, or earth-eating.
#Georgia
GOLD
A delicate investment.
Documentary, 90 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 2:30PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Saultopaul | directed by John Henry Summerour, USA, 24:00
Atlanta-based artist Susan Cofer invited Georgia-born filmmaker John Henry Summerour (“Sahkanaga”) to spend a year documenting Saultopaul, an 1100-acre farm in northwest Georgia populated by Longhorn cattle, gigantic rock sculptures and Carl, her husband in his 80th year.
#Competition, #Georgia
Kraina | directed by Christina Tynkevych, Ukraine/United Kingdom, 26:55
Kiev, Ukraine, Spring 2015. The war with Russia is five hundred miles to the East, but since the revolution of 2013-14, every moment of Kristina’s life has been affected by the conflict. #Competition
Tourist | directed by Jared Jakins, Vietnam/USA, 16:43
An aging veteran returns to Vietnam after 45 years to explore the remnants of war in his life.
#Competition
The City of Joy | directed by Joe Gomez, India, 22:00
Following a girl living in a slum trying to get an education, a mother in a village raising her two daughters alone, and a man in the city who pulls a rickshaw through the streets of Kolkata to provide for a family of seven, “The City of Joy” is a portrait of the daily life of three individuals and the city they live in.
#Competition
IVORY
Displaced and dispersed.
Documentary, 36 minutes
TBA
Filmmaking workshops in Jordan’s Za’atari Refugee Camp and the city of Irbid in northern Jordan, engaged Syrian girls in artistic and technical training in photo and video to reflect on and tell their own stories in first person. With cameras, microphones and pens in hand, the girls set out to document their everyday lives – how it looks, feels and sounds from the ground, at the heart of their world.
The Silence of Nature | directed by Bushra Al Masri, Jordan, 3:05
18-year-old Bushra remembers her brother, who she lost in the war, and his gentle, humorous ways through observing nature and her new urban setting in this visual haiku.
Children | directed by Marah Al Hassan, Jordan, 5:01
15-year-old Marah captures in this verite essay the resilience and creativity of the Syrian children living in Za'atari Refugee Camp.
Dreams Without Borders | directed by Muna Al Hariri, Jordan, 4:46
Muna, a romantic 16-year-old girl whose family fled from Syria to Jordan, tries to reconcile her need to express herself and be a normal teenager within the new confines of her family’s situation.
The Girl, Whose Shadow Reflects the Moon | directed by Walaa Al Alawi, Jordan, 5:01
Walaa recounts her terrifying journey as a 14-year-old girl from Syria to Jordan, and how filmmaking has given her hope through the chance to voice her story and reach out to other girls with similar experiences.
Barriers of Separation | directed by Raghad Al Khatib, Jordan, 4:25
With a heavy heart, 18-year-old Raghad expresses her desire to reconnect with her father and family in this personal postcard from her new home in Jordan.
The Long Road | directed by Rafif Al Fadi, Jordan, 3:57
16-year-old Rafif creates a journey through the landscape and textures of her new life in a foreign place, and her desire to return to and rebuild her country.
Another Kind of Girl | directed by Khaldiya Jibawi, Jordan, 9:29
17-year-old Khaldiya meditates on how the refugee camp has opened up new horizons and given her a sense of courage that she lacked in Syria.
PAPER
Nimble and exact.
Animation, 90 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 7:00PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Presented in partnership with ASIFA-Atlanta
teeth | directed by Daniel Gray and Tom Brown, United Kingdom/Hungary/USA, 6:00
This is the story of a man with a misguided and intense focus—one which started in his youth and carried into old age. His life events are chronicled through the loss of his teeth and how his obsessive efforts to amend what was damaged bring on yet further destruction.
#Competition
BAMPA | directed by Daniel Evans, United Kingdom, 3:25
An animated documentary in which a grandson shares the emotional experience of his grandfather's mental health deterioration due to Alzheimer's disease.
#Competition
Shell All | directed by Zaven Najjar, France, 9:00
Beirut 1982. To reach his fiancé, Gabriel, 20, has to cross a bridge guarded by numerous snipers. All the city is waiting for tonight’s opening match of the 1982 football world cup. Will the snipers allow Gabriel and his friend Mokthar to cross?
#Competition
I'm Good With Plants | directed by Thomas Harnett O'Meara, United Kingdom, 8:00
Tim lives in a greenhouse suspended by a crane above the city. He has two wishes in life: to steal the office plant next to the water cooler at work, and to meet Francesca, the hotline operator he calls each day from a phone box in the street.
#Competition
In Other Words | directed by Tal Kantor, Israel, 6:00
A man recalls a moment of a lost opportunity to communicate with his daughter. Their brief meeting after years undermines his world and renders his words meaningless.
#Competition
The Loneliest Stoplight | directed by Bill Plympton, USA, 6:18
The life and times of a neglected stoplight.
#Competition
Golden Shot | directed by Gökalp Gönen, Turkey, 8:40
Rusty machines living in small houses imagine that the sun will come and take them to the sky someday. A small light keeps them alive and dreaming. But one of the machines has a plan to see the sun himself.
#Competition
The Little Boy | directed by Mona Abdollahshahi, Iran, 7:35
People are leaving a town by the order of military, but one little boy doesn't want to follow them. He wants to complete his own mission…
#Competition
Remember | directed by Shunsaku Hayashi, Japan, 9:24
Leaving home, a man got a phone call. When he answers it, his house explodes. As if nothing had happened, he went to work.
#Competition
After the End | directed by Sam Southward, United Kingdom, 11:03
For René Fustercluck, life was bad, the Apocalypse was awful, and then Gordon arrived. “After the End” is the world's first post-apocalyptic rom-com suggesting that the only thing worse than being the last man on earth, is being the second to last man on earth.
#Competition
Edmond | directed by Nina Gantz, United Kingdom, 9:25
A funny and dark story of a man with cannibalistic urges who travels back through his life, looking for the root of his unhappiness.
#Competition
PEARL
Shiny but gritty.
Narrative, 95 minutes
Thursday, April 7, 2016, 9:35PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Ookie Cookie | directed by Francesca Mirabella, USA, 13:35
Five teenagers play truth or dare in the basement of a funeral reception.
#NewMavericks
Asunder | directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Sweden, 17:11
During a family party in the countryside, we follow Nia and her cousin Teo, whose relationship balances on the edge of what is considered normative. A film about power, sexuality, love and the urge to explore.
#NewMavericks
Rate Me | directed by Fyzal Boulifa, United Kingdom, 17:00
A portrait of teen escort, 'Coco.’
How to Be a Black Panther | directed by Daisy Zhou, USA, 22:18
On July 4th, 1968, Han Kang navigates the day in a small homogeneous suburban town as the only Asian American teenager. Today, both the anniversary of America's independence and the death of a dear African American friend, ignites celebration, mourning, anger, and revelation.
The Man of My Life | directed by Mélanie Delloye, France, 25:33
When Alice sees Eric kissing another girl, she is devastated. To make matters worse, her rival runs with her in the same relay team. Alice might only be 13 years old, but she is not ready to give up her place so easily.
#Competition, #NewMavericks
RUBY
Imperfect and scarce.
Narrative, 100 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 12:15PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Presented in partnership with New Mavericks
Battalion To My Beat | directed by Eimi Imanishi, Western Sahara/Algeria/USA, 13:44
“Battalion To My Beat” is set in the Western Saharan refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and follows the story of Mariam, a rebellious 13 year old girl who naively envisions herself a Jeanne D'Arc that will free her people from the occupation.
#NewMavericks
Land Tides (Marea de Tierra) | directed by Manuela Martelli and Amirah Tajdin, Chile/France, 13:00
Laura, a heartbroken teenager from Santiago, is on holiday in the southern Chilean archipelago, Chiloé, with her friends. As she wanders the lonely island seascapes, she encounters a group of women who are seaweed collectors and shares stories with them.
#NewMavericks
Que Sera | directed by Robyn Hicks, USA, 6:27
The story of a young couple navigating a cancer diagnosis. Inspired by the writer and director’s personal life, the film is an observation of how such devastating circumstances can pull people apart and bring them together.
#NewMavericks, #Georgia
El Adiós | directed by Clara Roquet, Spain, 14:55
A Bolivian maid attempts to honor the last wishes of her late mistress.
#Competition, #NewMavericks
Seide | directed by Elnura Osmonalieva, Kyrgyzstan, 14:40
Seide lives in a snowy mountain village with her humble family and her beloved horse. When she's forced into an arranged marriage with a man from a wealthy family, she fights to save her horse from being slaughtered for food for the wedding.
#Competition, #NewMavericks
The Real American | directed by Darya Zhuk, USA/Belarus/Russia, 13:09
How a Russian exchange student stopped fearing American culture and started shaving her legs.
#NewMavericks
Maman(s) | directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, France, 21:03
Life is disrupted for eight-year-old Aida when her father returns with a young Senegalese woman, Rama, whom he introduces as his second wife. Sensitive to her mother's distress, Aida decides to get rid of the new visitor.
#Competition, #NewMavericks
SILK
A costly transformation.
Narrative, 90 minutes
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 4:45PM — 7 Stages Theatre
People Are Becoming Clouds | directed by Marc Katz, USA, 14:49
John and Eleanor work to save their marriage after discovering her tendency to turn into a cloud.
#Competition
Harmony | directed by Felix Schaffert, Switzerland, 17:00
When a 9-year-old girl discovers that her mother works as a prostitute at night, she tries to escape their morbidly symbiotic relationship in a bold move.
Better Than Tomorrow | directed by EuiJeong Hong, United Kingdom, 15:20
A satirical short about a man longing to meet his wife in an enigmatic rehabilitation facility, after being frozen for many years.
Under The Sun | directed by QIU Yang, China/Australia, 19:00
One incident occurs, two families tangle. There’s nothing new under the sun.
#Competition
Albert the Dog | directed by Pau Suris and Pau Dalmases (aka Pensacola), USA, 12:12
Sandy wakes up to find her stressed ad-man husband behaving like a dog.
#Competition
Western Women | directed by Alexander Yan, USA, 14:02
In a Las Vegas hotel room, a young man orders an unusual prostitute.
#Competition
STEEL
Scraping the sky.
Animation, Documentary, & Narrative, 75 minutes
Thursday, March 31, 2016, 8:00PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Presented in partnership with WonderRoot’s Generally Local, Mostly Independent Film Series
More Than Music: Senegal | directed by Babacar Ndiaye, USA, 12:57
At a time when Hip Hop seems headed in a disappointing direction, there exists an underexposed community of Artists who've managed to transform the genre to address their community's needs.
#Georgia
Heartwood | directed by Nick Madden, USA, 4:45
A mushroom forager is poisoned and saved by a forest deity.
#Georgia
Violet | directed by Brit Wigintton, USA, 10:39
When Violet finds herself living in a refuge for runaway girls in the Georgia backwoods, she soon realizes that nothing is as perfect as it seems. In order to save her ‘sisters,’ she must make a decision that could change their lives forever.
#NewMavericks, #Georgia
BIGNATTYDADDY | directed by John Merizalde, USA, 7:23
Tyler is a 15-year-old living in suburban Texas. He goes on dates, enjoys hip hop, and is an openly outspoken, heavy user of steroids. This jarring juxtaposition sets the tone for an honest and artful character study.
#Georgia
Jinju | directed by Crystal Jin Kim, USA, 10:19
A Korean American mother endures a day of her daughter's sulking until it escalates to the breaking of something deeply precious.
#NewMavericks, #Georgia
A Faraway Beach | directed by Max Siciliano, USA/Vietnam, 2:45
A voyeuristic documentary portrait of a small fishing village on the southern coast of Vietnam.
#Georgia
The New Orleans Sazerac | directed by James Martin, USA, 20:28
“The New Orleans Sazerac” is a short documentary that explores the expansive history and modern applications of the classic cocktail through interviews with historians, authors, experts, and bartenders.
#Georgia
Gwilliam | directed by Brian Lonano, USA, 5:45
A recently released criminal is looking for a good time. He can forget his sins but he can never forget… Gwilliam.
#Georgia
TIN
Light but loud.
Narrative, 95 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 2:45PM — 7 Stages Theatre
Affections | directed by Bridey Elliott, USA, 16:00
A comedy about isolation and loneliness, “Affections” follows a young woman adrift and seeking intimacy in the most unlikely places.
#Competition, #NewMavericks
Sundae | directed by Sonya Goddy, USA, 7:02
A woman uses ice cream to bribe her son for information.
Palisade | directed by Lizzy Sanford, USA, 6:08
After robbing a convenience store, a young man breaks into a woman's home and holds her cat hostage to prevent her from calling the cops.
What Doesn't Kill You | directed by Darya Zhuk, Israel/USA, 18:01
After a rare diagnosis, Lily's attempts to flee from war torn Israel are thwarted when the airport shuts down and her zany cousin forces her to party.
#NewMavericks
Join the Club | directed by Eva Vives, USA, 05:05
A writer’s dilemma of whether or not to join a professional networking club takes many interesting turns as it unfolds entirely during one therapy session.
#NewMavericks
Killer | directed by Matt Kazman, USA, 20:00
When Dusty masturbates for the first time, something bad happens...
Thunder Road | directed by Jim Cummings, USA, 12:52
Officer Arnaud loved his mom.
#Competition
WOOD
Some assembly required.
Puppetry, 100 minutes
Thursday, April 7, 2016, 7:00PM — Center for Puppetry Arts
Presented in Partnership with the Center for Puppetry Arts
Loon | directed by MT Maloney, USA/Hong Kong, 9:17
A peaceful monk named Po is disturbed by an eruption of urban development, transforming a small quiet island of rocks and woods into the electric jungle of modern-day Hong Kong.
Separated | directed by Benjamin Freiburger, USA, 14:11
When a wind-up toy's best friend is thrown into a moving box that is headed out of town, the tiny robot must spring to life and rescue her before she is gone forever.
Treeples | directed by Sarah Nolen, USA, 20:00
“Treeples” follows the adventures of everyday girls joining forces with a group of lively forest creatures to rid the woods of monsters.
#NewMavericks
MANOMAN | directed by Simon Cartwright, United Kingdom, 10:40
When Glen attends primal scream class, he releases something from deep within that knows no limits.
Cole - The Robot | directed by Benjamin T. Wilson, USA, 7:07
An introverted musician with big dreams aspires to greatness. Said musician happens to be a robot.
The Most Best Hat | directed by Jenelle Weidlich, USA, 2:40
On a sunny, sweltering day, a pufferfish loses his sun hat. Never fear, there's always a haberdashery near!
B. | directed by Kai Stänicke, Germany, 15:00
Torn between a cold relationship with K. and her feelings for another woman, shy and insecure B. is heading for a disaster. For too long she has suppressed her desire and lived a lie. But is it really too late for B. to follow her heart?
#PinkPeach
Ichabod: Sketches From Sleepy Hollow | directed by Hobey Ford, USA, 7:39
“Ichabod: Sketches from Sleepy Hollow” is a short puppet film by award winning puppeteer Hobey Ford, based on Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
What's for Dinner | directed by Katie McClenahan, USA, 2:11
Set in a remote lighthouse on the shores of an unknown coast, “What’s for Dinner” is the story of two cats who must rely on their own intelligence to feed themselves after tragedy strikes.
WOOL
Other Worldly fibers.
Narrative, 85 minutes
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 12:00PM — Plaza Theatre, Main
Gwilliam | directed by Brian Lonano, USA, 5:45
A recently released criminal is looking for a good time. He can forget his sins but he can never forget… Gwilliam.
#Georgia
La Fabbricazione | directed by Hasan Can Dagli, Turkey, 17:47
A movie producer who complains about the absence of the genre of crime thrillers in his country creates a chain of serial killings which he will base his future movies on.
Zelos | directed by Thoranna Sigurdardottir, USA, 14:58
A competitive mother orders a clone to outshine her flawless friend, but soon realizes she purchased an unbeatable rival.
#NewMavericks
Carnal Orient | directed by Mila Zuo, USA, 8:34
A dark and strangely surreal snapshot of sexual desire aimed at the exotic.
#NewMavericks
The Quantified Self | directed by Gleb Osatinski, USA, 15:30
When well-meaning parents turn the self-tracking into a family religion, the consequences fall outside the quantifiable.
#Georgia
Boniato | directed by Eric Mainade & The Meza Brothers, USA, 22:04
An illegal migrant worker decides it’s time to move on from picking crops and find a better job. Little does she know, insidious supernatural forces have a different plan for her. Some borders aren't meant to be crossed.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Society for Cinema & Media Studies presents: The Thoughts That Once We Had
directed by Thom Andersen
USA, 2015, English
Thursday, March 31, 2016, 7:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs
Assuming the diverse forms of an essay, diary, and found footage film, “The Thoughts That Once We Had” traces a line though both filmmaker Thom Andersen's personal history with cinema and philosopher Gilles Deleuze's influential cinema books. The film is comprised of clips spanning cinema's history, deftly edited together with inter-title commentary, and re-worked dialogue, sound and musical compositions. Andersen's adroit compilation, through a complex procedure of relation and reframing, thus uncovers new and different meanings at work in these classic and lost films.
WonderRoot’s Generally Local, Mostly Independent Film Series
Thursday, March 31, 2016, 8:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main — $12 at door/$10 in advance
Once again, we kick-off the festival with WonderRoot’s local short film series. This year’s crop is specially programmed for the Atlanta Film Festival as the STEEL block (See page ##).
Dazed and Confused
directed by Richard Linklater
USA, 1993, English, 102 minutes
Friday, April 1, 2016, 9:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main — FREE
It's the last day of school at a high school in a small town in Texas in 1976. The upperclassmen are hazing the incoming freshmen, and everyone is trying to get stoned, drunk, or laid, even the football players that signed a pledge not to.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Friday, April 1 & 8, 2015, 12:00 AM — Plaza Theatre, Main — $12
It's a Plaza Theatre institution! Lips Down On Dixie performs the interactive version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at Midnight each Friday.
Food on Film - 25th Anniversary presentation: Fried Green Tomatoes
directed by Jon Avnet
USA, 1991, English, 130 minutes
Sunday, April 3, 2016, 12:00 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main — FREE
While visiting relatives in a nursing home, Evelyn Couch meets Ninny Threadgoode, an outgoing old woman, who tells her the story of a young woman in 1920s Alabama.This year, we are teaming up with Sweet Auburn BBQ and Callanwolde for an after-party sure to be a festival highlight. Party: $20
Music Video Presentation
Monday, April 4, 2016, 7:00 PM — Joystick Gamebar — FREE
Join us at Joystick Gamebar for a series of music videos of all different styles. This series will showcase local and international bands on the rise. Afterwards stay with us for drinks & games with the filmmakers.
Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour ATL presents: Can You Dig This
directed by Delila Vallot
USA, 2015, English, 80 minutes
Monday, April 4, 2016, 7:20 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main — $12 at door/$10 in advance
“Can You Dig This” explores the urban gardening revolution currently taking place in South Central Los Angeles, one of the largest food deserts in the country. We follow the inspirational personal journeys of five 'gangster gardeners,' all planting the seeds for a better life.
Handmade Puppet Dreams
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 9:15 PM — 7 Stages Theatre — $12 at door/$10 in advance
Heather Henson introduces independent filmmakers and puppeteers who explore their craft specifically for the camera in this handpicked selection of puppet film shorts. Handmade Puppet Dreams showcases the fresh voices of independent puppeteers who embrace film as their medium for individual expressions, to build their visions, and breathe life into their dreams, while exploring a spectrum of live-action puppetry styles. Since 2005, Handmade Puppet Dreams has been screened nationally, where it received a UNIMA Citation of Excellence, and internationally in France, the Czech Republic, India, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Israel, and Prague, where it was awarded “The Best Puppet Film” at The World Puppet Festival.
Touch the Puppet Head
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 9:30 PM — Plaza Theatre, Main — $12 at door/$10 in advance
Hosted by Beau Brown, “Touch the Puppet Head” is a combination of live puppetry performances and curated short puppet films.
Crocodile directed by Matt Harris-Freeth
This Is Ben directed by Pam Severns
Otter of the Underground directed by Christina Jean Benenati
Stay Curious directed by Kevin Kammeraad
Klaus directed by Nicole Horsman
ACVB presents: Friday Night After-Party featuring "Music Voyager"
Friday, April 8, 2016, 9:00 PM — Gallery L1 — $12 at door/$10 in advance
The festival's second-weekend kick-off party will take place at Gallery L1 and feature an exclusive advance screening of the new Atlanta episode of "Music Voyager" before it airs on PBS. After the screening, enjoy a fun evening with festival friends, filmmakers and staff, as well as cocktails, catering and live music. Sponsored by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Pivot presents: 35 and Single
directed by Paula Schargorodsky
Argentina/USA/Spain, 2015, Spanish/English/Italian, 75 minutes
Friday, April 8, 2016, 9:35 PM — Plaza Theatre, Upstairs — FREE
I’m Paula. 35. Argentine. Over the past 10 years I've been compulsively shooting everyone and everything for no particular reason. All my love stories and breakups have been recorded and systematically stored. While I kept changing boyfriends every 2 years, I shot my friends with their boyfriends, husbands, their bellies and now surrounded by children. Yes, some of us just don't follow the norm. Should I settle down or remain a free spirit?
2016 Screenplay Competition Finalists Announced!
Finalists and winners have been announced for the 2016 ATLFF Screenplay Competition! Congratulations to all who made the cut from our record 482 submissions!
The Atlanta Film Festival has chosen twelve finalists in the feature screenplay category and five finalists in the pilot category for the 2016 Screenplay Competition! Representing three countries and six states, the advancing screenplays have been selected from a record 482 submissions—over double the submissions received for last year's competition. Additionally, three feature screenplay winners and one pilot screenplay winner have been selected from the finalists. Congratulations to all!
The three feature screenplay winners are flown to Atlanta during the festival for the ATLFF Screenwriters' Retreat, a three-day immersive experience where they will work with three established screenwriters and industry professionals on how to develop, sharpen and produce each screenplay. Our pilot screenplay winner will receive a one-on-one business dinner with an industry professional.
All winners will have full access to all events and resources available during the ten-day festival, including screenings, panels and parties, as well as the opportunity to meet and interact with a host of visiting filmmakers and media professionals from around the world. Winners will also receive a one (1) year-long CONNECT membership with the International Screenwriters Association.
Feature Screenplay Finalists (Winners in Bold)
- “The Audition” by Eric Carlson (Virginia)
- “Black Sunday” by Heidi Willis (Alabama)
- “Catch the Devil” by Martin Blinder (Hawaii/California)
- “Dietrich Danzig” by John Pisano-Thomsen (Canada)
- “Do You Wanna Talk About It?” by Michael Boyle (California)
- “Faith” by Steven Brooks (Georgia)
- "Going Dark” by Alexis Pelot and Jessica Coleman (Georgia)
- “Homegrown” by Jacques Edeline (California)
- “Lemon Made” by Erik Adolphson (California)
- “Melon Head” by Andy Fortenbacher (New York)
- “The Midnight Special” by Christy Hall, Rebecca Comerford, Sol Tryon (New York/California)
- “Twelve Strays of Christmas” by Ken Lemm (Georgia)
Pilot Screenplay Finalists (Winner in Bold)
- “Bloodworth” by Jonathan Katz (Virginia)
- "Cold Spring Harbor” by Mike Makowsky (California)
- “Immaculate” by Colleen Scriven (California)
- “Janus” by Pearse Lehane (United Kingdom)
- “Off The Menu” by Dennis Camlek (Georgia)
The 2016 Screenwriters' Retreat will be held once again by Serenbe Film and AIR Serenbe. More information is forthcoming.
2016 Screenwriters' Retreat Mentors:
- Michael Lucker is an acclaimed writer/director with twenty years experience creating film, television and animation. He began his career writing and directing television commercials in college in Boston. Soon after he landed in Los Angeles working in production on series for ABC, NBC, CBS and HBO before taking a job as assistant to Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment on feature films Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, Back To The Future ll & lll and Jurassic Park. He went on to work in creative affairs at Hollywood Pictures, helping develop the movies Crimson Tide, Terminal Velocity, Taking Care of Business and Straight Talk. He then went onto write movies for DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, Fox, Universal and more, including “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for best-animated movie. Michael hosts a quarterly Screenwriter School and hosted 2014's ATLFF Screenplay Reading.
- Robin Henry is a writer and comedian who loves to make people laugh. She's written for "The Queen Latifah Show," "East Los High," "The Rickey Smiley Show," and "House of Payne." Robin writes, directs and produces sketches for Sketchworks, the premier sketch comedy theater in metro Atlanta, and teaches introductory and advanced sketch writing. A co-founder of Joke Pony and “The Black Nerd Show,” Robin can be found performing stand-up comedy in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
- TBA
ATLFF Alum David Bruckner's Latest SOUTHBOUND Opens at The Plaza on February 12th
David Bruckner, a Georgia-born filmmaker and ATLFF alum behind films like "The Signal" and "V/H/S," returns to Atlanta next week for his latest, "Southbound." Linda Burns hosts a Q&A with Bruckner at the 7:30 PM screening at The Plaza.
David Bruckner, a Georgia-born filmmaker and ATLFF alum behind films like "The Signal" and "V/H/S," returns to Atlanta next week for his latest, "Southbound."
A new anthology horror film, "Southbound" sees Bruckner teaming up with Roxanne Benjamin, Patrick Horvath & Radio Silence (several members of the team that created the "V/H/S" series) for five interconnected tales of terror that unfold along the length of an endless desert highway. Famed film critic Richard Roeper has called the film "one of the smartest and scariest movies in recent memory."
"Southbound" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is released nationwide this month. Next Friday, February 12th, the film debuts in Atlanta. Linda Burns hosts a Q&A with Bruckner in attendance at the 7:30 PM screening.
Twelve Shorts Revealed from 40th Anniversary Lineup
These officially selected short films representing fourteen countries examine the borderless social impact of underheard voices in film.
"The City of Joy," Joe Gomez
We announced six feature selections in December, all of which focus on human narratives with global significance. The 40th anniversary shorts lineup ventures both to further and focus this theme. Whether a reflection of the country of production or country of the filmmaker’s origin, the following short films examine the borderless social impact of voices in film, from both people and places.
“Our shorts program spans the globe every year, but 2016 brings us stellar cinematic worlds crafted by voices rarely amplified in mainstream film,” said Christina Humphrey, ATLFF Senior Shorts Programmer. “These selections show not only multiple regions and cultures, but many genres as well; these twelve alone employ experimental, animation, narrative, and documentary styles,” adds Shorts Programmer Alyssa Armand.
From Ana Teresa Fernandez, “Erasure” captures its director’s solidarity with the 43 men kidnapped in Iguala, Mexico in September 2014. Fabio Palmieri’s “Irregulars” explores European immigrant and refugee voyages. “Battalion to My Beat,” Eimi Imanishi’s Algerian narrative, introduces a young refugee named Mariam with Joan of Arc dreams. Local Atlantan Babacar Ndiaye’s “More Than Music Senegal” documents an underground artist community using hip hop to enact social change.
Chosen from a record-setting pool of over 4,700 submissions, these films span 8 shorts blocks collectively. The stories hail from Algeria, Canada, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, and Western Sahara.
Bacon and God’s Wrath // directed by Sol Friedman
Canada, 2015, 08:55
A 90-year-old Jewish woman reflects on her life’s experiences as she prepares to try bacon for the first time.
Battalion to My Beat // directed by Eimi Imanishi
Western Sahara/Algeria/USA, 2015, 13:45
Battalion To My Beat is set in the Western Saharan refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and follows the story of Mariam, a rebellious 13-year-old girl who naively envisions herself a Jeanne D'Arc that will free her people from the occupation.
Carnal Orient // directed by Mila Zuo
USA, 2015, 08:34
A dark and strangely surreal snapshot of sexual desire aimed at the exotic.
The City of Joy // directed by Joe Gomez
India, 2015, 21:04
Following a girl living in a slum trying to get an education, a mother in a village raising her two daughters alone, and a man in the city who pulls a rickshaw through the streets of Kolkata to provide for a family of seven, The City of Joy is a portrait of the daily life of three individuals and the city they live in.
El Adiós // directed by Clara Roquet
Spain, 2015, 14:55
A Bolivian maid attempts to honor last wishes of her late mistress.
Erasure // directed by Ana Teresa Fernandez
Mexico/USA, 2015, 06:21
Ana paints herself black in protest of and in solidarity with the 43 men that were kidnapped in Iguala, Mexico in Sept. 2014.
How to Be A Black Panther // directed by Daisy Zhou
USA, 2015, 19:59
On July 4th, 1968, Han Kang navigates through the day in a small homogeneous suburban town as the only Asian American teenager. Today, both the anniversary of America's independence and the death of a dear African American friend ignites celebration, mourning, anger, and revelation.
Irregulars // directed by Fabio Palmieri
Italy, 2015, 08:55
Each year 40,000 people from Africa, Asia and the Middle East try to enter Europe. They flee from war, persecution and poverty. Since the ways by land have been interrupted, they board overloaded vessels and face a dangerous and often deadly voyage across the Mediterranean.
The \little \boy // directed by Mona A. Shahi
Iran, 2015, 07:35
People are leaving a town by the order of military, but one little boy doesn't want to follow them. He wants to complete his own mission, but….
More Than Music: Senegal // directed by Babacar Ndiaye
USA, 2015, 12:58
At a time when Hip Hop seems to be headed in a disappointing direction, there exists an underexposed community of Artists who've managed to transform the genre to address their community's needs.
The Quantified Self // directed by Gleb Osatinski
USA, 2015, 15:30
When well-meaning parents turn the self-tracking into a family religion, the consequences fall outside the quantifiable.
Seide // directed by Elnura Osmonalieva
Kyrgyzstan, 2015, 13:40
Seide lives in a snowy mountain village with her humble family and her beloved horse. When she's forced into an arranged marriage with a man from a wealthy family, she fights to save her horse from being slaughtered for food for the wedding.
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.
Jen West Debuts Electric Campaign for First Feature
ATLFF alumnus and New Mavericks board member Jen West has launched a Seed & Spark campaign to turn her directorial debut into a reality. Support local indie film & become a punk in the name of ELECTRIC BLEAU.
“I love the thriller and horror genre because it allows us to go to those scary places buried deep within. As is evident in my short films Bubble and Little Cabbage, I also appreciate fantastical elements as story vehicles. I want to bring the viewer to a world that I created all on my own, full of the human experience that I’ve come to know first-hand. That’s all film really is… an intimate peek into someone else’s universe. You’ve officially been invited to be a part of Bleau’s story and universe.”
We mentioned ATLFF alumnus Jen West ("Little Cabbage," ATLFF '15) most recently when announcing the local filmmakers selected for participation in the Atlanta Film Society's 2016 Airport Shorts program. Shortly before, "Crush" became a Film Festival Collective selection.
West's ongoing indie film reign steps into next level grandeur with the launch of a Seed & Spark campaign for her debut feature, "Electric Bleau." Every generation, the gift of a rare blue moon bestows biracial twins upon the Benoit family. Each pair of sisters inherits an unwanted yet irresistible harmonica cursed with the evil spirit of Josephine who is determined to find her long-lost babies from another time past.
Thanks to Trey Jordan from Banjo Media, "Electric Bleau" has four days left in a $5,000 matching campaign. Perks range all the way from customized digital postcards to private screening invitations to film credit. This initial $28,500 will fund the developmental phase of an ultimate $1.8 million goal, but this will be the only crowdfunding opportunity. Join the team while you can:
First Wave of Features from 40th Annual Atlanta Film Festival Announced!
These first six films were selected from an impressive pool of over 4,750 submissions—an ATLFF all-time record. The films and their makers comprise an international showcase, together representing Bangladesh, Canada, India, Pakistan, Palestine, South Africa, and the United States.
Next year will make history. Today’s international climate fosters social, economic, and political revolution, yielding stories of incomparable gravity. Independent filmmakers continue to connect the world with these stories, and the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) extends to these voices a platform four decades in the making.
“As the U.S. approaches a pivotal election year, this 40th anniversary lineup builds upon six feature films whose subjects, communities, and conflicts resonate with Atlanta and the world beyond,” said Kristy Breneman, ATLFF Creative Director and Features Programmer. Of this first slate, two are narratives and four are documentaries.
All six were selected from an impressive pool of over 4,750 submissions—an ATLFF all-time record. The films and their makers comprise an international showcase, together representing Bangladesh, Canada, India, Pakistan, Palestine, South Africa, and the United States.
Four of the features mark directorial debuts. Directed by Ted Marcus, “Like Lambs” is a dramatic narrative thriller that illustrates a student revolution. “Romeo is Bleeding,” directed by Jason Zeldes, follows Donté Clark’s quest to restore peace in his Richmond, CA streets. “Sink” is a narrative directed by Brett Michael Innes that adapts his novel about a Mozambican domestic worker, her South African employers, and the tragedy that befalls them. “Speed Sisters” is Amber Fares’ documentary tale about the first all-female race car driving team in the Middle East.
“Driving With Selvi” and “A Journey of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers,” documentaries from India and Bangladesh respectively, feature strong female subjects from Georgia’s fastest growing demographic.
ATLFF ‘16 meanwhile marks the first year within the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS), a fortified organization title birthed in October of 2015. The ATLFS name reflects a year-round mission to lead the community in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. Connection with a filmmaker dramatically magnifies the impact of his or her moving images, and ATLFF strives to bring our filmmakers to Atlanta no matter where they are in the world. This objective introduces a story’s audience to its storyteller, enriching the audience experience with access to the source of passion, context, and craft.
The 40th annual Atlanta Film Festival takes place April 1-10th, 2016. The festival is currently conducting its third annual and largest ever Kickstarter campaign to bring filmmakers to the festival. (atlantafilmfestival.com/fund) #40Kin40Days
Driving With Selvi
directed by Elisa Paloschi
Canada/India, 2015, Tamil, 74 minutes
Selvi, like so many girls living in India, is forced to marry at 14, only to find herself in a violent marriage. One day in deep despair, she chooses to escape, going on to become South India’s first female taxi driver. We first meet Selvi at a girls’ shelter in 2004—timid, soft-spoken, a fresh runaway from a difficult life. Over a ten-year journey, we see a remarkable transformation as Selvi finds her voice and defies all expectations—learning to drive, starting her own taxi company, leading educational seminars, and much more. This character-driven story highlights the challenges that millions of devalued women and girls in India face. In a society where women are often considered expendable or worthless, Selvi is exceptional—a charming, strong, and utterly courageous young woman who moves beyond the pain she’s experienced to create a new life.
#Documentary #International #NewMavericks
A Journey of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers
directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Sharmeed Obaid-Chinoy
USA/Bangladesh/Pakistan, 2015, Bengali/English/Creek, 95 minutes
“A Journey of A Thousand Miles” follows a unit of one hundred and sixty women who, between June 2013 and July 2014, travel far from their families, friends and all that is familiar at home in Bangladesh to join the United Nations Stabilizing Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). They form one of the world’s first all female, predominantly Muslim peacekeeping units; shattering every stereotype the world holds about the capabilities of Muslim women. The women—young and old, married and single, mothers and daughters—come from every corner of Bangladesh. The film focuses on three women in this unit as they grapple with the harsh realities of becoming foot soldiers in a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.
#Documentary #International #NewMavericks
Like Lambs
directed by Ted Marcus
USA, 2016, English, 83 minutes
When economic apocalypse strikes America, students at an impossibly exclusive boarding school kidnap their most privileged classmates. After they release a video to the media stating that unless trillions of dollars in illegally withheld offshore taxes are brought in to halt the collapse, the wealthy elite must watch as their precious babes are executed on national television.
Starring: Liam Aiken, Connor Paolo, Justin Chon, David Dayan Fisher, Godfrey, Chanelle Peloso, Kale Browne
#Narrative
Romeo is Bleeding
directed by Jason Zeldes
USA, 2015, English, 93 minutes
A fatal turf war between neighborhoods haunts the city of Richmond, CA. Donté Clark transcends the violence in his hometown by writing poetry about his experiences. Using his voice to inspire those around him, he and the like-minded youth of the city mount an urban adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, with the hope of starting a real dialogue about violence in the city. Will Richmond force Donté to compromise his idealistic ambitions? Or will Donté end Richmond’s cycle of trauma?
#Documentary
Sink
directed by Brett Michael Innes
South Africa, 2015, Afrikaans, 115 minutes
"Sink" tells the story of Rachel, a Mozambican domestic worker living in Johannesburg, is forced to make a life-changing decision after her daughter dies while under the care of her South African employer; return to poverty stricken Mozambique or continue working for the people responsible for the death of her child so that she can keep her home, her visa and continue to support her family. Things become even more complicated when she finds out that her employers are expecting their first child and the story follows the journey of all three as they try to find a way to live with the tragic accident that has brought them together.
Starring: Anel Alexander, James Alexander, Leandie du Randt
#Narrative #International
Speed Sisters
directed by Amber Fares
Palestine/USA, 2015, Arabic/English, 80 minutes
The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, “Speed Sisters” takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.
#Documentary #International #NewMavericks