2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalists

The Atlanta Film Society is thrilled to announce the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalists. From 1,921 total submissions, there now remain only 18 feature film screenplays, 11 pilots, and 8 shorts. To call these 37 wonderful screenplays the lucky few still in competition would be a disservice to the amazing talent on the page, but we do hope you join us in wishing their authors nothing but luck and fortune with the rest of the competition and with their screenwriting careers!

Feature Screenplay Finalists

THE APPLICANTS by Justin Ballheim
ARACHNIFABULOUS by Brian "Crusty" Horgan
(A)SEXUAL AWAKENING by Henry Jarvis
CAPTAIN BLOOD by Kate Imy
CHANCE BY UNFATHOMABLE FATE by Dmani Williams
CUFFING SEASON by Jon Bershad
DEEP BLUE II: KASPAROV'S REVENGE by Ben Gottlieb
EASTERN SKIES by Andrew Liou
FRANK'S HEART by Marilynn Loveless
FREAKNIK by Jon Vaude
GOOD CHANCE by Tricia Lee
GOODBYE EVERYBODY by Benjamin Lewis
GRIEF LEECH by Shayna Hack
ORDINARY LIFE by Charlotte Alexander
THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE by Gabe Berry
SHADOWBOXING by Tsoanelo Rantsho & Logan Mitev
THE SHIMMERS by Brendan Vogel & Ruth Sabin
SHOOTING by Nathan Cabaniss

Pilot Screenplay Finalists

ARTHUR & LANCELOT by Victoria Zeutzius
BLACK NERD by Jon Carr
BUFORD HIGHWAY by Jordan Watland & Bahar Atvur
BUTCH by Rae Binstock
DOWNTOWN by Brian Stone
MOSTLY VIRGIN by Baldvin Kari & Ana Lazarevic
MR. DIY by Michael Johnston
THE PARC by Morgan Grice
THE PIRATE QUEEN by Nora-Jane Noone
THE SPACE SUITS by Landon Ashworth
YOUNGBLOODS by Stacey Russell

Short Screenplay Finalists

BREATHE by Mark Labella
I SEE YOU by Faith Dismuke
LEFT & LEAVING by Michael Mau
MAN UP FAIRY DUST by Christopher Schwartz
ONOURA by Chigozie Onyeaka
R.E.G.G.I.N by A. D. Smith
TODD KNOWS by Michael Buonocore
WALL by Erin Cantelo

THE 2023 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL & CREATIVE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF FILMS

ATLANTA, GA (March 1, 2023) – The Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS) is pleased to announce the first wave of films programmed for the upcoming 47th Annual Atlanta Film Festival & Creative Conference (ATLFF), slated for April 20 through April 30, 2023. Each year, this first wave announcement acts as the earliest glimpse at the upcoming festival and represents the exciting programming choices to come.

This first wave, selected from the over 9000+ film & screenplay submissions, consists of three documentary features and two narrative features.

“We chose this initial wave of films because together they reflect the breadth and diversity of the 160+ films that will make up ATLFF’s final slate.”
Jonathan Kieran, Programming Director, ATLFF

For the second consecutive year, ATLFF has received over 9,000 submitted works from 118 countries. In 2022, the total programmed films included 56% BIPOC directed, 53% women+ non-binary directed, and 18% from Georgia-tied filmmakers. These first selections of films will be joined by over 160 others selected from submitted works when the entire lineup is released in late March.

BLACK MOTHERS LOVE AND RESIST
Documentary Feature
Directed by Débora Souza Silva
United States, English, 103 minutes
Wanda Johnson and Angela Williams, mothers of young Black men victimized by police brutality, come together and build a network of community-led support, mutual aid, and healing in this documentary spanning Oakland’s Fruitvale to the American South.

HELLO DANKNESS
Narrative Feature
Directed by Soda Jerk
Australia, English, 70 minutes
Comprised entirely of hundreds of film samples, Hello Dankness is a suburban stoner musical about the psychotropic disintegration of reality in America from 2016 to 2021.

IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL
Documentary Feature
Directed by Alexandria Bombach
United States, English, 118 minutes
Blending 40 years of home movies, raw film archive, and intimate present-day verité, a poignant reflection from Amy Ray & Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls – the iconic folk rock duo. A timely look into the obstacles, activism, and life lessons of two queer friends who never expected to make it big.

MISS VIBORG
Narrative Feature
Directed by Marianne Blicher
Denmark, Danish, 99 minutes
Former beauty queen and senior citizen Solvej lives alone with her dog in a social housing area on the outskirts of Danish provincial town Viborg. Each day, she performs the same old routines roaming around on her scooter dealing her prescription drugs, dreaming of a world outside Viborg and reminiscing over old love letters from her past. When unforeseen circumstances bring her neighbor’s daughter, rebellious 17-year-old Kate into her life, an unlikely friendship forms and new hope for the future emerges.

SHIP HAPPENS
Documentary Feature
Directed by Jordan Bellamy & Josh Gilligan
On Sept 8, 2019, The Golden Ray, an outbound 656 foot cargo ship loaded with 4200 vehicles capsized in the Saint Simons Sound off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia. In order to protect a fragile ecosystem amidst the backdrop of ongoing global commerce, concerned locals work to hold authorities accountable when the salvage project to remove the ship suffers every setback imaginable.

2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinalists

The Atlanta Film Society is happy to share the 193 screenplays advancing into the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinals. The following 97 feature film scripts, 55 pilots, and 41 shorts represent the top 10% of the 1,921 total submissions. In addition to a cash prize, their authors are competing for an invaluable mentorship opportunity. Please help us celebrate the amazing accomplishment achieved, and wish these skilled scribes well as they continue to compete for the honor of being named Finalists and Winners!

Feature Screenplay Semifinalists

ACTAEON by Dustin Quinteros
ADA by Nora Jaenicke
(AM I) GAY FOR AMY? by Meghan Lennox
AMERICAN DREAMS by Tricia Lee & Corey Brown
APACHE by Adam Seidel
THE APPLICANTS by Justin Ballheim
ARACHNIFABULOUS by Brian "Crusty" Horgan
(A)SEXUAL AWAKENING by Henry Jarvis
AUGUST BEAUTY by Elisa Greenberg
BAD ROMANCE by Chad Wellinger
THE BANNER by Ernestina Juarez
BEETLE BABY by Asya Segalovich
BILL, GOD OF WAR by Caleb Dillon
BLACK IVORY by Adisa Septuri
BLOOD THIEF by Winnie Soldi
THE BODY OF CHRIS by Erin Brown Thomas
BOUNDARIES by Asad Farooqui
BURN PATTERN by Laura M. Kemp
BURY THE LEDE by Brianna Naderpour
CAPTAIN BLOOD by Kate Imy
CAVEAT EMPTOR by Ray Goldberg
CHANCE BY UNFATHOMABLE FATE by Dmani Williams
CHESTER HOUSE by Elvira Ibragimova
CHUM by John Cicco & Nathan Krieger
CONTINUED CARE by Gretchen Hopkirk
THE CRICKET by Gabe Berry
CUFFING SEASON by Jon Bershad
DEEP BLUE II: KASPAROV'S REVENGE by Ben Gottlieb
THE DEMON JOB by Robert Husted
DIAL IT BACK by Erin Elizabeth Keefer
DIVINE GIFTS by Hamidreza Rafatnejad
DO OVER by Sari Earl
DOG DAYS by Ryan Nielsen
DOPE FRIEND by Matt Ferrucci
EASTERN SKIES by Andrew Liou
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL by Suzie Bohannon
THE FINAL CUT by Chaseedaw Giles
FIND ME IN YOUR SMILE by Guilherme Viegas
FOR PHILLIP by Rob Seyk
FORGETTING JUPITER by Jeff Hindenach
FRANK'S HEART by Marilynn Loveless
FREAKNIK by Jon Vaude
FROM ABOVE by Ben Tedesco
THE GAME CHANGER by Jerry Reedy
GOOD CHANCE by Tricia Lee
GOODBYE EVERYBODY by Benjamin Lewis
GRIEF LEECH by Shayna Hack
GROW HOME by Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan
HOUSE ON FIRE by Donald Mitchell, Robert Goldberg, & James Goldberg
HUNGRY LITTLE CUBS by William Winston
I AM THE DRAGON KING by Storm Choi
IBU (MOTHER) by Kanya Iwana
IF THESE WALLS COULD SHUT UP by Gina DeAngelis
INTERBLOOM by Ari Dassa
THE ITCH by Jeremy Bradford
A JERSEY CHRISTMAS MOVIE by Laura Napoli & Brian Gene White
KEEPER by R.L. Hooker
KEESHA GOES TO CAMP by Rebecca Jordan Smith
KILLER CROSSOVER by Brandon Burkhart
LADY INTO FOX by R. H. Farrell
THE LAST INDIAN WAR by Michael Graf
THE LION MAKOI by Chad Mathews
THE LOCK - IN by Maalik Evans
MINISTER SPEER by Sven Anarki
MISCHIEF NIGHT by Peter Macaluso
MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Matthew Gomez
NOT HAUNTED by Katie Ennis
ODE TO ORANGE by Catherine Delaloye
OLD MAIDEN'S PRAYER by Grace Gao
ORDINARY LIFE by Charlotte Alexander
OUR LADY OF SORROWS by Karen Conley
THE PRECIPITATING EVENT by EmmaC.
THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE by Gabe Berry
RAISED BY DOGS by Christin Finch
REASONABLE by Jeremy Lloyd-Styles
REDACTED by Alexandra Redwood
REDEEMER'S LIGHT by Toyi Elizabeth
THE ROCK N' ROLL BROTHERS by Guil Parreiras
RUT by David Zaccaria
THE SECRET OF THE SMILE by Robin Russin
SHADOWBOXING by Tsoanelo Rantsho & Logan Mitev
THE SHIMMERS by Brendan Vogel & Ruth Sabin
SHOOTING by Nathan Cabaniss
SMALL TOWN by Gemma Addy
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER by William Schreiber
STEPH by Oksana Prysiazhniuk
SUCKERS by Elena Welles
TAKE MY HAND by Sam Pavich
TARNISHED by Matthew Walker
TARO: LEGEND OF JAPAN by Blue Spruell
THE TEJANO by Derek C. Block
THIS LIGHT OF MINE by Quinn Martin
TRICE by Matt Foss & Carlos Washington
(TRUE) NORTH by HF Crum
THE WHISKEY FOUR by Menna Dosal
THE WORTH OF WOMAN$ WORK by EmmaC.
WYATT by Stephanie Gaston

Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists

THE ACADEMY by Brit Cowan
ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID by Cynthia Mersten
ARTHUR & LANCELOT by Victoria Zeutzius
BACK FIRES by Alex Blumberg
THE BARBERS OF NEW ENGLAND by Nicholas Fowler & Scott Fowler
THE BIG HOUSE by Kristofer Mikal
BLACK NERD by Jon Carr
BUFORD HIGHWAY by Jordan Watland & Bahar Atvur
BUTCH by Rae Binstock
CHERRY PARK by Joseph Hooten
CRICKET CLUB OF CANON HIGH by Priya Mohanty
DOWNTOWN by Brian Stone
DREAM BOY by Hannah Melissa Scott & Jordan Watson
EAT WHAT YOU KILL by Leslie Lyshkov
EMERGENT by Alan Mah Baxter
FAST BREAK by Kathryn Elise Drexler
FERALS by M.R. Fitzgerald
THE GALLERY by Will Downs
THE HAPPIEST PLACE by Jon Davis
HARPOON by Ria Tobaccowala
HIRADO by Jennifer Wilton
KANDLESTICK MEN by Frank Monteleone
KEITH SWEATS by Lexx Truss
THE KING OF THE CANNIBALS by Sam Watson
LADY OF THE LAKE by Estella Gabriel
LAST OF THE COWBOYS by Brent Minderler
LIFE DURING WARTIME by Mark Bowes
MAN-MADE by Ryan Cunningham
THE MATCH by Justin Ballheim
MOSTLY VIRGIN by Baldvin Kari & Ana Lazarevic
MR. DIY by Michael Johnston
MR. PLEASURE by Nicole Kemper
MY HAPPY PLACE by Angel Hilson
NIGHT DOGS by Linhan Zhang
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Thomas Gaunt
THE PARC by Morgan Grice
THE PIRATE QUEEN by Nora-Jane Noone
PRICELESS by Betsy Nagler
THE QUARTER QUEEN by Kayla Hardy
QUEEN OF WARDS by Shanice Williamson
RENEGADE by Logan Porter
THE REPEATERS by Patrice Williams Marks
REVERSE by Benjamin Lewis
SEABROOK by Alex Hanno
SINGLE PERSON by Matt Foss
THE SPACE SUITS by Landon Ashworth
SPRINGTIME by Danny Newell
STALKY & CO. by Nicole Lynn Cohen
TAURED by Christian Maxwell
TEMPERANCE (AND OTHER VIRTUES) by Alexandra Hayes
TRENCH TOWN by Ricardo Sean Thompson
WHEN MANGOES START TO TURN YELLOW by Harika Ganeshni Bommana
WOMAN'S WORK by Erin Beute
YOU ARE NOT A HERO by Josh Jacobs
YOUNGBLOODS by Stacey Russell

Short Screenplay Semifinalists

APPARATCHIK by Morgane Ciot
ARC by Stephen Evans
THE ART OF ETERNAL LOVE by Dawn Reavis
BABY LOVE by Kate Kelsen
BE MY BOY by Ethan Homen
BONESEED by Brett Brooks & Joshua David Matthews
BREATHE by Mark Labella
CHOICE by Bernhard Riedhammer
THE DOOR IN THE MIRROR by Geoff Murillo
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL by Melody Herr
THE FUTURE REPORT by Elisabeth Hayward
GATSBY by Alec Seymour
GENERATION SERVICE by Kiwana Rose
THE GHOSTODIANS by Leila Murton Poole
HAVE A MINT by Taylor McTague
HEARTSTRINGS by J.D. Zelman & Matthew Dushkes
HOT TORTILLAS by Nicolas Jara
HOUSE OF WOLVES by Andrew Yeremeyev
I LOVE NANCY MEYERS by Narineh Tahmasebian
I SEE YOU by Faith Dismuke
KOUKLA by Jamie-Michelle Whalen
THE LAST CREATION by Brad Cooper
LASTING MARK by Shaun Radecki
LEFT & LEAVING by Michael Mau
MAN UP FAIRY DUST by Christopher Schwartz
MOON EYES by Alston Jones
MY WAY by Afton Quast Saler
ONOURA by Chigozie Onyeaka
PAL by Michael Mau
PIETRA FREDDA by Matthew Nicholson
R.E.G.G.I.N by A. D. Smith
SAY YES by Gabe Berry
THERE'S A FROG ON MARS (IT'S TRUE!) by Shaun Radecki
TO THE MOON by Michael Dukakis
TODD KNOWS by Michael Buonocore
THE UNTAMED by Olga Holtz
WALL by Erin Cantelo
WEEPING WALL by Mark Dollard
WHO ARE YOU, NANU? by Anjini Taneja Azhar
YA GHALBI by Yasmeen Albrahim
ZEPHYR by Amy Allen

2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalists

The Atlanta Film Society is pleased to present the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalists. Chosen from 1,921 total submissions, the following 193 feature film screenplays, 110 pilots, and 82 shorts represent the top twenty percent of all entries. Their authors are competing for invaluable mentorship opportunities to help hone their craft and plan the next steps in their careers in addition to cash prizes. Please join us in congratulating these impressive authors, and wish them well as the programming team continues to narrow this list down to the Semifinalists, Finalists, and eventually to 5 Winning Scripts!

Feature Screenplay Quarterfinalists

93% CHANCE OF HAPPINESS by Jeff Bower
ACTAEON by Dustin Quinteros
ADA by Nora Jaenicke
(AM I) GAY FOR AMY? by Meghan Lennox
AMERICAN DREAMS by by Tricia Lee & Corey Brown
AN UNFAMILIAR LIFE by Toni D'Antonio
ANALYTICA by Paul Ingoldsby
APACHE by Adam Seidel
THE APPLICANTS by Justin Ballheim
ARACHNIFABULOUS by Brian "Crusty" Horgan
ARMSTRONG IN HANOI by Bryerly Long
ARROW OF HONOR by Robin Woldorf & Rik Center
(A)SEXUAL AWAKENING by Henry Jarvis
AUGUST BEAUTY by Elisa Greenberg
BAD ROMANCE by Chad Wellinger
THE BANNER by Ernestina Juarez
BEETLE BABY by Asya Segalovich
THE BELL WITCH IS JUST A LESBIAN by Cieara West
BILL, GOD OF WAR by Caleb Dillon
BLACK COMEDY by Matt Foss & James Dickerson
BLACK IVORY by Adisa Septuri
BLOOD by Aashish Gadhvi
BLOOD ON THE MOUNTAIN by Emett Casey
BLOOD TATTOO by Bruce Hickey
BLOOD THIEF by Winnie Soldi
THE BODY OF CHRIS by Erin Brown Thomas
BOUNDARIES by Asad Farooqui
BRAIN GAMES by Alan Schwarz
BREEDER by Alex Goyette
A BULLET FOR A BASTARD by Chris Allen Helton & Waleed Hassan
BURN PATTERN by Laura M. Kemp
BURY THE LEDE by Brianna Naderpour
CAGE LIFE by Keri Lee
CAPTAIN BLOOD by Kate Imy
CAVEAT EMPTOR by Ray Goldberg
THE CELESTIAL HIGHWAY by Kevin J. Howard
CHANCE BY UNFATHOMABLE FATE by Dmani Williams
THE CHANCER by Fiona Graham
THE CHANS & SCHWARTZBAUMS SAVE CHRISTMAS! by Tricia Lee & Corey Brown
CHESTER HOUSE by Elvira Ibragimova
CHUM by John Cicco & Nathan Krieger
CLOSE by Kristen Wade
CONTINUED CARE by Gretchen Hopkirk
THE CRICKET by Gabe Berry
CUFFING SEASON by Jon Bershad
THE DEADHEAD by Justin Ballheim
DEAD MOM FRIEND SUMMERTIME FUN CLUB by Alex Walker
DEEP BLUE II: KASPAROV'S REVENGE by Ben Gottlieb
THE DEMON JOB by Robert Husted
DETH KNELL by Merida Quinlan
DIAL IT BACK by Erin Elizabeth Keefer
DIMINUENDO by Paul Gross
DIVINE GIFTS by Hamidreza Rafatnejad
DO OVER by Sari Earl
DOG DAYS by Ryan Nielsen
DOPE FRIEND by Matt Ferrucci
DOWN IN THE HOLLER by Paul Rowe
EASTERN SKIES by Andrew Liou
EMERGENCY CONTACT by Erin Brown Thomas & Kelly Vrooman
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL by Suzie Bohannon
ENSIGN by Stephanie Maura Sanchez
THE EVERYTHING GAME by Ryan Gielen
EXODUSTER by Gunnar Garrett
A FAMILY AFFAIR by Tim Bartell
THE FATHERS by Kristina Zill
THE FINAL CUT by Chaseedaw Giles
FIND ME IN YOUR SMILE by Guilherme Viegas
FIREFLIES by Amanda Keener
FIRST BLOODED by Kenya Collins
FLAT PENNIES by Robert Ward
FOR PHILLIP by Rob Seyk
FORGETTING JUPITER by Jeff Hindenach
FOX HOLLOWS by Joe Osborne
FRAGMENTED SCARS by Yanatha Desouvre
FRANK'S HEART by Marilynn Loveless
FREAKNIK by Jon Vaude
FROM ABOVE by Ben Tedesco
THE GAME CHANGER by Jerry Reedy
GOOD CHANCE by Tricia Lee
GOODBYE EVERYBODY by Benjamin Lewis
GREEN BLOODS by Kevin Percival
GRIEF LEECH by Shayna Hack
GROW HOME by Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan
HAVE MERCY by Jason Ruscio
THE HAWK AND THE SUN by Edward Gadrix
HOMECOMING by Aadrise Johnson
HOUSE ON FIRE by Donald Mitchell, Robert Goldberg, & James Goldberg
HUNGRY LITTLE CUBS by William Winston
HURRICANE by Chris Willis
I AM THE DRAGON KING by Storm Choi
IBU (MOTHER) by Kanya Iwana
IF THESE WALLS COULD SHUT UP by Gina DeAngelis
IMPROV by Genet Hughes
INTERBLOOM by Ari Dassa
THE IRON LEECH by Neal O'Bryan & Chad Thurman
THE ITCH by Jeremy Bradford
THE JANITOR by Woting Cai
A JERSEY CHRISTMAS MOVIE by Laura Napoli & Brian Gene White
KABUL, TOKYO by Lila Wakili
KALI ON THE ROPES by Ali Choucri
KEEPER by R.L. Hooker
KEESHA GOES TO CAMP by Rebecca Jordan Smith
KILLER CROSSOVER by Brandon Burkhart
KISS OF DARKNESS by MICHAEL MCCLUNG
A LABOUR OF LOVE by Olga Holtz
LADY INTO FOX by R. H. Farrell
THE LAST INDIAN WAR by Michael Graf
LAZY DAZY by Rudy Jansen
LEGGY by Sierra Smith
THE LION MAKOI by Chad Mathews
THE LOCK - IN by Maalik Evans
MAKE BELIEVE by Brit Cowan
MEAN STREAK by Janette Danielson & Giovana Frediani
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S PLAY by Eric Johnson
MILES TO GO by Ken Viteri-Lynn
MINISTER SPEER by Sven Anarki
MISCHIEF NIGHT by Peter Macaluso
MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Matthew Gomez
MOJO by Joanne Bellew
NEEDLES by Bobby Sacher
NOT HAUNTED by Katie Ennis
ODE TO ORANGE by Catherine Delaloye
OFFSHORE REVENGE by Marie Etzler
OLD MA by Jonathan Maxwell Shander
OLD MAIDEN'S PRAYER by Grace Gao
ONE WAY by Meital Cohen Navarro
ORANGEBURG 68' by Calhoun Cornwell
ORDINARY LIFE by Charlotte Alexander
OUR LADY OF SORROWS by Karen Conley
THE PAINTING by Stefan Alexander
THE PEPPER by Christine Garver
PHILLY BOYS by Kevin Giles
POPCORN PROPHETS by Reynaldo Leal
THE PRECIPITATING EVENT by EmmaC.
PRISONER OF DECEIT by Gretchen Klein
THE PROSECUTION by Vir Srinivas
THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE by Gabe Berry
RAISED BY DOGS by Christin Finch
THE REAL PROM QUEENS OF WESTFIELD HIGH by Laurie Ann Crompton
REASONABLE by Jeremy Lloyd-Styles
REDACTED by Alexandra Redwood
REDEEMER'S LIGHT by Toyi Elizabeth
THE ROCK N' ROLL BROTHERS by Guil Parreiras
ROSEBUD by Kayla Hardy
RUMSPRINGA by Finnegan Haid & Jake Haddock
RUNAWAY BOB by Victoria Spencer Smith
RUSH by Lauren Wright & Chelsea Murphy
RUT by David Zaccaria
SAINTS AND SINNERS by Brit Cowan
THE SCORCHED FACE by Pauline McAlonan
SCRAPS by Ryan Nordin
SEA LEGS by Ariel Mahler
THE SECRET OF THE SMILE by Robin Russin
SECURITY THEATER by Daniel Sole
SENIOR LIVING by Kaitlin Larson & Kyle Boynton
SHADOWBOXING by Tsoanelo Rantsho & Logan Mitev
THE SHIMMERS by Brendan Vogel & Ruth Sabin
SHOOTING by Nathan Cabaniss
SIMULATION by Peter Jang
SKI WEEK by Mike Gallagher & Holly Martinez
SMALL TOWN by Gemma Addy
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER by William Schreiber
SON OF THE OPEN ROAD by Winn Smith
SOUTH WIND COME by Ernestina Juarez
STACY, GOD OF PAIN by Benjamin Drew Thompson
STEPH by Oksana Prysiazhniuk
SUCKERS by Elena Welles
SWASHBUCKLE by William Moon
SWOOSH by Al Titkemeyer
TAKE MY HAND by Sam Pavich
TAKEDOWN by Mark Cooper
TARNISHED by Matthew Walker
TARO: LEGEND OF JAPAN by Blue Spruell
TASTE THE ROAD, JACK by Stefan Alexander & Eric Williford
THE TEJANO by Derek C. Block
TESSTOSTERONE by Erin Elizabeth Keefer
THAT TRIFLIN’ S.O.B. CARTWRIGHT JENKINS by Christine Burright
THIS LIGHT OF MINE by Quinn Martin
THREE HUSBANDS, PLEASE! by Mack Ogden
TRICE by Matt Foss & Carlos Washington
(TRUE) NORTH by HF Crum
THE VAIROCANA by Jason Jacobson & Michelle Trantina
THE VIBE by Jill Czarnowski
VIBRANT by Toni Cunningham
THE VICIOUSES by Homeless
VIENNA CALLING by Renate Grassmugg
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS OFF by Al Sophianopoulos
WHAT'S LEFT OF US by Rae Jones
THE WHISKEY FOUR by Menna Dosal
WHO LET THE WALLFLOWERS OUT? by Virginia Austin
THE WORTH OF WOMAN$ WORK by EmmaC.
WYATT by Stephanie Gaston
A Z-AXIS SUNSET by Pete Gomori

Pilot Screenplay Quarterfinalists

THE ACADEMY by Brit Cowan
THE AFFECTED by Shane Harbinson
AFFIRMATIVE by Andrew Quailes
ALL BI MYSELF by Adam Patla
ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID by Cynthia Mersten
ARTHUR & LANCELOT by Victoria Zeutzius
BACK FIRES by Alex Blumberg
THE BARBERS OF NEW ENGLAND by Nicholas Fowler & Scott Fowler
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ADULTING by Joenique Rose
THE BIG HOUSE by Kristofer Mikal
BLACK NERD by Jon Carr
BROWN COUNTRY by Asad Farooqui
BUFORD HIGHWAY by Jordan Watland & Bahar Atvur
BUTCH by Rae Binstock
CHERRY PARK by Joseph Hooten
CITIZEN DETECTIVE by Hillary Stringer & Matthew Davis
CRICKET CLUB OF CANON HIGH by Priya Mohanty
DEEP RIVER by Peter Forbes
DISGRACEFUL by Rachael S. Morgan
DOWNTOWN by Brian Stone
DREAM BOY by Hannah Melissa Scott & Jordan Watson
EAT WHAT YOU KILL by Leslie Lyshkov
EMERGENT by Alan Mah Baxter
ESSIE ROSENBAUM MUST DIE by Miles Kahn
EVERYTHING IS FINE by Mike Devore
FAIRVIEW by Mia Volta
FAST BREAK by Kathryn Elise Drexler
FERALS by M.R. Fitzgerald
THE GALLERY by Will Downs
THE GREAT DESIRE by Cassandra Rose
GREETINGS FROM THE FLOODGATES by Mary von Aue
THE HAPPIEST PLACE by Jon Davis
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN by Dayton Swanson & Colton Smith
HARDY'S TRADE by Greg Beck
HARPOON by Ria Tobaccowala
HIRADO by Jennifer Wilton
HIT LIST by Faye Treacy
HONEY + LEMON by Kenny Mulfort
HONEY'S UNICORN by D. A. Jolivette
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Nicola Pittam
INTO THE ETHER by Steve Brown & Robert Rogers
JOOK by Mugs Cahill
JOYCE by Alexandra Comeaux
KANDLESTICK MEN by Frank Monteleone
KEITH SWEATS by Lexx Truss
THE KING OF THE CANNIBALS by Sam Watson
LADY OF THE LAKE by Estella Gabriel
LAST OF THE COWBOYS by Brent Minderler
LIFE DURING WARTIME by Mark Bowes
LINE OF SCRIMMAGE by Rachel Thundat
THE LIST: A SINGLE LADY'S GUIDE TO FINDING THE PERFECT BABY DADDY by Brit Cowan
LITTLE LEAGUE by Manuel Victoria
LOTS BREWING by Kenneth Daniels
MAN-MADE by Ryan Cunningham
MASS APPEAL by Del Potter
THE MATCH by Justin Ballheim
MIXED FEELINGS by Danny Rogers
MORASA POLO by Meital Cohen-Navarro
A MORE PERFECT UNION by Jonathan Weisbrod
MOSTLY VIRGIN by Baldvin Kari & Ana Lazarevic
MR. DIY by Michael Johnston
MR. PLEASURE by Nicole Kemper
MT. CLEMENT by Randy Hines
MURDER SHOW by Rosalind Grush
MY HAPPY PLACE by Angel Hilson
NIGHT DOGS by Linhan Zhang
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Thomas Gaunt
NOT SUPER LEGAL by Carrie Fishbane
ORAC ELLE by Frank Monteleone
PACT ARCANUM by Arshad Ahsanuddin & Toby Osborne
THE PARC by Morgan Grice
PATROL by Rick Rowley
PHANTOM BLACK by Tyler Pagan & Ben Engebretson
THE PIRATE QUEEN by Nora-Jane Noone
THE POD by Diogo Beltran
PRICELESS by Betsy Nagler
THE QUARTER QUEEN by Kayla Hardy
QUEEN OF WARDS by Shanice Williamson
QUEENS VILLAGE by Samantha Lavin
REALITY BITES by Jack Mayer
REBOOTED by Jamaal Pittman
RENEGADE by Logan Porter
THE REPEATERS by Patrice Williams Marks
REVERSE by Benjamin Lewis
RISE OF THE PROPHECY by Antoine Bonner
SADIST by Jennifer Anderson
THE SAINT by Kenya Collins
SCOUNDREL by Amy Quick Parrish
SEABROOK by Alex Hanno
THE SEAWARD by Benjamin Lewis
SECOND UNIT by Ankush Khemani
SINGLE PERSON by Matt Foss
SLIM & NUN by Brandon Burkhart
SOUTH OF NORMAL by Jake Thomas
THE SPACE SUITS by Landon Ashworth
SPEEDWAY by Jane Kelly Kosek
SPRINGTIME by Danny Newell
STALKY & CO. by Nicole Lynn Cohen
STORM by Kristy Thomas
SWEAT by Xavier Burgin
TAPPED OUT by Melody Herr
TAURED by Christian Maxwell
TEMPERANCE (AND OTHER VIRTUES) by Alexandra Hayes
TRENCH TOWN by Ricardo Sean Thompson
UNDER THE BRIDGE by Richie Lee Cunningham
WHEN MANGOES START TO TURN YELLOW by Harika Ganeshni Bommana
WOMAN'S WORK by Erin Beute
YOU ARE NOT A HERO by Josh Jacobs
YOUNG AMERICANS by Grace E. Ward
YOUNGBLOODS by Stacey Russell

Short Screenplay Quarterfinalists

2 - 3 YEARS by Sarah Polhaus
83 HUNT ROAD by Kimani Key
AFTER WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LIBRARY by Kyle Casey Chu & Roisin Isner
AL'Z PILLOW by Daniel Taylor
ALWAYS by Sasha Das
APPARATCHIK by Morgane Ciot
APPOINTMENT FOR: by Kanya Iwana
ARC by Stephen Evans
THE ART OF ETERNAL LOVE by Dawn Reavis
AT NIGHT by Michael Wells
BABY LOVE by Kate Kelsen
BE MY BOY by Ethan Homen
THE BLOUSE by Ksenia Naughton
BLUE DREAM by Fray Forde & Catherine Dee Holly
BONESEED by Brett Brooks & Joshua David Matthews
BREATHE by Mark Labella
BRIEF ENCOUNTER by Ankush Khemani
CHOICE by Bernhard Riedhammer
THE DAY HE BLINKED THE WORLD AWAY (BLINK) by Joseph Vranas
THE DEADLINE by Mike Gallagher
DEVIL'S INSTRUMENT by Frederik Ehrhardt
THE DOOR IN THE MIRROR by Geoff Murillo
ESE DÍA (THAT DAY) by Alycya Magana
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL by Melody Herr
FIND ME by Li Lin
THE FUTURE REPORT by Elisabeth Hayward
GATSBY by Alec Seymour
GENERATION SERVICE by Kiwana Rose
THE GHOST OF PEMBROKE LODGE by Olga Holtz
THE GHOSTODIANS by Leila Murton Poole
THE GOOD SAMARITAN by Phil Vengrinovich
GOODNIGHT, GRACIE by Ryan Montanti
HAVE A MINT by Taylor McTague
HEARTSTRINGS by J.D. Zelman & Matthew Dushkes
HOLO by Alexander Maxwell & Ash Brandon
HOLY-DAYS by Laurel Gans
HOT TORTILLAS by Nicolas Jara
HOUSE OF WOLVES by Andrew Yeremeyev
I LOVE NANCY MEYERS by Narineh Tahmasebian
I SEE YOU by Faith Dismuke
IF YOU LEAVE by Emily Bingham
KILLING CHERRY JANE by Cassidy Rose Layton
KOUKLA by Jamie-Michelle Whalen
THE LAST CREATION by Brad Cooper
LASTING MARK by Shaun Radecki
LEAVE US WHERE WE LEFT IT by Krista Gallagher
LEFT & LEAVING by Michael Mau
LOVELY BIG BUFFALO (BUFALA GRANDE BELLA) by Tiffani Davis & Michelangelo Missoni
THE MAN IN THE CABIN by Robbie Lemieux
MAN UP FAIRY DUST by Christopher Schwartz
METAL BOX by Brayden Dalmazzone
MONSTROUS by Maya Ricol
MOON EYES by Alston Jones
MY FEET ARE STILL BLUE! by Shaun Radecki
MY WAY by Afton Quast Saler
NO VACANCY by Jay Sherer & Nathan Scheck
NO, DOUGHN'T! by Nicole Lynn Cohen
ONOURA by Chigozie Onyeaka
PAL by Michael Mau
THE PAPERS by Suzan Battah
PERIOD by Katherine Olson
PIETRA FREDDA by Matthew Nicholson
R.E.G.G.I.N by A. D. Smith
SAINT EZEKIEL by Michael Tannenbaum
SAY YES by Gabe Berry
SILENCE THE DEADLY by E.M.P.
SNAPSHOT by Jake Thomas
THERE'S A FROG ON MARS (IT'S TRUE!) by Shaun Radecki
THIS LIFE by Larry J. Allen, Jr.
TO THE MOON by Michael Dukakis
TODD KNOWS by Michael Buonocore
TROPHY by Ben Gottlieb
THE UNTAMED by Olga Holtz
VINYL TAPED MARY JANE by Angel Hilson
WALL by Erin Cantelo
WEEPING WALL by Mark Dollard
THE WELCOMERS by Matt O'Connor
WHO ARE YOU, NANU? by Anjini Taneja Azhar
THE WORTH OF THINGS by Jane Ballentyne
YA GHALBI by Yasmeen Albrahim
YOU DON'T EVEN SAY CUCKOO! by Shaun Radecki
ZEPHYR by Amy Allen

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL + CREATIVE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES 2022 AWARD WINNERS AND EVENT RESULTS

ATLANTA, GA (May 16, 2022) — The 46th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) is proud to announce the award winners for the 2022 festival, which took place from April 21 - May 1, 2022. This year’s prizes totaled more than $160,000 in cash and partner donations, representing the single largest amount offered in the festival's competitive categories. Additionally, ATLFF is pleased to share event facts and figures resulting from its hybrid blend of in-person and virtual presentations.

Today’s announcement recognizes filmmakers in 10 categories for their achievements and cinematic excellence. This includes the return of the Georgia Award, which has been awarded to one feature and one short. The Georgia Award will include a Kodak Package from Kodak Atlanta with $1,000 worth of Kodak motion picture stock being awarded to the winners.

Winners of the Narrative Short, Animated Short and Documentary Short Jury Awards not only proudly took home their awards, but now also qualify for the 2023 Academy Awards®. ATLFF is one of less than twenty U.S. film festivals that is Academy Award®-qualifying in all three shorts categories.

New this year, winners of Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Georgia Feature have been awarded nearly $20,000 of rental credit donated by the Plaza Theatre. This will allow the three films to have an Academy Award®-qualifying theatrical run at the historic movie theater, which is also the primary location of ATLFF in-person screenings and events. The Atlanta Film Festival is the first to offer this to feature films that win.

Award winners were chosen by distinguished jurors from all backgrounds across the film industry, with select awards determined by the film festival’s programming team. A full list of jury members with brief biographies is included below. In addition to the juried award winners, Audience Awards were determined by both virtual and in-person attendees.

2022 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

Jury Award Winners:

● Best Documentary Feature: “After Sherman”, directed by Jon-Sesrie Goff

● Best Narrative Feature: “Hékate”, directed by Nadia Benedicto

● Georgia Feature Award: “Refuge”, directed by Din Blankenship and Erin Levin Bernhardt

● Best Animated Short: “Night of the Living Dread”, directed by Ida Melum

● Best Documentary Short: “Chilly & Milly”, directed by William D. Caballero

● Best Narrative Short: “Moshari”, directed by Nuhash Humayun

● Narrative Short Special Jury Mention for Acting: “The Bond,” performance by Ashley Wilkerson film directed by Jahmil Eady

● REEL SOUTH Short Award: “Winn”, directed by Joseph East and Erica Tanamachi

● Georgia Short Award: “Glitter Ain’t Gold”, directed by Christian Nolan Jones

● Georgia Short, Special Jury Mention: “Winn,” directed by Joseph East & Erica Tanamachi

● Best Cinematography: “Do Not Hesitate,” cinematography by Nadim Carlsen, film directed by Shariff Korver

● Cinematography, Special Jury Mention: “Master of Light” cinematography by Jurgen Lisse , film directed by Rosa Ruth Boesten

Special Career Award Winners:

● Phoenix Award: George Anthony Morton, Painter and subject of documentary, “Master of Light”

Programming Award Winners:

● Southern Documentary Fund Filmmaker Award – Feature: “A Homecoming I’ll Remember”, directed by Jasmine René McCaskill

● Filmmaker to Watch Award: Esteban Bailey, "El Extrano en la Casa Rivera"

Audience Award Winners:

● Virtual Exclusive Audience Award (Feature): “Daughter of a Lost Bird” directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney

● Virtual Exclusive Audience Award (Short): “The Bond” directed by Jahmil Eady

● Audience Award (Feature: “Refuge” directed by Din Blankenship & Erin Levin Bernhardt

● Audience Award (Short): “Glitter Ain’t Gold” directed by Christian Nolan Jones

Screenplay Winners:

● Feature Screenplay Awards:

“Gordito”, by Miguel Castillo

“Ruby Safeway” by Amanda Biggs

“St. Louis Superman” by Jon Alston and Ron McCants

● Pilot Screenplay Award: “Spesh” by Jeff Locker

● Short Screenplay Award: “Black Butterflies” by Tamara S. Hall

Special Jury Mentions:

• ”You Resemble Me” directed by Dina Amer

• ”Outta The Muck” directed by Bhawin Suchak & Ira Mckinley

• ”F1-100” directed by: Emory Chao Johnson

• ”My Grandmother is an Egg” directed by: Emory Chao Johnson

Award winners were selected from the lineup of 153+ works chosen from a record-breaking nearly 10,000 submissions, including 20% with ties to Georgia and a combined total of 74% directed by filmmakers who identify as female or non-binary and/or are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC).

Continuing with a hybrid model with in-person screenings and digital screenings, the 2022 event drew over 24,000 total combined attendance. During the 11-day festival, more than 5,000 people attended 62 in-person events held at six venues, including the Plaza Theatre, Dad’s Garage, The Carter Center, Maison Rouge, Botanical Gardens, and Hotel Clermont as well as those who views streamed screenings from ATLFF’s virtual catalog of 77 films and 25 Creative Conference educational programming.

More than 2,265 hours of content were streamed during the festival, with viewers in . states, including District of Columbia, and 15 countries across 5 inhabited continents. The virtual format also allowed for over 75 festival filmmakers and over 50 industry experts and professionals to participate in the Creative Conference.

2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Winners

Please help us in congratulating the 5 scripts chosen from 2,135 total submissions which have won the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition! These six incredible authors have already begun meeting with their mentors and will be further celebrated during the Opening Night Ceremony of the 46th Annual Atlanta Film Festival, on April 23rd. 

The 3 Feature Screenplays (which includes one screenwriting team), 1 Pilot Screenplay Winner, and 1 Short Winner as well as their respective mentors follow:

Feature Screenplay Winners

GORDITO by Miguel Castillo
RUBY SAFEWAY by Amanda Biggs
ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN by Jon Alston & Ron McCants

Pilot Screenplay Winner

SPESH by Jeff Locker

Short Screenplay Winner

BLACK BUTTERFLIES by Tamara S. Hall

ATLFF22 Screenplay Mentors

MILAN CHAKRABORTY, Head of Film at Marginal MediaWorks, oversees all of the company's efforts in independent, studio, and streaming film. He is a 17-year veteran of the film industry. Milan worked at Warner Bros and New Line Cinema in production finance and accounting on projects such as Batman Begins, Superman Returns, and V for Vendetta. Milan began independently producing in 2008 and has produced, and executive produced 20 features. Including, My Friend Dahmer, Assassination Nation, Plus One, and Gotham Award-winning and Spirit Award nominee, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain. Marginal MediaWorks is a cross-platform content studio with projects across film, series, animation, interactive and audio. The company was founded in 2018 by Sanjay M Sharma, focusing on genre and popular storytelling from under-represented voices or outsider perspectives.

CHERI STEINKELLNER - ​​4 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, WGA, People's Choice, BAFTA: CHEERS, and TEACHER'S PET. Tony-nominated SISTER ACT. Ovation + Indy Award: HELLO! MY BABY. TV: JEFFERSONS, WHO'S THE BOSS, BOB, etc. Stage: PRINCESSES, PRIMA MATERIA, INSTAPLAY, etc. Award-winning UCSB professor, international lecturer, MomX3, NanaX1

BRANDON HARRIS is the President of I'd Watch That. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Harris has worked in the world of American Cinema as a studio executive and producer, critic and programmer, screenwriter, and director. Formerly a Development Executive for Amazon Studios, where he oversaw productions such as The Burial (2023), Master (2022), and The Voyeurs (2021). Harris's lauded writings about cinema, politics, culture and the intersections between them have appeared in: The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Guardian, VICE, The Daily Beast, Variety, N+1, The New Inquiry, Brooklyn Rail, In These Times, Hammer to Nail, and Filmmaker Magazine -- where he remains a contributing editor. Harris, formerly the festival director at the Indie Memphis Film Festival, is the co-writer and director of Redlegs (2012), a New York Times Critics Pick. His genre-bending mix of memoir and history Making Rent in Bed-Stuy, released in 2017 by Amistad Books, is a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and was named a Vogue Magazine book of the year.

JOHN GRIFFIN created and executive produces the EPIX series FROM, a supernatural horror show about a nightmarish town that traps everyone who enters. Midnight Radio and the Russo Brothers/Agbo produce the series, which premiered in February 2022. His original feature CRATER, a coming-of-age saga set on the moon, will be released on Disney+ later this year. Kyle Patrick Alvarez directed with 21 Laps producing. He previously wrote BROOKLYN FAMILY ROBINSON for Disney and Mandeville Films, with Steve Carrell attached to star, and ROMEO + JULIET: THE WAR for Lionsgate based on the Stan Lee graphic novel. On the TV front, he wrote an episode of Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg's TWILIGHT ZONE reboot for CBS All Access and staffed on Agbo's Netflix animation series MAGIC: THE GATHERING. John is a past winner of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship.

ROCHÉE JEFFREY is a graduate of Howard University and a writer/director/performer who hails originally from Jamaica. As a television writer, her credits include the Golden Globe-nominated comedy series SMILF (Showtime), Woke (Hulu), Bigger (BET+), Santa Inc. (HBO Max), and co-executive producer of Grown-ish (Freeform). On the film side, her award-winning, Oscar-qualifying short film Suitable was a finalist in the American Black Film Festival HBO Competition and premiered on HBO in February 2019. Rochée also wrote and directed Mr. Talented, a short film that premiered as a part of the 2018 Project Involve Showcase at the Directors Guild of America. She was one of 7 directors selected for the 2018/2019 Viacom Emerging Directors Program. She was a 2019 IFP-Blackhouse Multicultural Producers Lab Fellow, sponsored by HBO, and one of Moviemaker Magazine's 2019 Screenwriters To Watch. Her feature directorial debut, Not Your Average Queen, was selected for the 2021 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and the 2021 WIF/Sundance Financing Intensive. She serves as a producer and writer on the feature film Throw it Back and Make it Clap For Trudy Jones, starring Tiffany Haddish (produced by Paul Feig/Feigco). She has an adult animated series executive produced by Lizzo set up at Tomorrow Studios and Apple TV+. She also has a narrative comedy podcast greenlit by Audible and produced by Broadway Video. Rochée recently directed an independent television pilot starring David Arquette. UTA and Rain Management Group represent her.

2022 Atlanta Film Festival Unveils Key Programming and Full Lineup of Official Selections for 46th Annual Event, Including 27 World Premieres

The film festival and Creative Conference will return in-person and virtually with an Opening Night presentation of “892” and an impressively diverse lineup of more than 150 selected works, 11 Marquee films, and 25 educational events

ATLANTA, GA (March 29, 2022) — The 46th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) today revealed key programming highlights, including Opening and Closing Night presentations and the full lineup of selected works from a record-breaking nearly 10,000 submissions. Highlighted by the Opening Night presentation of “892” and Closing Night film “Mija”, 11 Marquee screenings will combine Hollywood star power with the best of independent film. The 155 total announced creative works from submissions will feature diverse filmmakers who continue to uplift voices and stories from around the world. The film festival and educational conference will take place Thursday, April 21 through Sunday, May 1, 2022, at multiple venues in Atlanta and virtually.

“We’re particularly excited about this year because we are not only back to in-person screenings, but our hybrid format will provide even more opportunities for audiences to participate around the globe,” said Christopher Escobar, Executive Director of the Atlanta Film Festival. “A huge part of our ethos is advocating for diverse voices, which is why it’s even more important that we continue to evolve and connect with communities everywhere in new and innovative ways.”

Kicking off a robust slate of Marquee programming that will be presented throughout the 11-day festival, the Opening Night presentation of Bleecker Street’s dramatic thriller “892” will take place at the Plaza Theatre on Friday, April 22. Starring John Boyega, the late Michael K. Williams, Nicole Beharie, and Connie Britton, the film follows a Marine war veteran who faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life. Director Abi Damaris Corbin will be on-hand for the red carpet screening.

The Closing Night presentation of the Disney+ documentary “Mija” will be held on Saturday, April 30, at the Plaza Theatre. Directed by Isabel Castro, the film follows Doris Muñoz, who began a career in music talent management and met Jacks Haupt, an auspicious young singer, and both share the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born members of their undocumented families.

Some highlights of the Marquee programming from celebrated filmmakers and Hollywood studios announced today include narrative features “Cha Cha Real Smooth” starring Dakota Johnson and written and directed by Cooper Raiff, “Emily the Criminal” starring Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi, and “Summering”, a coming of age story directed by Georgia-native and celebrated ATLFF alumni James Ponsoldt. Documentary feature highlights include “Look At Me: XXXTENTACION”, an inside look at a gifted young rapper's tumultuous rise to fame before his death at the age of 20, with never-before-seen footage as XXXTENTACION's inner circle speaks out, and “REFUGE”, a story about fear and love in the American South from local Atlanta directors Erin Levin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship.

Since its founding, diversity in programming has been a cornerstone of ATLFF’s mission, demonstrated by the final lineup of 29 feature-length films, 99 short films, and 27 creative media selections. Of these selections, a combined total of 74% are directed by filmmakers who identify as female or non-binary (53%) and/or are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) (56%). Five specialty tracks will return to the 2022 festival including: New Mavericks, celebrating excellence in film from female and gender non-conforming directors and leads; ¡CineMás!, focusing on Latin American culture; Noire, uplifting Black filmmakers, Pink Peach, featuring films with LGBTQ stories and characters, and Georgia Films, highlighting productions with ties to the state of Georgia.

For five years in a row, the festival received a record-breaking number of creative works and screenplay submissions. Works from more than 110 countries were submitted to the festival, and 33 countries are represented among the final lineup of chosen selections. Nearly 20% have ties to the state of Georgia.

The 12th annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, returns with in-person panel discussions and one-on-one in-depth virtual conversations focusing on screenwriting, showrunning, pitching shows, podcasting, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing with industry experts from Georgia to NY and LA. The entire Creative Conference lineup of over 25 events will be announced in the coming weeks. The highlights include Masterclasses, Panels, and Conversations with actress Antonia Gentry (star of Netflix’s “Ginny and Georgia”), actress Priah Ferguson (“Stranger Things”), actor Atkins Estimond (“Hightown”), producer/director Cherien Dabis (“Only Murders in the Building”, “Ozark”), actress Danielle Deadwyler (“The Harder They Fall”, “Station 11”), showrunner Nick Antosca (“Candy”), cinematographer Daniel Patterson (“The Last OG”, “Woke”), director Stacey Muhammed (“Black-ish”, “Queen Sugar”), comedy writer Robert Peacock (“Mad About You”, “Blue Collar TV”), VFX editor Barry Murphy (“1883”), and many more.

ATLFF 2022 will be more accessible than ever, offering a mix of in-person and virtual screenings, as well as virtual Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Screenings will be held at three venues, including Plaza Theatre (1049 Ponce De Leon Ave NE), Dad’s Garage (569 Ezzard St SE), and The Carter Center (453 Freedom Parkway), with more to come. All virtual screenings and events will be presented via Eventive.

The full schedule of films and events will be available Friday, April 1 at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com and through the ATLFF 2022 app. Festival passes are on sale now on the site. Tickets for individual events will be available at the beginning of April. In-person screening tickets range from $12-50; virtual access is $9.99 per film/panel with an unlimited virtual all-access pass for $85 for both films and Creative Conference. Virtual all-access pass will increase to $100 after Friday, April 1.

The Atlanta Film Festival is the annual centerpiece of educational and enriching film programming that is provided year-round by its parent organization, the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS). Now in its fifth decade, ATLFF is one of only a handful of film festivals worldwide that is Academy Award-qualifying in all three categories (live-action short, animation short, and documentary short subject).

2022 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP

MARQUEE FILMS

OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION

892
directed by Abi Damaris Corbin
John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Michael Kenneth Williams, Connie Britton
USA, 2022, English, Bleecker Street, 103 min
A Marine war veteran faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life. #Marquee #Narrative #GeorgiaTie

CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION

MIJA
directed by Isabel Castro
USA, 2022, English, Spanish, Disney+, 85 min
Follows Doris Muñoz, who began a career in music talent management and met Jacks Haupt, an
auspicious young singer, and both share the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born
members of their undocumented families.
#Marquee #Documentary #CineMás #NewMavericks

MARQUEE SCREENINGS

A LOVE SONG
directed by Max Walker-Silverman
Dale Dickey, Wes Studi, Michelle Wilson
USA, 2022, English, Bleecker Street, 81 min
Two childhood sweethearts, both now widowed, share a night by a lake in the mountains.
#Marquee #Narrative

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
written and directed by Cooper Raiff
Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson
USA, 2022, English, Apple TV, 107 min
A man who works as a bar/bat mitzvah party starter who strikes up a unique friendship with a young mom (Producer Dakota Johnson) and her teenage daughter.
#Marquee #Narrative

REFUGE
directed by Erin Levin Bernhardt, Din Blankenship
USA, 2021, English, 80 min
REFUGE is a story about fear and love in the American South. A leader in a white nationalist hate group finds healing from the people he once hated - a Muslim heart doctor and his town of refugees. Chris is a husband and father, a veteran, and until recently, a leader in the KKK. He started hating Muslims when the planes hit the Twin Towers on 9/11 but is forced to confront his hate when he receives a text from a Muslim refugee, Heval. REFUGE illustrates the false promises of hate and reveals where real and lasting refuge is found. Where there is love, there is refuge.

#Marquee #Documentary #GeorgiaTie

EMILY THE CRIMINAL
directed by John Patton Ford
Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi
USA, 2022, English, Roadside, 93 min
Down on her luck and saddled with debt, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to deadly consequences.
#Marquee #Narrative

LOOK AT ME: (XXXTENTACION)
directed by Sabaah Folayan
USA, 2022, English, Hulu, 108 min
An inside look at a gifted young rapper's tumultuous coming-of-age with never-before-seen footage, as XXXTENTACION's inner circle speaks out for the first time.
#Marquee #Documentary #Noire

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
USA, 2021, English, A24, 89 min
Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini
Feature adaptation of the animated short film interviewing a mollusk named Marcel.
#Marquee #Narrative

MONTANA STORY
directed by Scott McGehee, David Siegel
USA, 2021, English, Bleecker Street, 113 min
Haley Lu Richardson, Owen Teague
Two estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved, confronting a deep and bitter family legacy against a mythic American backdrop.
#Marquee #Narrative

PHANTOM OF THE OPEN
directed by Craig Roberts
Mark Rylance, Ian Porter
United Kingdom, 2021, English, Sony Classics, 106 min
Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship Qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a
folk hero in the process.
#Marquee #Narrative

SUMMERING
directed by James Ponsoldt
Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills
USA, 2022, English, Bleecker Street, 80 min
During their last days of summer and childhood -- the weekend before middle school begins -- four girls struggle with the harsh truths of growing up and embark on a mysterious adventure.
#Marquee #Narrative #GeorgiaTie

SELECTED WORKS

NARRATIVE FEATURES

BREAKWATER
directed by Cem Demirer
Turkey/UK, 2022, Turkish, 101 minutes
Aslan, a young insecure fisherman who lives on a Turkish island, finds a valuable lobster cave while diving. Knowing this treasure will bring him wealth and the prestige that he has never had in his society, he decides to keep it a secret from his cousin and best friend Yilmaz until he can properly harvest the lobsters by himself. By not sharing the secret, Yilmaz's growing suspicion conjures a series of paranoid obsessions that thrust him into a downward spiral.
#WorldPremiere #InCompetition #Narrative

DO NOT HESITATE
directed by Shariff Korver
Netherlands/Greece, 2021, Dutch/English/Arabic, 90 minutes
After the sudden disappearance of their superior, three young Dutch soldiers are left to guard a military vehicle by themselves. As their situation and the scorching desert heat renders them increasingly disconnected from reality, an encounter with a local boy escalates into a fight that will mark their lives forever.
#Narrative #CinematographyCompetition

EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ
directed by Alika Tengan
USA, 2022, English, 80min
A young man is determined to give his life meaning outside of Kaimukī, the small Hawaiian town where he grew up, even if it means leaving everything he's ever known and loved behind.
#Narrative

THE GAME
directed by Ana Lazarevic
Serbia/USA, 2021, Serbian/English/Arabic, 93 minutes
When STRAHINJA, a smuggler with poor parenting skills and a gambling addiction, becomes stranded with two refugee boys in the Balkan countryside, they must navigate backroads to find an illegal crossing into Western Europe. The boys’ insatiable gusto for life makes Strahinja aware of the walls he has built around his own.
#Narrative

HANDS THAT BIND
directed by Kyle Armstrong
Canada, 2022, English, 116 minutes
Having severed ties with his father, Andy's opportunity to farm as a landowner has been jeopardized. He devotes his life to working another man’s land, trying to establish new roots with his wife and children, and with the hope that the land might one day be his. But those hopes are destroyed when his boss's ungrateful son unexpectedly returns. As Andy struggles with providing for his family in a world that is increasingly unfamiliar, a darkness settles over the community and mysterious occurrences begin; cattle mutilations, drought, a missing teenager, paranoia, and unexplained lights in the sky.
#Narrative #CinematographyCompetition

HÉKATE
directed by Nadia Benedicto
Argentina, 2021, Spanish, 77 minutes
Following a horrific event, Helena and Kira argue on the side of the road. No destination in mind, no plan to follow. The journey unfolds kilometer by kilometer; a journey that soon becomes a ritual — a tribute to the goddess of witches and a ritual of passage towards the autonomy and maturity of her descendants.
#InCompetition #Narrative #PinkPeach #CineMás #NewMavericks

LEARN TO SWIM
directed by Thyrone Tommy
Canada, 2021, English, 93 minutes
Haunted by a tragic loss, Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide), a jazz musician, cuts off contact with everyone he knows. Time bends, and the lines between his stormy past and reclusive present are blurred, foiling his attempts at solitude and forcing him to face the truth of his past.
#Narrative #Noire

MILES FROM NOWHERE
directed by Jono Mitchell
USA, 2022, English, 76 minutes
Miles is dying. After a year of avoiding his two closest friends, he attempts to reestablish normalcy by gathering them together for their annual cabin trip. However, his plan to reveal his terminal cancer goes awry when Sammy and Victor come clean about secrets of their own. The past becomes the present and the future becomes uncertain as lies, pain, and pride threaten to erase the bonds of friendship entirely.
#WorldPremiere #Narrative #GeorgiaTie #PinkPeach

THE MURDER PODCAST
directed by William Bagley
USA, 2021, English, 91 minutes
Desperate to get more podcast listeners, Chad Thadwick decides he needs a new topic. After a murder in his hometown, the answer is clear: a true crime podcast! With the help of his best friend, Chad starts investigating, only to get wrapped up in a terrifying adventure full of supernatural threats!
#Narrative #GeorgiaTie

NICO
directed by Eline Gehring
Germany, 2021, German/Persian/English, 79 minutes
The self-confident, life-affirming German-Persian Nico is brutally torn from her everyday life by a racially motivated attack. With the help of tough karate training, she tries to channel her anger, but she also loses touch with herself. When Nico meets the Macedonian Ronny, a connection develops between the two women that makes Nico question the path she has chosen.
#Narrative #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

PORTRAITS FROM A FIRE
directed by Trevor Mack
Canada, 2021, English/Tsilhqot'in, 93 minutes
A coming-of-age story that follows Tyler, an eccentric and lonely teenager who spends his days filmmaking, vlogging his Indigenous community, and hanging out with his grandparents. His father, Gord, is physically present but remains emotionally absent from Tyler’s life for reasons Tyler cannot understand. That is until he meets Aaron, a mysterious, charismatic, and influential figure who encourages Tyler to showcase his most personal film about his mother’s disappearance to the community, leading to a reckoning between past and future, life and death, and father and son.
#Narrative

QUICKENING
directed by Haya Waseem
Canada, 2021, English/Urdu, 90 minutes
Sheila, a Pakistani-Canadian teenager struggles to define her identity as she is pulled between her newfound social life at university and her family’s traditional values. After starting a secret relationship with her classmate, Sheila discovers that keeping these two worlds separate comes at a great cost.
#Narrative #NewMavericks #CinematographyCompetition

SALMA’S HOME
directed by Hanadi Elyan
Jordan/USA, 2022, Arabic, 95 minutes
The story follows three women who are facing uncertain times after the death of the family's patriarch Bakri: Salma, Bakri’s ex wife, is a talented baker. Her daughter Farah is struggling with her own marriage. Lamia, Bakri's new wife, is a wannabe socialite and social media influencer. Together they navigate Bakri’s inheritance, finding out that the only way forward is to live together under one roof.
#InCompetition #Narrative #NewMavericks

SHE AND I
directed by Gustavo Rosa de Moura
Brazil, 2021, Portuguese, 102 minutes
20 years ago, while giving birth to her daughter, Bia slipped into a coma. But that didn't stop her—even if just lying there, unconscious—from becoming part of her family's everyday life. Suddenly, however, Bia comes to. And while she's reacquainting herself with sight, speech, movement and the basics of human relationships, her now-adult daughter, her ex-husband and his new wife try to deal with the unexpected living presence of that strange but dearly loved woman.
#Narrative #CineMás

SOUL OF A BEAST
directed by Lorenz Merz 
Switzerland, 2021, Swiss-German/French/Japanese, 110 minutes
In a delirious summer rush, teenage father Gabriel falls in love with enigmatic Corey, the girlfriend of his best friend Joel. Overwhelmed with the decision of his life Gabriel is catapulted into the unforgiving wilderness of his heart, where imagination is more real than reality.
#InCompetition #Narrative #CinematographyCompetition

YOU RESEMBLE ME
directed by Dina Amer
USA/Egypt/France, 2021, French/Arabic, 91 minutes
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood, and belonging.
#InCompetition #Narrative #NewMavericks

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

AFTER SHERMAN
directed by Jon-Sesrie Goff
USA, 2022, English, 88 minutes
A director’s exploration of coastal South Carolina as a site of pride and racial trauma through Gullah cultural retention and land preservation is interrupted by the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. AFTER SHERMAN is a story about inheritance and the tension that defines our collective American history. 
#InCompetition #Documentary #Noire

THE BALCONY MOVIE
directed by Paweł Łoziński
Poland, 2021, Polish, 100 minutes
Can anyone be a movie hero? Can the world be locked in one film frame? Director Paweł Łoziński is watching people from his balcony as they are passing by: sad, thoughtful, glued to their phones, young and old. The filmmaker calls out to them, asks questions, and talks about how they deal with life. Standing there with his camera for over 2 years, he creates a space for dialogue, a lay confessional of sorts, where everyone can stop by and tell their story. Every story is unique, and life always surpasses imagination. 
#Documentary

BOYCOTT
directed by Julia Bacha
USA, 2021, English, 73 minutes
When a news publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas are told they must choose between their jobs and their political beliefs, they launch legal battles that expose an attack on freedom of speech across 33 states in America. BOYCOTT traces the impact of state legislation designed to penalize individuals and companies that choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record. A bracing look at the far-reaching implications of anti-boycott legislation becomes an inspiring tale of everyday Americans standing up to protect their rights in an age of shifting politics and threats to freedom of speech.
#Documentary #NewMavericks

DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD
directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney
USA, 2021, English, 66 minutes
Right after the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 became the law of the land, Kendra Mylnechuk Potter was adopted into a white family and raised with no knowledge of her Native parentage. This beautiful and intimate film follows Kendra on her journey to find her birth mother April, also a Native adoptee, and to return to her Lummi homelands in Washington State. With a sensitive yet unflinching lens, director Brooke Swaney (Blackfeet/Salish) documents Kendra and April as they connect with relatives and navigate what it means to be Native, and to belong to a tribe from the outside looking in. Along the way, Kendra uncovers generations of emotional and spiritual beauty and pain and comes to the startling realization that she is a living legacy of U.S. assimilationist policy. 
#Documentary #NewMavericks

GABOR
directed by Joannie Lafrenière
Canada, 2021, French/English/Hungarian, 101 minutes
A quirky and tender portrait of Gabor Szilasi, the 93-year-old giant of Canadian contemporary photography, as seen through the eyes of his friend, photographer and director Joannie Lafrenière. GABOR tells the story of an immigrant fleeing Hungary and arriving in Canada by boat, creating for himself a rich life full of friends, family and an extraordinary career. Despite his age, Gabor maintains impressive health and lucidity, keeping a touch of madness, an enviable sense of humor, and a sharp take on his adopted society.
#Documentary

IN THE BONES
directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega, co-directed by Zandashé Brown & Jessica Anthony 
USA, 2022, English, 95 minutes
A lyrical documentary that explores the personal and political by interweaving the lives of 12 characters living in Mississippi during a legislative session in which equal pay for equal work and abortion rights are being decided. Although set in three distinct regions of Mississippi, IN THE BONES is a much broader exploration of our culture, an unsettling portrayal of America that lingers, shining a light on the weight women live under in this country and also the resilience expressed in everyday acts of survival.
#WorldPremiere #InCompetition #Documentary #Noire #NewMavericks

MAGALUF GHOST TOWN
directed by Miguel Angel Blanca
Spain, 2021, Spanish/English, 90 minutes
Strange things are happening in Magaluf, a small, peaceful town on the island of Mallorca that many have ventured to call the Balearic Twin Peaks. Overrun with tourists, its residents are torn between an everyday aura of doom and genuine holiday pleasure in a place that has become the European paradigm of low-cost tourism and insatiable nightly entertainment. MAGALUF GHOST TOWN is a choral portrait of a community trying to survive the grips of tourism, mixing documentary and fiction in a mysterious yet humorous look at its ensemble of residents. 
#Documentary

MASTER OF LIGHT
directed by Rosa Ruth Boesten 
USA/Netherlands, 2022, English, 85 minutes
George Anthony Morton is a classical painter who spent ten years in federal prison for dealing drugs. Since his release, he has worked to defy society's expectations and to tackle the white-dominant art world. Journeying back home from Atlanta to Kansas City, George works to heal broken relationships while painting family members in the style of the Dutch Old Masters. Every brushstroke dives deeper into George's soul as he shines a bright light on racial injustice and the intergenerational trauma it begets.
#InCompetition #Documentary #GeorgiaTie #CinematographyCompetition

ONLY I CAN HEAR
directed by Itaru Matsui
Japan/USA, 2021, English/Japanese/ASL/JSL, 54 minutes
In the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant, raucous Deaf community. Balancing both hearing and deaf societies, they often struggle to fit in either world but find connection, understanding, and community in a home between the two disparate spaces, amongst their peers who are also CODA — Children of Deaf Adults.
#Documentary

OUTTA THE MUCK
directed by Bhawin Suchak & Ira Mckinley 
USA, 2022, English, 80 minutes
Family, football and history come to life in an intimate portrait of the Dean family, longtime residents of the historic town of Pahokee, Florida. As we take a journey back home, with filmmaker Ira McKinley, to the land of sugarcane, he reconnects with his niece Bridget and nephew Alvin and explores their shared family history that spans seven generations. Told through stories that transcend space and time, OUTTA THE MUCK presents an intimate portrait of a community that resists despair with love, remaining fiercely self-determined, while forging its own unique narrative of Black achievement.
#InCompetition #Documentary #Noire

PROGNOSIS – NOTES ON LIVING
directed by Debra Chasnoff & Kate Stilley Steiner
USA, 2021, English, 81 minutes
In perhaps her bravest act as a filmmaker, Academy Award-winning documentarian and LGBTQ+ activist Debra Chasnoff responded to her diagnosis of stage-4 cancer by turning the camera on herself, her wife, and her sons to chronicle the journey that lay ahead of them. With customary candor and humor, she took on the assignment out of necessity: not wishing to be defined only as patient or victim, she adopted a role she could play with certainty — that of the storyteller. What emerges is a raw, intimate portrait of shifting relationships and identities, a story about hanging onto the people you love, as you prepare to let them go. Completed according to her wishes by a circle of Bay Area peers and family, PROGNOSIS - NOTES ON LIVING is not only a film about illness. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, intimate and honest, it is the unforgettable, present-tense diary of a life fiercely lived, and a love worth fighting for.
#Documentary #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

RED LIPSTICK
directed by Shiva Sanjari
France/Iran, 2018, Persian, 42 minutes
Masoumeh, a single 34-year-old hairdresser and owner of a small beauty salon in Tehran, shares intimate conversations with her clients, often reflective of the beauty standards and patriarchal pressures present in their lives. An independent business woman in a rigid society, Masoumeh weighs her own high expectations against the prospects of marriage while working to carve a path of her own. 
#Documentary #NewMavericks

A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE
directed by Zara Katz & Lisa Riordan Seville
USA, 2022, English, 87 minutes
Growing up, Kristal watched nearly every man in her life disappear to prison. She channeled that struggle into keeping families connected, both as a social worker and with her van service that drives families to visit loved ones in far-off prisons. But when Kristal’s dad and brother return to Philly, her happiness meets the realization that release doesn't always mean freedom. Passionate, funny and resilient, Kristal remains determined to carve out a different future -- for herself and for her young nephew, Nyvae. Part observational documentary, part family album, A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE is a tender portrait of one family striving to love in the face of a system built to break them.
#InCompetition #Documentary #NewMavericks

NARRATIVE SHORTS

THE AGENT
directed by Emily Frances Kaplan
USA, 2022, English, 12 minutes
A C-list talent agent moves through the world all but invisible, until he enters a pay-to-play audition room where actors looking for their big break mistakenly imbue him with a god-like power to change their lives.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort

ARTISTIC
directed by Nina Lee 
USA, 2021, English, 12 minutes
Billie Thomas is a lonely teenage artist. Longing for a friend she finds one in an unlikely person. 
#NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire #NewMavericks

BEAUTIFUL THEY
directed by Cloudy Rhodes
Australia, 2021, English, 11 minutes
Violet and Blue's youth collide in an early morning toke that leads to the ocean, where connection stirs. A tender, uplifting queer surf-romance about the nuance of gender and the refuge found in being truly seen.
#NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

THE BOND
directed by Jahmil Eady
USA, 2022, English, 18 minutes
An incarcerated pregnant woman goes into labor and fights to stay connected to her baby.
#WorldPremiere #InCompetition #NarrativeShort #Noire #NewMavericks

BURY YOUR FISH
directed by Emma Josephson
USA, 2022, English, 15 minutes
An isolated young woman desperate to rediscover purpose in her life begins taking directions from the cryptic Morse code messages of a mysterious light flashing a few blocks away.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

CHAMP
directed by Hannah Peterson 
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
After basketball practice one night, Genevieve reveals a dark secret to her teammates about their coach. Wielding her strategy and grit off the court, Genevieve works together with her teammates to find a way to retaliate.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

CHICKEN
directed by Rana Roy
USA/UAE, 2022, English/Hindi/Arabic, 16 minutes
Awkward and surreal absurdity engulfs a Las Vegas motel room after two misfits, who flew the coop from Saudi Arabia and eloped behind their multi cultural and religious families backs, realize how little they actually know each other.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

CLEARING HOUSE
directed by Andy Long
USA, 2022, English, 10 minutes
A con man realizes that it’s not quite business as usual, when he meets an elderly lady that causes him to second-guess his motives.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort #Noire #PinkPeach

COCHE BOMBA
directed by Kantú Lentz
USA, 2021, English, 11 minutes
Rosa loves aliens and hates everything else, including her annoying little sister. When a car bomb detonates, Rosa must bring her sister to safety by convincing her that aliens have arrived.
#NarrativeShort #NewMavericks #CineMás

A DEER LOST IN THE WOODS
directed by Camilo Diaz
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
Francis can't have sex. His therapist doesn't know why. He doesn't know why. In trying to understand, Francis embarks on a fever dream that leads to more confusion.
#NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie

DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU
directed by Rioghnach Ni Ghrioghair
Ireland, 2021, English, 20 minutes
A haunted composer's mind spirals into chaos when she attempts to use music to connect with the ghost of her dead lover.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

EL EXTRAÑO EN LA CASA RIVERA
directed by Esteban Bailey
USA (Puerto Rico), 2022, Spanish, 11 minutes
In the aftermath of a hurricane that has ravaged Puerto Rico, a strange creature inhabits the backyard of struggling mother Aida, and her daughter, Aidita.
#NarrativeShort #CineMás

EMPTY NESTERS
directed by Devon Solwold
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
A young expecting couple comes to terms with their relationship and their loss.
#NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie

GLITTER AIN’T GOLD
directed by Christian Nolan Jones
USA, 2022, English, 14 minutes
A sixth grader takes a trip with his best friend to the flea market in order to buy his first fake chain.
#NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire

HEARTLESS
directed by Haukur Björgvinsson
Iceland, 2021, Icelandic, 15 minutes
Young couple Anna and Gunnar are deeply in love but they live in a society where people are assigned a new spouse by lottery every seven years. As their final day together approaches, they grapple with the nightmare of being torn apart and facing life with another partner.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort

HOOK UP
directed by Laura Nagy
Australia, 2020, English, 15 minutes
When a double date with two older men turns ugly, Lucy must fight to protect her best-friend and recognises deeper feelings she has for her.
#NarrativeShort #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

KISS CHASE
directed by Ebele Tate
UK, 2021, English, 14 minutes
When eleven year old Nadine is left out in a game of kiss chase, she realizes image is currency and her value is low. On a quest to feminize herself, she finds herself in an unexpected situation she is not prepared for.|
#NarrativeShort #Noire #NewMavericks

LADYLIKE!
directed by Camila Florez
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
Jenn, a Chinese-American teenager longing for the teenage life of parties and boys depicted in American media, attempts to explore her sexuality while living in her conservative Asian home.
#NarrativeShort #WorldPremiere

LEASING SPACE
directed by Giovanni Tortorici
USA, 2022, English, 10 minutes
A couple navigates their commitment to their relationship when they adopt a star together.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie #NewMavericks

LEYLAK
directed by Scott Aharoni & Dennis Latos
USA, 2021, Turkish/English, 17 minutes
In present day Queens, New York, a Turkish gravedigger is unable to face a shattering truth, and risks losing the dearest connection left in his life.
#NarrativeShort #InCompetition

MAN OR TREE
directed by Varun Raman & Tom Hancock
UK, 2021, English, 4 minutes
In the wilderness, a tree begins to question whether it may actually be a man tripping on hallucinogens.
#NarrativeShort

MOLES
directed by Vanja Victor Kabir Tognola
Switzerland, 2021, Italian, 15 minutes
Unable to afford a fancy holiday, a family pretends to be in the Bahamas by hiding at home and posting fake pictures on social media. Inebriated by likes, the parents forget their son's needs.
#NarrativeShort

MOSHARI
directed by Nuhash Humayun
Bangladesh, 2022, Bengali, 21 minutes
After the world is overrun with bloodthirsty creatures, two sisters survive together, spending their nights inside the only known protection - the moshari (mosquito net). However, their strained relationship might be as much of a threat as the dangers outside.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort

NEST
directed by James Hunter
Australia, 2021, English, 9 minutes
An isolated father haunted by his child's cries of hunger takes up work as a timber feller only to be stopped by a mysterious alarm coming from deep in the woods.
#NarrativeShort

OUR OWN LAND
directed by Simon Helloco
France, 2021, French, 23 minutes
Two brothers, left on their own, live in complete freedom. They only forbid themselves to enter the first floor of the house.
#NarrativeShort

POOR GLENNA
directed by Jean-Paul DiSciscio
USA, 2021, English, 17 minutes
When her mutant son develops a taste for human flesh, a timid mother must find a victim to satisfy his ravenous appetite.
#NarrativeShort

POST-CITRUS
directed by Madison Hatfield
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
The fat bassist of an otherwise thin girl punk band must stand up for herself when her friend and bandleader suggests wearing orange peels as bikini cups during their album cover shoot.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort #GeorgiaTie #NewMavericks

RAYA
directed by Sepide Berenji
Iran, 2020 Persian, 14 minutes
After a teacher displeases them, Raya and her friends secretly retaliate. In the fallout from the prank and with an impending eviction at home, Raya weighs the morality of her choices and if there's a path forward that could also make the world a better place. 
#NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

ROY
directed by Tom Berkeley & Ross White
UK, 2021, English, 16 minutes
When a reclusive widower accidentally calls an adult hotline worker, an unlikely friendship is born.
#NarrativeShort

SHARK
directed by Nash Edgerton
Australia, 2021, English, 14 minutes
Completing the trilogy of wickedly dark comedy shorts that began with Spider and Bear, Nash Edgerton's onscreen alter ego, Jack, finally finds a perfect match in Rose Byrne as Sofie, a woman who loves pranks just as much as he does. Alas, the couple’s quest to outdo each other may lead to the most outrageous calamity of all.
#NarrativeShort

SHE KEEPS ME
directed by Erica Orofino
Canada, 2022, English/Italian, 16 minutes
The strained relationship between two sisters reaches a dangerous climax in this exploration of family ties, mental illness, and self sacrifice.
#NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

SPAGHETTER GETTER
directed by Jared Lapidus
USA, 2022, English, 8 minutes
The man-in-infomercials-who-can't-do-anything-right discovers he is trapped in a prison of his own uselessness.
#NarrativeShort

SUPERFAN
directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper & Marc Ripper
USA, 2021, English/Spanish, 15 minutes
A tween celebrity obsession pushes the boundaries of friendship during an ill-fated sleepover.
#NarrativeShort #CineMás

SUSHI NOH
directed by Jayden Rathsam Hua
Australia, 2021, English, 18 minutes
Trapped in the care of her lonely uncle, a young girl’s nightmares about a bizarre kitchen appliance manifest into reality.
#NarrativeShort

SWIPE
directed by Anthony Sneed
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
A delinquent teenage boy draws the shortest straw and must commit a petty theft.
#NarrativeShort

THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT
directed by Fawzia Mirza
USA, 2021, English, 11 minutes
All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family's annual game night.
#NarrativeShort #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

THEREFORE, SOCRATES IS MORTAL
directed by Alexandre Isabelle
Canada, 2021, French, 12 minutes
Facing the climate crisis, Louise, a philosophy teacher, turns words into action.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort

THIS IS OUR HOME
directed by A.K. Espada
USA, 2021, English, 13 minutes
When their apartment’s rat infestation escalates, a bleeding-heart vegan and her antagonistic roommate find themselves at odds over inhumane methods of extermination.
#NarrativeShort

TITAN
directed by Valéry Carnoy
Belgium/France, 2021, French, 19 minutes
Driven by his new friend Malik, Nathan prepares himself for a strange ritual to join a teens gang.
#NarrativeShort

TRAINING WHEELS
directed by Alison Rich
USA, 2022, English, 15 minutes
Enid, a socially inept woman who has never been in a romantic relationship, panics when she meets John and realizes he’s her person. She decides the safest, most logical thing to do is to prepare for their date by practicing a relationship with a man rented from a questionable website called Casanovas.
#NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

TRYING
directed by Jason Park
USA, 2022, English, 17 minutes
Inside a cheap motel room, Danny plans to take his own life…it’s quite hard.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort

WHILE MORTALS SLEEP
directed by Alex Fofonoff
USA, 2022, English, 14 minutes
When a cold case novelist’s career implodes, she seeks refuge at her friend’s remote vacation home. Upon arrival, she encounters a strange couple who claim to be the caretakers. As tensions build, a dark secret begins to emerge.
#NarrativeShort

WOLFDOG
directed by Nick Snow
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
Two women cross paths along a rural road on a night that changes both of their lives.
#WorldPremiere #NarrativeShort

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
directed by Gauri Adelkar
USA, 2022, Hindu/English, 17 minutes
Ismat, an undocumented single mother, and a diligent worker at a garment shop in Queens finds herself at a crossroad of self-interest and morality after she secretly witnesses something at work.
#InCompetition #NarrativeShort #NewMavericks

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

ALMEDA
directed by Paul Hairston
USA, 2022, English/Spanish, 14 minutes
On September 8th, 2020 the Almeda Fire tore through Southern Oregon and burned more than 2,800 structures. Many belonged to tightly knit immigrant mobile home communities, some generations old. 
#WorldPremiere #DocumentaryShort

BABUSHKA
directed by Kristina Wagenbauer
Canada/Switzerland/Russia, 2021, Russian/English, 26 minutes
A Canadian director visits her grandmother in Russia after 25 years of separation. Traveling through family memories and those of a country, this roller coaster of emotions invites us into an intimate space for reconciliation.
#DocumentaryShort #NewMavericks

THE BEAUTIFUL CONFUSION
directed by Luis G. Santos
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Director Luis G. Santos observes American photographer Gioncarlo Valentine at work as he discusses the many trials and tribulations that affect successful Black artists in this generation.
#DocumentaryShort #Noire #PinkPeach

CHILLY & MILLY
directed by William D. Caballero
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
11 years after filming a documentary about his family, director William D. Caballero returns home to revisit scenes with his parents, exploring his father's chronic health problems, as a diabetic with kidney failure, and his mother's role as his eternal caretaker. 
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort #CineMás

CHUU CHUU
directed by Mackie Mallison
USA, 2022, Japanese/English, 15 minutes
A filmmaker takes a mental tangent into a child-like dimension where he can speak his family’s language and get back the time he lost with his grandmother when he was a child — something she was never able to do with her lost family.
#WorldPremiere #InCompetition #DocumentaryShort

DEERWOODS DEATHTRAP
directed by James P. Gannon
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
50 years ago Jack and Betty were hit by a train and survived. This is their story.
#DocumentaryShort

EVERY SUNDAY
directed by Keti Papadema
Cyprus, 2021, English/Tagalog, 24 minutes
A group of Filipino domestic workers in Cyprus prepare for a beauty pageant organized by their community, while a case of a serial killer targeting foreign female workers comes to the surface.
#DocumentaryShort #NewMavericks

F1-100
directed by Emory Chao Johnson
USA/Malaysia, 2021, English, 13 minutes
Video, illustration, and animation are interwoven in this transnational meditation through time and space of an international art student carrying a heavy burden. 
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort

THE GAME GOD(S)
directed by Adrian L. Burrell
USA, 2022, English, 19 minutes
The Goddess of the Crossroads pushes us between the then and the now, exploring spiritual undercurrents moving through black market economies and tracing them back to the original sin at the heart of the American Dream.
#WorldPremiere #InCompetition #DocumentaryShort #Noire

A HOMECOMING I’LL REMEMBER
directed by Jasmine Rene' McCaskill
USA, 2021, English, 17 minutes
There’s no telling what can happen when you meet with your memory. Zoe Hinds and Pamela McKelvy remember their groundbreaking crownings that span nearly 30 years apart and recount their journeys through the institutions at which they paved the way.
#DocumentaryShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire #NewMavericks

LAST DAYS OF AUGUST
directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck & Robert Machoian
USA, 2022, English, 13 minutes
Does a town still exist if nearly everyone has died or left? Using the photobook aesthetic, filmmakers Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian explore some nearly abandoned prairie towns of Nebraska and meditate on the blurred lines between still photography and cinema.
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort

MEET THE TEAM TAKING J-SETTING FROM UNDERGROUND CLUBS TO THE MAIN STAGE
directed by Frederick Taylor
USA, 2020, English, 5 minutes
J-Sette dancers bring big energy to the floor, and the Dance Champz of Atlanta take this underground LGBTQ+ art form to the next level.
#DocumentaryShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire

NUISANCE BEAR
directed by Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden
Canada, 2021, English, 14 minutes
An unconventional and visually stunning study of the polar bears who draw tourists to Churchill, Manitoba.
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort

OBJECTS OF HEARTBREAK
directed by Grace Kim
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
A mixed-media, experimental documentary reflecting on the objects leftover from failed relationships, as retold by Brooklyn residents.
#DocumentaryShort #NewMavericks

REBYRTH
directed by Cydney Tucker
USA, 2021, English, 6 minutes
An Atlanta-based Doula works to save the lives of Black mothers as they journey from their pregnancies into motherhood. 
#DocumentaryShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire #NewMavericks

THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON
directed by Kyle Thrash & Haley Elizabeth Anderson
USA, 2022, English, 25 minutes
Michael Thompson is the longest serving non-violent offender in the history of Michigan after being arrested for selling three pounds of marijuana to a close friend turned police informant. After twenty-five years, three appeals and two denied applications for clemency, the tables have finally turned and it seems like Michael finally has a chance at freedom.
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort #Noire

SOME KIND OF INTIMACY
directed by Toby Bull
UK/France, 2021, English, 6 minutes
A filmmaker tries to communicate with the sheep living where his parents are buried.
#DocumentaryShort

THERE’S NO END
directed by Mattias Evangelista
USA, 2022, English, 20 minutes
In the wake of personal tragedy, an iconic indie-rock musician moves to the remote San Juan Islands to raise his only daughter. 
#InCompetition #DocumentaryShort

WINN
directed by Joseph East & Erica Tanamachi
USA, 2022, English, 17 minutes
A formerly incarcerated woman turned activist fights to legally end the shackling of incarcerated pregnant people in Georgia.
#WorldPremiere #DocumentaryShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire

YOU CAN’T STOP SPIRIT
directed by Vashni Korin
USA, 2021, English, 16 minutes
For a community of Black women, dressing up as baby dolls is a Mardi Gras tradition and a celebration of freedom.
#DocumentaryShort #Noire #NewMavericks

ANIMATED SHORTS

BIGFOOT TOOK MY PHOTO!
directed by Sasha Espinosa
USA, 2021, English, 6 minutes
Johanna has photographic proof that Bigfoot is real! That is, until Bigfoot himself steals it.
#AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

CRUMBS OF LIFE
directed by Katarzyna Miechowicz
Poland, 2020, No Dialogue, 7 minutes
The absurd adventures of three people inhabiting a small town by the sea - Una, who is experiencing peculiar anxiety about her own foot; G., cursed by a plump pony; and a mysterious Faceless Man.
#AnimatedShort

DESPOT
directed by Nicholas D'Agostino
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
DESPOT tracks a disastrous day in the life of a world leader, peeling back the cartoonish veneer of a classic strong-arm dictator to reveal the true horrors beneath.
#AnimatedShort

FALL OF THE IBIS KING
directed by Mikai Geronimo & Josh O’Caoimh
Ireland, 2021, English, 10 minutes
The antagonist of a dark opera becomes increasingly unsettled following the unlikely return of the former lead actor.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort

THE FARMER AND THE LIGHTNING STORM
directed by Danielle Browne
USA/Colombia, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Burdened by frustration and fear, the Goddess of Lightning suppresses her abilities. Can a nearby Farmer help Lightning regain confidence in her powers, and by extension, in herself?
#AnimatedShort #NewMavericks #FamilyFriendly #Noire

HOPPER’S DAY
directed by Jingqi Zhang
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
A cricket wants to achieve its dream in an abandoned quarry.
#WorldPremiere #AnimatedShort

LAIKA & NEMO
directed by Jan Gadermann & Sebastian Gadow
Germany, 2022, No Dialogue, 15 minutes
Nemo looks different. Nobody else wears a diving suit and such a huge helmet. But then he meets Laika, an astronaut. 
#AnimatedShort

LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOLER
directed by Sanjna Bharadwaj
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
A girl with magic eyelashes is exploited for them by her school, her community, and eventually the government. She battles the weight of the world with the weight of being a middle schooler.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

MOTHER
directed by Subarna D
India, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
A woman faced with the prospect of becoming the next village circumciser realizes that she can't conform to the customs of her community when she is asked to circumcise her daughter and recounts her own harrowing experience.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

MUSICA QUARANTENA
co-created by Lilian T. Mehrel & Danielle Rhoda
UK/USA, 2022, No Dialogue, 4 minutes
A little girl’s love for her bedridden Papa inspires a town in lockdown to make music from their balconies.
#WorldPremiere #AnimatedShort #Noire

MY EX BOYFRIEND
directed by Cissi Efraimsson
Sweden/USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
Two lovers face a dilemma when one undergoes a strange transformation and begins leaking water.
#AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

MY FAT ARSE AND I
directed by Yelyzaveta Pysmak
Poland, 2020, Polish, 10 minutes
After dieting to the point of extreme thinness, a girl is given a royal invitation to a kingdom by the Angel of United Bitches of Slimbuttlandia– but are the Skinny Buttangels as lovely and harmless as they appear?
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

MY GRANDMOTHER IS AN EGG
directed by Wu-Ching Chang
Taiwan/UK, 2021, Mandarin, 9 minutes
Guided by family interviews, the filmmaker explores her grandmother's life as a T'ung-yang-hsi, or "future daughter-in-law", while reflecting on women's oppression and the struggle for freedom.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

MY PET VENUS
directed by Ariel Paxton 
USA, 2020, English, 3 minutes
A little girl buys a Venus Fly Trap that she doesn't know how to care for.
#AnimatedShort #GeorgiaTie #NewMavericks

NEW TRICKS
directed by Matt Corsillo
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
After accidentally hitting a dog with her car, a woman attempts to take the animal to the vet, but is impeded by its gruesome transformation.
#AnimatedShort

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD
directed by Ida Melum
UK, 2021, English, 11 minutes
When a power outage ruins Ruby's bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by some unwanted guests.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

THE OCEAN DUCK
directed by Huda Razzak 
USA, 2021, English, 7 minutes
A woman visits her ailing grandmother in a hospital during a flood, as an ancient tale comes to life.
#AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

PEOPLE PERSON
directed by Rymalena
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
Desperate to escape her reality, a young woman discovers a program that immerses her in her own subconscious through a myriad of virtual personas.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort

PIVOT
directed by Ana Gusson
Canada, 2021, English, 7 minutes
Growing up isn’t easy, and it’s no exception for 12-year-old Ashley whose well-meaning Mom has her own ideas about who Ashley should be. Finding herself in an impossible situation, Ashley must decide whether to wear a gaudy dress she hates or find the courage to stand up for herself and fight the inner monster that is holding her back.
#AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

SPROUT
directed by Nayt Cochran
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
When a prize-winning plant causes self-doubt, a kind-hearted gardener nurtures a botanical-child’s individuality.
#AnimatedShort

A TINY TALE
directed by Sylvain Cuvillier, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maÿlis Mosny & Zijing Ye
France, 2020, No Dialogue, 8 minutes
An abandoned dog meets a young astronaut wannabe and a professional cyclist who keeps on trying to beat her highest score.
#AnimatedShort

THE VISIT
directed by Morrie Tan
Singapore, 2021, English/Mandarin, 9 minutes
Month after month, Ting visits her father in prison where they are only able to connect through a glass panel in a windowless cell. Despite these trying conditions, Ting is determined not to let anything come between their kinship.
#InCompetition #AnimatedShort #NewMavericks

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

BAD DREAM
directed by Camilo Diaz
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Bad Dream is a visual representation of the black zeitgeist processing the violence of white supremacy. Impressionistic yet visceral in nature, Bad Dream is not only a representation of this experience, but a confrontation that forces viewers to consider their role in the racial structure of America.
#WorldPremiere #ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie

ETERNITY ON A LOOP
directed by Isabela Costa
Brazil/USA, 2021, Portuguese, 12 minutes
An employee of God takes a break from heaven’s bureaucracy and spends some time on Earth. 
#ExperimentalShort #NewMavericks #CineMás

ETHEREAL
directed by Isabelle Kanapé
Canada, 2019, Innu-Aimun/English/French, 3 minutes
A man spreads rumors about a local elder. To be forgiven, he will be put to the test. Ka tatishtipatakanit (Ethereal) is a poetic lesson about respect.
#ExperimentalShort

EYES AND HORNS
directed by Chaerin Im
Germany/South Korea/USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
Exploration of masculinity begins with the Minotaur, a mythical creature Picasso used to portray himself in his etching print series. The Minotaur goes through a violent struggle between being male and female. Finally, lines blur and boundaries of sexes disappear.
#ExperimentalShort #PinkPeach

FREE NOIR PAPILLON
directed by Lev Omelchenko
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
A mother explores her relationship to her pregnancy through dance, as she deals with her fear and hope about bringing a Black baby boy into the world in 2020.
#WorldPremiere #ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie

GLADIOLUS
directed by Azadeh Navai
Iran/USA, 2022, Farsi, 5 minutes
An ode to a flower that once enjoyed prominence in Iranian culture, Gladiolus tells the story of its ubiquitous role in life’s important ceremonies and how it became a victim of its own popularity.
#ExperimentalShort #NewMavericks

HOW TO BEHAVE AT A PARTY
directed by Allison Radomski
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
Do you feel weird around other people? Are you anxious at social gatherings? Do you often find yourself trying to seem like a normal, happy person, and then coming up short? Look no further, friend. Even though I’ve never, ever had those problems in my whole life, "How to Behave at a Party" is here to help.
#ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie #NewMavericks

IN THE FUTURE
directed by Kelly Gallagher
USA, 2021, English, 4 minutes
Knowing that another world is possible, individuals young and old share their hopes and dreams for the future.
#ExperimentalShort

KILL TIME
directed by Benjamin Rinehardt
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
An exploration of various realms, places which could be parking lots and alleyways, bars and hotels, as well as personal places such as our bedrooms and even our minds. Using painting, animation and mixed media it strives to look at and understand time and its strange elusive qualities.
#ExperimentalShort #WorldPremiere

LÁCRIMAS
directed by Jeremy Moss
USA, 2021, English, 14 minutes
The plants, they shine at night.  A melodrama of wavering moths, sparrows, cicadas, shadows, streams, and towering trees. A dizzying and displacing garden in a lower-key. Joan, don’t despair, tear down that tree. Paul, keep running, just flee. Burt, you ignorant f*** - it’s not your adding machine. Montgomery, stop knocking and leave.
#ExperimentalShort

MAY WE KNOW OUR OWN STRENGTH
directed by Jih-E Peng
USA, 2022, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
An abstract, hybrid narrative document centered around artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s similarly-titled piece exploring collective healing after sexual assault within AAPI communities, created tragically in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings. In the spirit of the installation itself, this film recreates the process of trauma, the hurdles of healing, and the strength that can be found in sharing and community.
#WorldPremiere #ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie

PANDROG
directed by Jard Lerebours
USA, 2021, English, 1 minute
A poetic treatise on masculinity and the trappings of gender. Two lovers seek freedom away from Babylon. 
#ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie #Noire

WHISPER, RUSTLE
directed by Maureen Zent
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
Order gives way to chaos. Chaos becomes ferment. Ferment spurs fecundity. 'Whisper, Rustle' depicts this cycle with natural and stylized elements drawn primarily from the poems and prose of W. B. Yeats. Stop motion animated objects include sand, pebbles, flower petals, oak bark, leaves, gravel, sponges, seeds, egg shells, a rotting log.
#ExperimentalShort #GeorgiaTie

EPISODIC

BRIDESMAN
directed by Julian Buchan
USA, 2022, English, 57 minutes
Bridesman follows Terry, a self-obsessed gay man, as he is forced to fulfill his bridesmaid duties for his unhinged best friend, despite his disdain for the construct of marriage and a secret romantic history with the groom. When Terry threatens to upstage the control freak Maid of honor, secrets are made public, parties are ruined and every relationship is pushed to its breaking point.
#Episodic #PinkPeach

CHIQUI
directed by Carlos Cardona
USA, 2022, Spanish/English , 30 minutes
It's 1987. Chiqui and Carlos immigrate from Colombia to New Jersey to find a better life for themselves and their unborn son. Upon their arrival, they quickly realize that the American dream is not as easy to achieve as they thought.
#Episodic #CineMás

I AM: JALAIAH
directed by Kayla Johnson
USA, 2021, English, 38 minutes
Jalaiah Harmon created one of the most viral dances of all time — the Renegade — at just 14 years old, yet she hardly reaped the fruits of her labor. But who is Jalaiah beyond this global dance phenomenon?
#WorldPremiere #Episodic #Noire #NewMavericks #GeorgiaTie

SOMETHING UNDONE
directed by Nicole Dorsey
Canada, 2021, English, 10 minutes
When a Foley artist goes home to settle her late mother's estate, she discovers a dark family secret and becomes obsessed with finding the truth.
#Episodic #NewMavericks

METTA DA FEIN 
directed by Carlo Beer, Urs Berlinger  
Switzerland, 2020, Rhaeto-Romanic, 22 minutes
In the most beautiful village in the world, every day seems the same - until peace is shattered by a series of mysterious animal killings.
#Episodic

MUSIC VIDEOS

AMBER MARK - 'COMPETITION'
directed by Cara Stricker, Amber Mark
USA/UK, 2021, English/German, 4 minutes
‘Competition’ comes from a state of always comparing yourself to others and how ruthless that competitive nature can be towards yourself and towards others. The film is a reminder of how much stronger we are together.
#MusicVideo #Noire #NewMavericks

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT - ‘VIBE’
directed by Tony Reames
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Georgia's own Arrested Development is back for the final album and this is the lead single and video, "VIBE".
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie

BABY TATE - ‘PEDI’
directed by Norton
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
F*** the high road, embrace the petty. In her video for "Pedi", Baby Tate literally pops into awkward situations to deliver an unhealthy dose of "karma".
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie

BLANC’
directed by Wenkai Wang 
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
A couple went through emotional turbulence as if they lived in two different time zones during lockdown. #WorldPremiere #MusicVideo #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

COUNT IT ALL
directed by Joshua Cleveland
USA, 2021, English, 7 minutes
A dream-like journey into the consciousness of a black woman as she navigates identity under the mental and emotional harms surrounding institutional violence and Alienation within the American system.
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie #Noire

DON LIFTED - ‘GOLDEN (THE WAIT) FT. MADAMEFRAANKIE’
directed by Joshua Cannon & Nubia Yasin
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
“This visual is everything I saw in my head as I wrote the song. It’s confident, it's extra, it's decadent; it’s a fantastical version of how I see myself every time I sing those lyrics.”
#MusicVideo #Noire

DTG - 'I GET HAPPY WHEN I THINK OF YOU’
directed by Pong Tulyathan
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
An intoxicated and controlling man who is trying to show love in something that is not there anymore physically in human form, but is there to him mentally.
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie

FLORENT VOLLANT - ‘NENANTUAPMANAN’
directed by Isabelle Longnus
Canada, 2021, Innu, 4 minutes
Florant Vollant, an Innu singer songwriter goes on a quest in honour of his ancestors during which he performs a ritual.
#MusicVideo

HANA VU - ‘KEEPER’
directed by Maegan Houang
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
No one notices when Hana Vu erupts into a cathartic breakdown at a family event.
#MusicVideo #NewMavericks

MICHAEL MYERZ - ‘DON’T GIVE UP’
directed by Kevin Daniel Lonano
USA, 2022, English, 3 minutes
Michael Myerz is locked in the fight for his life against the reigning Monster Boxer champion, the Moxer!
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie

MIPSTERZ - ‘ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM’
directed by Abbas Rattani
USA, 2021, English/Arabic, 5 minutes
“ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM” is a musically-driven vision of Muslim joy as resistance and liberation—an imaginative future where Muslims exist boldly.
#WorldPremiere #MusicVideo #Noire

NAOMI ALLIGATOR - ‘CONCESSION STAND GIRL’
directed by Corrinne James
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
A frog morphs through a colorful animated world, transforming into a variety of characters and landscapes. #MusicVideo #NewMavericks

OBOROZUKI
directed by Joseph Ros
Cuba, 2021, Spanish/Japan/Yoruba, 5 minutes
Katsushika Hokusai’s tentacular “Dream of the fisherman’s wife” and Afro Cuban drums are the protagonists of a syncretic ritual; music and dance lead this interesting cultural intermixing music video.
#MusicVideo #CineMás

PEACH PURÉE DE PÊCHES
directed by Stephanie Burbano
Canada, 2021, French/English, 3 minutes
Band stand fever dream with goddess Elle Barbara serenading you through the new/old sexual politic.
#WorldPremiere #MusicVideo #PinkPeach #NewMavericks

ROCHELLE BLOOM - ‘STORIES I CREATE IN MY HEAD’
directed by Derek Evans
USA, 2021, English, 4 minutes
The video is stark and unsettling, as is the video’s emotional narrative about the struggles of family life, what defines success and living up to the expectations of others.
#MusicVideo #GeorgiaTie

SOMEONE - ‘STRANGE WORLD’
directed by David Spearing
UK, 2021, English, 4 minutes
Stuck indoors during lockdown, a young woman uses her imagination to evoke magic and playfulness in the world around her, translated in a moving, modern dance.
#MusicVideo

SYD - ‘FAST CAR’
directed by Ethan Nelson and Graham Epstein
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Syd (of The Internet) and her girlfriend, Ariana Simone, try their very best to film a steamy sex tape in the hills of Malibu. What starts as a seemingly impossible task ends in utter sonic bliss. 
#MusicVideo #PinkPeach

VIRTUAL REALITY

CHILD OF EMPIRE
directed by Sparsh Ahuja, Erfan Saadati
UK, 2022, English, 17 minutes
An animated virtual reality (VR) docu-drama experience which immerses viewers in one of the largest forced migrations in human history: the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.
#VirtualReality

GREENWOOD AVENUE: A VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE
directed by Tarik Jackson, Talibah L. Newman, Spade Robinson
USA, 2021, English, 20 minutes
"Greenwood Avenue: A Virtual Reality Experience" brings us into the 1920’s world of a 14-year-old Black girl experiencing first love & devastating loss in America’s Black Wall Street.
#VirtualReality #Noire

HYDROCOSMOS
directed by Milad Tangshir
Italy, 2021, No Dialogue, 19 minutes
An immersive experience which recounts the arrival of water and the emergence of conscious life on a remote corner of the universe. It’s an abstract tale, told through a symphony of performative bodies, images, sounds, lights and shadows.
#VirtualReality

MONTEGELATO
directed by Davide Rapp
Italy, 2021, Italian, 28 minutes
A montage film in VR, the first of its kind. Hundreds of cinematic sequences define a three-dimensional collage of the Monte Gelato waterfalls (Rome, Italy) as they have been filmed in more than 180 productions including films, TV series and commercials. From peplum to western, from comedy to thriller, from science-fiction to erotica: sounds and videos expand in an immersive landscape that transports the Falls in time and space.
#VirtualReality

VIRTUALLY THERE
directed by Leon Oldstrong
UK, 2021, English, 23 minutes
Imagine seeing a tragic incident from many different angles – stepping into the shoes of everyone affected? Virtually There allows viewers to experience the effects on the people behind the statistics in an immersive 360-degree film that aims to build an emotional understanding of the devastating impact of knife crime amongst young people.
#VirtualReality #Noire

46th Annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference Announces Complete Lineup

ATLANTA, GA (March 28, 2022) — The Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) announced the lineup of selected works from submissions today for the 46th annual event, which will take place Thursday, April 21 through Sunday, May 1, 2022. This year we had 7786 total film submissions. This included 152 total programmed films, including 27 Feature Films and 124 Short Films.

A forthcoming slate of Marquee screenings, including Opening and Closing Night presentations, will be revealed in the coming weeks. Five winning screenplays from the screenplay competition will also be announced at a later date.

The Atlanta Film Festival is the annual centerpiece of educational and enriching film programming that is provided year-round by its parent organization, the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS). Now in its fifth decade, ATLFF is one of only a handful of film festivals worldwide that is Academy Award-qualifying in three or more categories.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

BREAKWATER
directed by Cem Demirer
Turkey/UK, 2022, Turkish, 101 minutes
Aslan, a young insecure fisherman who lives on a Turkish island, finds a valuable lobster cave while diving. Knowing this treasure will bring him wealth and the prestige that he has never had in his society, he decides to keep it a secret from his cousin and best friend Yilmaz until he can properly harvest the lobsters by himself. By not sharing the secret, Yilmaz's growing suspicion conjures a series of paranoid obsessions that thrust him into a downward spiral.

DO NOT HESITATE
directed by Shariff Korver
Netherlands/Greece, 2021, Dutch/English/Arabic, 90 minutes
After the sudden disappearance of their superior, three young Dutch soldiers are left to guard a military vehicle by themselves. As their situation and the scorching desert heat renders them increasingly disconnected from reality, an encounter with a local boy escalates into a fight that will mark their lives forever.

EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ
directed by Alika Tengan
USA, 2022, English, 80min
A young man is determined to give his life meaning outside of Kaimukī, the small Hawaiian town where he grew up, even if it means leaving everything he's ever known and loved behind.

THE GAME
directed by Ana Lazarevic
Serbia/USA, 2021, Serbian/English/Arabic, 93 minutes
When STRAHINJA, a smuggler with poor parenting skills and a gambling addiction, becomes stranded with two refugee boys in the Balkan countryside, they must navigate backroads to find an illegal crossing into Western Europe. The boys’ insatiable gusto for life makes Strahinja aware of the walls he has built around his own.

HANDS THAT BIND
directed by Kyle Armstrong
Canada, 2022, English, 116 minutes
Having severed ties with his father, Andy's opportunity to farm as a landowner has been jeopardized. He devotes his life to working another man’s land, trying to establish new roots with his wife and children, and with the hope that the land might one day be his. But those hopes are destroyed when his boss's ungrateful son unexpectedly returns. As Andy struggles with providing for his family in a world that is increasingly unfamiliar, a darkness settles over the community and mysterious occurrences begin; cattle mutilations, drought, a missing teenager, paranoia, and unexplained lights in the sky.

HÉKATE
directed by Nadia Benedicto
Argentina, 2021, Spanish, 77 minutes
Following a horrific event, Helena and Kira argue on the side of the road. No destination in mind, no plan to follow. The journey unfolds kilometer by kilometer; a journey that soon becomes a ritual — a tribute to the goddess of witches and a ritual of passage towards the autonomy and maturity of her descendants.

LEARN TO SWIM
directed by Thyrone Tommy
Canada, 2021, English, 93 minutes
Haunted by a tragic loss, Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide), a jazz musician, cuts off contact with everyone he knows. Time bends, and the lines between his stormy past and reclusive present are blurred, foiling his attempts at solitude and forcing him to face the truth of his past.

MILES FROM NOWHERE
directed by Jono Mitchell
USA, 2022, English, 76 minutes
Miles is dying. After a year of avoiding his two closest friends, he attempts to reestablish normalcy by gathering them together for their annual cabin trip. However, his plan to reveal his terminal cancer goes awry when Sammy and Victor come clean about secrets of their own. The past becomes the present and the future becomes uncertain as lies, pain, and pride threaten to erase the bonds of friendship entirely.

THE MURDER PODCAST
directed by William Bagley
USA, 2021, English, 91 minutes
Desperate to get more podcast listeners, Chad Thadwick decides he needs a new topic. After a murder in his hometown, the answer is clear: a true crime podcast! With the help of his best friend, Chad starts investigating, only to get wrapped up in a terrifying adventure full of supernatural threats!

NICO
directed by Eline Gehring
Germany, 2021, German/Persian/English, 79 minutes
The self-confident, life-affirming German-Persian Nico is brutally torn from her everyday life by a racially motivated attack. With the help of tough karate training, she tries to channel her anger, but she also loses touch with herself. When Nico meets the Macedonian Ronny, a connection develops between the two women that makes Nico question the path she has chosen.

PORTRAITS FROM A FIRE
directed by Trevor Mack
Canada, 2021, English/Tsilhqot'in, 93 minutes
A coming-of-age story that follows Tyler, an eccentric and lonely teenager who spends his days filmmaking, vlogging his Indigenous community, and hanging out with his grandparents. His father, Gord, is physically present but remains emotionally absent from Tyler’s life for reasons Tyler cannot understand. That is until he meets Aaron, a mysterious, charismatic, and influential figure who encourages Tyler to showcase his most personal film about his mother’s disappearance to the community, leading to a reckoning between past and future, life and death, and father and son.

QUICKENING
directed by Haya Waseem
Canada, 2021, English/Urdu, 90 minutes
Sheila, a Pakistani-Canadian teenager struggles to define her identity as she is pulled between her newfound social life at university and her family’s traditional values. After starting a secret relationship with her classmate, Sheila discovers that keeping these two worlds separate comes at a great cost.

SALMA’S HOME
directed by Hanadi Elyan
Jordan/USA, 2022, Arabic, 95 minutes
The story follows three women who are facing uncertain times after the death of the family's patriarch Bakri: Salma, Bakri’s ex wife, is a talented baker. Her daughter Farah is struggling with her own marriage. Lamia, Bakri's new wife, is a wannabe socialite and social media influencer. Together they navigate Bakri’s inheritance, finding out that the only way forward is to live together under one roof.

SHE AND I
directed by Gustavo Rosa de Moura
Brazil, 2021, Portuguese, 102 minutes
20 years ago, while giving birth to her daughter, Bia slipped into a coma. But that didn't stop her—even if just lying there, unconscious—from becoming part of her family's everyday life. Suddenly, however, Bia comes to. And while she's reacquainting herself with sight, speech, movement and the basics of human relationships, her now-adult daughter, her ex-husband and his new wife try to deal with the unexpected living presence of that strange but dearly loved woman.

SOUL OF A BEAST
directed by Lorenz Merz 
Switzerland, 2021, Swiss-German/French/Japanese, 110 minutes
In a delirious summer rush, teenage father Gabriel falls in love with enigmatic Corey, the girlfriend of his best friend Joel. Overwhelmed with the decision of his life Gabriel is catapulted into the unforgiving wilderness of his heart, where imagination is more real than reality.

YOU RESEMBLE ME
directed by Dina Amer
USA/Egypt/France, 2021, French/Arabic, 91 minutes
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood, and belonging.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

AFTER SHERMAN
directed by Jon-Sesrie Goff
USA, 2022, English, 88 minutes
A director’s exploration of coastal South Carolina as a site of pride and racial trauma through Gullah cultural retention and land preservation is interrupted by the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. AFTER SHERMAN is a story about inheritance and the tension that defines our collective American history. 

THE BALCONY MOVIE
directed by Paweł Łoziński
Poland, 2021, Polish, 100 minutes
Can anyone be a movie hero? Can the world be locked in one film frame? Director Paweł Łoziński is watching people from his balcony as they are passing by: sad, thoughtful, glued to their phones, young and old. The filmmaker calls out to them, asks questions, and talks about how they deal with life. Standing there with his camera for over 2 years, he creates a space for dialogue, a lay confessional of sorts, where everyone can stop by and tell their story. Every story is unique, and life always surpasses imagination. 

BOYCOTT
directed by Julia Bacha
USA, 2021, English, 73 minutes
When a news publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas are told they must choose between their jobs and their political beliefs, they launch legal battles that expose an attack on freedom of speech across 33 states in America. BOYCOTT traces the impact of state legislation designed to penalize individuals and companies that choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record. A bracing look at the far-reaching implications of anti-boycott legislation becomes an inspiring tale of everyday Americans standing up to protect their rights in an age of shifting politics and threats to freedom of speech.

DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD
directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney
USA, 2021, English, 66 minutes
Right after the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 became the law of the land, Kendra Mylnechuk Potter was adopted into a white family and raised with no knowledge of her Native parentage. This beautiful and intimate film follows Kendra on her journey to find her birth mother April, also a Native adoptee, and to return to her Lummi homelands in Washington State. With a sensitive yet unflinching lens, director Brooke Swaney (Blackfeet/Salish) documents Kendra and April as they connect with relatives and navigate what it means to be Native, and to belong to a tribe from the outside looking in. Along the way, Kendra uncovers generations of emotional and spiritual beauty and pain and comes to the startling realization that she is a living legacy of U. S. assimilationist policy. 

GABOR
directed by Joannie Lafrenière
Canada, 2021, French/English/Hungarian, 101 minutes
A quirky and tender portrait of Gabor Szilasi, the 93-year-old giant of Canadian contemporary photography, as seen through the eyes of his friend, photographer and director Joannie Lafrenière. GABOR tells the story of an immigrant fleeing Hungary and arriving in Canada by boat, creating for himself a rich life full of friends, family and an extraordinary career. Despite his age, Gabor maintains impressive health and lucidity, keeping a touch of madness, an enviable sense of humor, and a sharp take on his adopted society.

IN THE BONES
directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega, co-directed by Zandashé Brown & Jessica Anthony 
USA, 2022, English, 95 minutes
A lyrical documentary that explores the personal and political by interweaving the lives of 12 characters living in Mississippi during a legislative session in which equal pay for equal work and abortion rights are being decided. Although set in three distinct regions of Mississippi, IN THE BONES is a much broader exploration of our culture, an unsettling portrayal of America that lingers, shining a light on the weight women live under in this country and also the resilience expressed in everyday acts of survival.

MAGALUF GHOST TOWN
directed by Miguel Angel Blanca
Spain, 2021, Spanish/English, 90 minutes
Strange things are happening in Magaluf, a small, peaceful town on the island of Mallorca that many have ventured to call the Balearic Twin Peaks. Overrun with tourists, its residents are torn between an everyday aura of doom and genuine holiday pleasure in a place that has become the European paradigm of low-cost tourism and insatiable nightly entertainment. MAGALUF GHOST TOWN is a choral portrait of a community trying to survive the grips of tourism, mixing documentary and fiction in a mysterious yet humorous look at its ensemble of residents. 

MASTER OF LIGHT
directed by Rosa Ruth Boesten 
USA/Netherlands, 2022, English, 85 minutes
George Anthony Morton is a classical painter who spent ten years in federal prison for dealing drugs. Since his release, he has worked to defy society's expectations and to tackle the white-dominant art world. Journeying back home from Atlanta to Kansas City, George works to heal broken relationships while painting family members in the style of the Dutch Old Masters. Every brushstroke dives deeper into George's soul as he shines a bright light on racial injustice and the intergenerational trauma it begets.

ONLY I CAN HEAR
directed by Itaru Matsui
Japan/USA, 2021, English/Japanese/ASL/JSL, 54 minutes
In the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant, raucous Deaf community. Balancing both hearing and deaf societies, they often struggle to fit in either world but find connection, understanding, and community in a home between the two disparate spaces, amongst their peers who are also CODA — Children of Deaf Adults.

OUTTA THE MUCK
directed by Bhawin Suchak & Ira Mckinley 
USA, 2022, English, 80 minutes
Family, football and history come to life in an intimate portrait of the Dean family, longtime residents of the historic town of Pahokee, Florida. As we take a journey back home, with filmmaker Ira McKinley, to the land of sugarcane, he reconnects with his niece Bridget and nephew Alvin and explores their shared family history that spans seven generations. Told through stories that transcend space and time, OUTTA THE MUCK presents an intimate portrait of a community that resists despair with love, remaining fiercely self-determined, while forging its own unique narrative of Black achievement.

PROGNOSIS – NOTES ON LIVING
directed by Debra Chasnoff & Kate Stilley Steiner
USA, 2021, English, 81 minutes
​​In perhaps her bravest act as a filmmaker, Academy Award-winning documentarian and LGBTQ+ activist Debra Chasnoff responded to her diagnosis of stage-4 cancer by turning the camera on herself, her wife, and her sons to chronicle the journey that lay ahead of them. With customary candor and humor, she took on the assignment out of necessity: not wishing to be defined only as patient or victim, she adopted a role she could play with certainty — that of the storyteller. What emerges is a raw, intimate portrait of shifting relationships and identities, a story about hanging onto the people you love, as you prepare to let them go. Completed according to her wishes by a circle of Bay Area peers and family, PROGNOSIS - NOTES ON LIVING is not only a film about illness. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, intimate and honest, it is the unforgettable, present-tense diary of a life fiercely lived, and a love worth fighting for.

RED LIPSTICK
directed by Shiva Sanjari
France/Iran, 2018, Persian, 42 minutes
Masoumeh, a single 34-year-old hairdresser and owner of a small beauty salon in Tehran, shares intimate conversations with her clients, often reflective of the beauty standards and patriarchal pressures present in their lives. An independent business woman in a rigid society, Masoumeh weighs her own high expectations against the prospects of marriage while working to carve a path of her own. 

A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE
directed by Zara Katz & Lisa Riordan Seville
USA, 2022, English, 87 minutes
Growing up, Kristal watched nearly every man in her life disappear to prison. She channeled that struggle into keeping families connected, both as a social worker and with her van service that drives families to visit loved ones in far-off prisons. But when Kristal’s dad and brother return to Philly, her happiness meets the realization that release doesn't always mean freedom. Passionate, funny and resilient, Kristal remains determined to carve out a different future -- for herself and for her young nephew, Nyvae. Part observational documentary, part family album, A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE is a tender portrait of one family striving to love in the face of a system built to break them.

NARRATIVE SHORTS

THE AGENT
directed by Emily Frances Kaplan
USA, 2022, English, 12 minutes
A C-list talent agent moves through the world all but invisible, until he enters a pay-to-play audition room where actors looking for their big break mistakenly imbue him with a god-like power to change their lives.

ARTISTIC
directed by Nina Lee 
USA, 2021, English, 12 minutes
Billie Thomas is a lonely teenage artist. Longing for a friend she finds one in an unlikely person. 

BEAUTIFUL THEY
directed by Cloudy Rhodes
Australia, 2021, English, 11 minutes
Violet and Blue's youth collide in an early morning toke that leads to the ocean, where connection stirs. A tender, uplifting queer surf-romance about the nuance of gender and the refuge found in being truly seen.

THE BOND
directed by Jahmil Eady
USA, 2022, English, 18 minutes
An incarcerated pregnant woman goes into labor and fights to stay connected to her baby.

BURY YOUR FISH
directed by Emma Josephson
USA, 2022, English, 15 minutes
An isolated young woman desperate to rediscover purpose in her life begins taking directions from the cryptic Morse code messages of a mysterious light flashing a few blocks away.

CHAMP
directed by Hannah Peterson 
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
After basketball practice one night, Genevieve reveals a dark secret to her teammates about their coach. Wielding her strategy and grit off the court, Genevieve works together with her teammates to find a way to retaliate.

CHICKEN
directed by Rana Roy
USA/UAE, 2022, English/Hindi/Arabic, 16 minutes
Awkward and surreal absurdity engulfs a Las Vegas motel room after two misfits, who flew the coop from Saudi Arabia and eloped behind their multi cultural and religious families backs, realize how little they actually know each other.

CLEARING HOUSE
directed by Andy Long
USA, 2022, English, 10 minutes
A con man realizes that it’s not quite business as usual, when he meets an elderly lady that causes him to second-guess his motives.

COCHE BOMBA
directed by Kantú Lentz
USA, 2021, English, 11 minutes
Rosa loves aliens and hates everything else, including her annoying little sister. When a car bomb detonates, Rosa must bring her sister to safety by convincing her that aliens have arrived.

A DEER LOST IN THE WOODS
directed by Camilo Diaz
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
Francis can't have sex. His therapist doesn't know why. He doesn't know why. In trying to understand, Francis embarks on a fever dream that leads to more confusion.

DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU
directed by Rioghnach Ni Ghrioghair
Ireland, 2021, English, 20 minutes
A haunted composer's mind spirals into chaos when she attempts to use music to connect with the ghost of her dead lover.

EL EXTRAÑO EN LA CASA RIVERA
directed by Esteban Bailey
USA (Puerto Rico), 2022, Spanish, 11 minutes
In the aftermath of a hurricane that has ravaged Puerto Rico, a strange creature inhabits the backyard of struggling mother Aida, and her daughter, Aidita.

EMPTY NESTERS
directed by Devon Solwold
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
A young expecting couple comes to terms with their relationship and their loss.

GLITTER AIN’T GOLD
directed by Christian Nolan Jones
USA, 2022, English, 14 minutes
A sixth grader takes a trip with his best friend to the flea market in order to buy his first fake chain.

HEARTLESS
directed by Haukur Björgvinsson
Iceland, 2021, Icelandic, 15 minutes
Young couple Anna and Gunnar are deeply in love but they live in a society where people are assigned a new spouse by lottery every seven years. As their final day together approaches, they grapple with the nightmare of being torn apart and facing life with another partner.

HOOK UP
directed by Laura Nagy
Australia, 2020, English, 15 minutes
When a double date with two older men turns ugly, Lucy must fight to protect her best-friend and recognises deeper feelings she has for her.

KISS CHASE
directed by Ebele Tate
UK, 2021, English, 14 minutes
When eleven year old Nadine is left out in a game of kiss chase, she realizes image is currency and her value is low. On a quest to feminize herself, she finds herself in an unexpected situation she is not prepared for.

LADYLIKE!
directed by Camila Florez
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
Jenn, a Chinese-American teenager longing for the teenage life of parties and boys depicted in American media, attempts to explore her sexuality while living in her conservative Asian home.

LEASING SPACE
directed by Giovanni Tortorici
USA, 2022, English, 10 minutes
A couple navigates their commitment to their relationship when they adopt a star together.

LEYLAK
directed by Scott Aharoni & Dennis Latos
USA, 2021, Turkish/English, 17 minutes
In present day Queens, New York, a Turkish gravedigger is unable to face a shattering truth, and risks losing the dearest connection left in his life.

MAN OR TREE
directed by Varun Raman & Tom Hancock
UK, 2021, English, 4 minutes
In the wilderness, a tree begins to question whether it may actually be a man tripping on hallucinogens.

MOLES
directed by Vanja Victor Kabir Tognola
Switzerland, 2021, Italian, 15 minutes
Unable to afford a fancy holiday, a family pretends to be in the Bahamas by hiding at home and posting fake pictures on social media. Inebriated by likes, the parents forget their son's needs.

MOSHARI
directed by Nuhash Humayun
Bangladesh, 2022, Bengali, 21 minutes
After the world is overrun with bloodthirsty creatures, two sisters survive together, spending their nights inside the only known protection - the moshari (mosquito net). However, their strained relationship might be as much of a threat as the dangers outside.

NEST
directed by James Hunter
Australia, 2021, English, 9 minutes
An isolated father haunted by his child's cries of hunger takes up work as a timber feller only to be stopped by a mysterious alarm coming from deep in the woods.

OUR OWN LAND
directed by Simon Helloco
France, 2021, French, 23 minutes
Two brothers, left on their own, live in complete freedom. They only forbid themselves to enter the first floor of the house.

POOR GLENNA
directed by Jean-Paul DiSciscio
USA, 2021, English, 17 minutes
When her mutant son develops a taste for human flesh, a timid mother must find a victim to satisfy his ravenous appetite.

POST-CITRUS
directed by Madison Hatfield
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
The fat bassist of an otherwise thin girl punk band must stand up for herself when her friend and bandleader suggests wearing orange peels as bikini cups during their album cover shoot.

RAYA
directed by Sepide Berenji
Iran, 2020 Persian, 14 minutes
After a teacher displeases them, Raya and her friends secretly retaliate. In the fallout from the prank and with an impending eviction at home, Raya weighs the morality of her choices and if there's a path forward that could also make the world a better place. 

ROY
directed by Tom Berkeley & Ross White
UK, 2021, English, 16 minutes
When a reclusive widower accidentally calls an adult hotline worker, an unlikely friendship is born.

SHARK
directed by Nash Edgerton
Australia, 2021, English, 14 minutes
Completing the trilogy of wickedly dark comedy shorts that began with Spider and Bear, Nash Edgerton's onscreen alter ego, Jack, finally finds a perfect match in Rose Byrne as Sofie, a woman who loves pranks just as much as he does. Alas, the couple’s quest to outdo each other may lead to the most outrageous calamity of all.

SHE KEEPS ME
directed by Erica Orofino
Canada, 2022, English/Italian, 16 minutes
The strained relationship between two sisters reaches a dangerous climax in this exploration of family ties, mental illness, and self sacrifice.

SPAGHETTER GETTER
directed by Jared Lapidus
USA, 2022, English, 8 minutes
The man-in-infomercials-who-can't-do-anything-right discovers he is trapped in a prison of his own uselessness.

SUPERFAN
directed by Karina Lomelin Ripper & Marc Ripper
USA, 2021, English/Spanish, 15 minutes
A tween celebrity obsession pushes the boundaries of friendship during an ill-fated sleepover.

SUSHI NOH
directed by Jayden Rathsam Hua
Australia, 2021, English, 18 minutes
Trapped in the care of her lonely uncle, a young girl’s nightmares about a bizarre kitchen appliance manifest into reality.

SWIPE
directed by Anthony Sneed
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
A delinquent teenage boy draws the shortest straw and must commit a petty theft.

THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT
directed by Fawzia Mirza
USA, 2021, English, 11 minutes
All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family's annual game night.

THEREFORE, SOCRATES IS MORTAL
directed by Alexandre Isabelle
Canada, 2021, French, 12 minutes
Facing the climate crisis, Louise, a philosophy teacher, turns words into action.

THIS IS OUR HOME
directed by A.K. Espada
USA, 2021, English, 13 minutes
When their apartment’s rat infestation escalates, a bleeding-heart vegan and her antagonistic roommate find themselves at odds over inhumane methods of extermination.

TITAN
directed by Valéry Carnoy
Belgium/France, 2021, French, 19 minutes
Driven by his new friend Malik, Nathan prepares himself for a strange ritual to join a teens gang.

TRAINING WHEELS
directed by Alison Rich
USA, 2022, English, 15 minutes
Enid, a socially inept woman who has never been in a romantic relationship, panics when she meets John and realizes he’s her person. She decides the safest, most logical thing to do is to prepare for their date by practicing a relationship with a man rented from a questionable website called Casanovas.

TRYING
directed by Jason Park
USA, 2022, English, 17 minutes
Inside a cheap motel room, Danny plans to take his own life…it’s quite hard.

WHILE MORTALS SLEEP
directed by Alex Fofonoff
USA, 2022, English, 14 minutes
When a cold case novelist’s career implodes, she seeks refuge at her friend’s remote vacation home. Upon arrival, she encounters a strange couple who claim to be the caretakers. As tensions build, a dark secret begins to emerge.

WOLFDOG
directed by Nick Snow
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
Two women cross paths along a rural road on a night that changes both of their lives.

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
directed by Gauri Adelkar
USA, 2022, Hindu/English, 17 minutes
Ismat, an undocumented single mother, and a diligent worker at a garment shop in Queens finds herself at a crossroad of self-interest and morality after she secretly witnesses something at work.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

ALMEDA
directed by Paul Hairston
USA, 2022, English/Spanish, 14 minutes
On September 8th, 2020 the Almeda Fire tore through Southern Oregon and burned more than 2,800 structures. Many belonged to tightly knit immigrant mobile home communities, some generations old. 

BABUSHKA
directed by Kristina Wagenbauer
Canada/Switzerland/Russia, 2021, Russian/English, 26 minutes
A Canadian director visits her grandmother in Russia after 25 years of separation. Traveling through family memories and those of a country, this roller coaster of emotions invites us into an intimate space for reconciliation.

THE BEAUTIFUL CONFUSION
directed by Luis G. Santos
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Director Luis G. Santos observes American photographer Gioncarlo Valentine at work as he discusses the many trials and tribulations that affect successful Black artists in this generation.

CHILLY & MILLY
directed by William D. Caballero
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
11 years after filming a documentary about his family, director William D. Caballero returns home to revisit scenes with his parents, exploring his father's chronic health problems, as a diabetic with kidney failure, and his mother's role as his eternal caretaker. 

CHUU CHUU
directed by Mackie Mallison
USA, 2022, Japanese/English, 15 minutes
A filmmaker takes a mental tangent into a child-like dimension where he can speak his family’s language and get back the time he lost with his grandmother when he was a child — something she was never able to do with her lost family.

DEERWOODS DEATHTRAP
directed by James P. Gannon
USA, 2022, English, 9 minutes
50 years ago Jack and Betty were hit by a train and survived. This is their story.

EVERY SUNDAY
directed by Keti Papadema
Cyprus, 2021, English/Tagalog, 24 minutes
A group of Filipino domestic workers in Cyprus prepare for a beauty pageant organized by their community, while a case of a serial killer targeting foreign female workers comes to the surface.

F1-100
directed by Emory Chao Johnson
USA/Malaysia, 2021, English, 13 minutes
Video, illustration, and animation are interwoven in this transnational meditation through time and space of an international art student carrying a heavy burden. 

THE GAME GOD(S)
directed by Adrian L. Burrell
USA, 2022, English, 19 minutes
The Goddess of the Crossroads pushes us between the then and the now, exploring spiritual undercurrents moving through black market economies and tracing them back to the original sin at the heart of the American Dream.

A HOMECOMING I’LL REMEMBER
directed by Jasmine Rene' McCaskill
USA, 2021, English, 17 minutes
There’s no telling what can happen when you meet with your memory. Zoe Hinds and Pamela McKelvy remember their groundbreaking crownings that span nearly 30 years apart and recount their journeys through the institutions at which they paved the way.

LAST DAYS OF AUGUST
directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck & Robert Machoian
USA, 2022, English, 13 minutes
Does a town still exist if nearly everyone has died or left? Using the photobook aesthetic, filmmakers Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian explore some nearly abandoned prairie towns of Nebraska and meditate on the blurred lines between still photography and cinema.

MEET THE TEAM TAKING J-SETTING FROM UNDERGROUND CLUBS TO THE MAIN STAGE
directed by Frederick Taylor
USA, 2020, English, 5 minutes
J-Sette dancers bring big energy to the floor, and the Dance Champz of Atlanta take this underground LGBTQ+ art form to the next level.

NUISANCE BEAR
directed by Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden
Canada, 2021, English, 14 minutes
An unconventional and visually stunning study of the polar bears who draw tourists to Churchill, Manitoba.

OBJECTS OF HEARTBREAK
directed by Grace Kim
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
A mixed-media, experimental documentary reflecting on the objects leftover from failed relationships, as retold by Brooklyn residents.

REBYRTH
directed by Cydney Tucker
USA, 2021, English, 6 minutes
An Atlanta-based Doula works to save the lives of Black mothers as they journey from their pregnancies into motherhood. 

THE SENTENCE OF MICHAEL THOMPSON
directed by Kyle Thrash & Haley Elizabeth Anderson
USA, 2022, English, 25 minutes
Michael Thompson is the longest serving non-violent offender in the history of Michigan after being arrested for selling three pounds of marijuana to a close friend turned police informant. After twenty-five years, three appeals and two denied applications for clemency, the tables have finally turned and it seems like Michael finally has a chance at freedom.

SOME KIND OF INTIMACY
directed by Toby Bull
UK/France, 2021, English, 6 minutes
A filmmaker tries to communicate with the sheep living where his parents are buried.

THERE’S NO END
directed by Mattias Evangelista
USA, 2022, English, 20 minutes
In the wake of personal tragedy, an iconic indie-rock musician moves to the remote San Juan Islands to raise his only daughter. 

WINN
directed by Joseph East & Erica Tanamachi
USA, 2022, English, 17 minutes
A formerly incarcerated woman turned activist fights to legally end the shackling of incarcerated pregnant people in Georgia.

YOU CAN’T STOP SPIRIT
directed by Vashni Korin
USA, 2021, English, 16 minutes
For a community of Black women, dressing up as baby dolls is a Mardi Gras tradition and a celebration of freedom.

ANIMATED SHORTS

BIGFOOT TOOK MY PHOTO!
directed by Sasha Espinosa
USA, 2021, English, 6 minutes
Johanna has photographic proof that Bigfoot is real! That is, until Bigfoot himself steals it.

CRUMBS OF LIFE
directed by Katarzyna Miechowicz
Poland, 2020, No Dialogue, 7 minutes
The absurd adventures of three people inhabiting a small town by the sea - Una, who is experiencing peculiar anxiety about her own foot; G., cursed by a plump pony; and a mysterious Faceless Man.

DESPOT
directed by Nicholas D'Agostino
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
DESPOT tracks a disastrous day in the life of a world leader, peeling back the cartoonish veneer of a classic strong-arm dictator to reveal the true horrors beneath.

FALL OF THE IBIS KING
directed by Mikai Geronimo & Josh O’Caoimh
Ireland, 2021, English, 10 minutes
The antagonist of a dark opera becomes increasingly unsettled following the unlikely return of the former lead actor.

THE FARMER AND THE LIGHTNING STORM
directed by Danielle Browne
USA/Colombia, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Burdened by frustration and fear, the Goddess of Lightning suppresses her abilities. Can a nearby Farmer help Lightning regain confidence in her powers, and by extension, in herself?

HOPPER’S DAY
directed by Jingqi Zhang
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
A cricket wants to achieve its dream in an abandoned quarry.

LAIKA & NEMO
directed by Jan Gadermann & Sebastian Gadow
Germany, 2022, No Dialogue, 15 minutes
Nemo looks different. Nobody else wears a diving suit and such a huge helmet. But then he meets Laika, an astronaut. 

LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOLER
directed by Sanjna Bharadwaj
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
A girl with magic eyelashes is exploited for them by her school, her community, and eventually the government. She battles the weight of the world with the weight of being a middle schooler.

MOTHER
directed by Subarna D
India, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
A woman faced with the prospect of becoming the next village circumciser realizes that she can't conform to the customs of her community when she is asked to circumcise her daughter and recounts her own harrowing experience.

MUSICA QUARANTENA
co-created by Lilian T. Mehrel & Danielle Rhoda
UK/USA, 2022, No Dialogue, 4 minutes
A little girl’s love for her bedridden Papa inspires a town in lockdown to make music from their balconies.

MY EX BOYFRIEND
directed by Cissi Efraimsson
Sweden/USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
Two lovers face a dilemma when one undergoes a strange transformation and begins leaking water.

MY FAT ARSE AND I
directed by Yelyzaveta Pysmak
Poland, 2020, Polish, 10 minutes
After dieting to the point of extreme thinness, a girl is given a royal invitation to a kingdom by the Angel of United Bitches of Slimbuttlandia– but are the Skinny Buttangels as lovely and harmless as they appear?

MY GRANDMOTHER IS AN EGG
directed by Wu-Ching Chang
Taiwan/UK, 2021, Mandarin, 9 minutes
Guided by family interviews, the filmmaker explores her grandmother's life as a T'ung-yang-hsi, or "future daughter-in-law", while reflecting on women's oppression and the struggle for freedom.

MY PET VENUS
directed by Ariel Paxton 
USA, 2020, English, 3 minutes
A little girl buys a Venus Fly Trap that she doesn't know how to care for.

NEW TRICKS
directed by Matt Corsillo
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
After accidentally hitting a dog with her car, a woman attempts to take the animal to the vet, but is impeded by its gruesome transformation.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD
directed by Ida Melum
UK, 2021, English, 11 minutes
When a power outage ruins Ruby's bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by some unwanted guests.

THE OCEAN DUCK
directed by Huda Razzak 
USA, 2021, English, 7 minutes
A woman visits her ailing grandmother in a hospital during a flood, as an ancient tale comes to life.

PEOPLE PERSON
directed by Rymalena
USA, 2021, English, 15 minutes
Desperate to escape her reality, a young woman discovers a program that immerses her in her own subconscious through a myriad of virtual personas.

PIVOT
directed by Ana Gusson
Canada, 2021, English, 7 minutes
Growing up isn’t easy, and it’s no exception for 12-year-old Ashley whose well-meaning Mom has her own ideas about who Ashley should be. Finding herself in an impossible situation, Ashley must decide whether to wear a gaudy dress she hates or find the courage to stand up for herself and fight the inner monster that is holding her back.

SPROUT
directed by Nayt Cochran
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
When a prize-winning plant causes self-doubt, a kind-hearted gardener nurtures a botanical-child’s individuality.

A TINY TALE
directed by Sylvain Cuvillier, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maÿlis Mosny & Zijing Ye
France, 2020, No Dialogue, 8 minutes
An abandoned dog meets a young astronaut wannabe and a professional cyclist who keeps on trying to beat her highest score.

THE VISIT
directed by Morrie Tan
Singapore, 2021, English/Mandarin, 9 minutes
Month after month, Ting visits her father in prison where they are only able to connect through a glass panel in a windowless cell. Despite these trying conditions, Ting is determined not to let anything come between their kinship.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

BAD DREAM
directed by Camilo Diaz
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Bad Dream is a visual representation of the black zeitgeist processing the violence of white supremacy. Impressionistic yet visceral in nature, Bad Dream is not only a representation of this experience, but a confrontation that forces viewers to consider their role in the racial structure of America.

ETERNITY ON A LOOP
directed by Isabela Costa
Brazil/USA, 2021, Portuguese, 12 minutes
An employee of God takes a break from heaven’s bureaucracy and spends some time on Earth. 

ETHEREAL
directed by Isabelle Kanapé
Canada, 2019, Innu-Aimun/English/French, 3 minutes
A man spreads rumors about a local elder. To be forgiven, he will be put to the test. Ka tatishtipatakanit (Ethereal) is a poetic lesson about respect.

EYES AND HORNS
directed by Chaerin Im
Germany/South Korea/USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
Exploration of masculinity begins with the Minotaur, a mythical creature Picasso used to portray himself in his etching print series. The Minotaur goes through a violent struggle between being male and female. Finally, lines blur and boundaries of sexes disappear.

FREE NOIR PAPILLON
directed by Lev Omelchenko
USA, 2022, English, 11 minutes
A mother explores her relationship to her pregnancy through dance, as she deals with her fear and hope about bringing a Black baby boy into the world in 2020.

GLADIOLUS
directed by Azadeh Navai
Iran/USA, 2022, Farsi, 5 minutes
An ode to a flower that once enjoyed prominence in Iranian culture, Gladiolus tells the story of its ubiquitous role in life’s important ceremonies and how it became a victim of its own popularity.

HOW TO BEHAVE AT A PARTY
directed by Allison Radomski
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
Do you feel weird around other people? Are you anxious at social gatherings? Do you often find yourself trying to seem like a normal, happy person, and then coming up short? Look no further, friend. Even though I’ve never, ever had those problems in my whole life, "How to Behave at a Party" is here to help.

IN THE FUTURE
directed by Kelly Gallagher
USA, 2021, English, 4 minutes
Knowing that another world is possible, individuals young and old share their hopes and dreams for the future.

KILL TIME
directed by Benjamin Rinehardt
USA, 2021, English, 8 minutes
An exploration of various realms, places which could be parking lots and alleyways, bars and hotels, as well as personal places such as our bedrooms and even our minds. Using painting, animation and mixed media it strives to look at and understand time and its strange elusive qualities.

LÁCRIMAS
directed by Jeremy Moss
USA, 2021, English, 14 minutes
The plants, they shine at night.  A melodrama of wavering moths, sparrows, cicadas, shadows, streams, and towering trees. A dizzying and displacing garden in a lower-key. Joan, don’t despair, tear down that tree. Paul, keep running, just flee. Burt, you ignorant f*** - it’s not your adding machine. Montgomery, stop knocking and leave.

MAY WE KNOW OUR OWN STRENGTH
directed by Jih-E Peng
USA, 2022, No Dialogue, 6 minutes
An abstract, hybrid narrative document centered around artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s similarly-titled piece exploring collective healing after sexual assault within AAPI communities, created tragically in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings. In the spirit of the installation itself, this film recreates the process of trauma, the hurdles of healing, and the strength that can be found in sharing and community.

PANDROG
directed by Jard Lerebours
USA, 2021, English, 1 minute
A poetic treatise on masculinity and the trappings of gender. Two lovers seek freedom away from Babylon. 

WHISPER, RUSTLE
directed by Maureen Zent
USA, 2021, No Dialogue, 5 minutes
Order gives way to chaos. Chaos becomes ferment. Ferment spurs fecundity. 'Whisper, Rustle' depicts this cycle with natural and stylized elements drawn primarily from the poems and prose of W. B. Yeats. Stop motion animated objects include sand, pebbles, flower petals, oak bark, leaves, gravel, sponges, seeds, egg shells, a rotting log.

EPISODIC

BRIDESMAN
directed by Julian Buchan
USA, 2022, English, 57 minutes
Bridesman follows Terry, a self-obsessed gay man, as he is forced to fulfill his bridesmaid duties for his unhinged best friend, despite his disdain for the construct of marriage and a secret romantic history with the groom. When Terry threatens to upstage the control freak Maid of honor, secrets are made public, parties are ruined and every relationship is pushed to its breaking point.

CHIQUI
directed by Carlos Cardona
USA, 2022, Spanish/English , 30 minutes
It's 1987. Chiqui and Carlos immigrate from Colombia to New Jersey to find a better life for themselves and their unborn son. Upon their arrival, they quickly realize that the American dream is not as easy to achieve as they thought.

I AM: JALAIAH
directed by Kayla Johnson
USA, 2021, English, 38 minutes
Jalaiah Harmon created one of the most viral dances of all time — the Renegade — at just 14 years old, yet she hardly reaped the fruits of her labor. But who is Jalaiah beyond this global dance phenomenon?

SOMETHING UNDONE
directed by Nicole Dorsey
Canada, 2021, English, 10 minutes
When a Foley artist goes home to settle her late mother's estate, she discovers a dark family secret and becomes obsessed with finding the truth.

METTA DA FEIN 
directed by Carlo Beer, Urs Berlinger  
Switzerland, 2020, Rhaeto-Romanic, 22 minutes
In the most beautiful village in the world, every day seems the same - until peace is shattered by a series of mysterious animal killings.

MUSIC VIDEOS

AMBER MARK - 'COMPETITION'
directed by Cara Stricker, Amber Mark
USA/UK, 2021, English/German, 4 minutes
‘Competition’ comes from a state of always comparing yourself to others and how ruthless that competitive nature can be towards yourself and towards others. The film is a reminder of how much stronger we are together.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT - ‘VIBE’
directed by Tony Reames
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Georgia's own Arrested Development is back for the final album and this is the lead single and video, "VIBE".

BABY TATE - ‘PEDI’
directed by Norton
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
F*** the high road, embrace the petty. In her video for "Pedi", Baby Tate literally pops into awkward situations to deliver an unhealthy dose of "karma".

BLANC’
directed by Wenkai Wang 
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
A couple went through emotional turbulence as if they lived in two different time zones during lockdown.

COUNT IT ALL
directed by Joshua Cleveland
USA, 2021, English, 7 minutes
A dream-like journey into the consciousness of a black woman as she navigates identity under the mental and emotional harms surrounding institutional violence and Alienation within the American system.

DON LIFTED - ‘GOLDEN (THE WAIT) FT. MADAMEFRAANKIE’
directed by Joshua Cannon & Nubia Yasin
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
“This visual is everything I saw in my head as I wrote the song. It’s confident, it's extra, it's decadent; it’s a fantastical version of how I see myself every time I sing those lyrics.”

DTG - 'I GET HAPPY WHEN I THINK OF YOU’
directed by Pong Tulyathan
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
An intoxicated and controlling man who is trying to show love in something that is not there anymore physically in human form, but is there to him mentally.

FLORENT VOLLANT - ‘NENANTUAPMANAN’
directed by Isabelle Longnus
Canada, 2021, Innu, 4 minutes
Florant Vollant, an Innu singer songwriter goes on a quest in honour of his ancestors during which he performs a ritual.

HANA VU - ‘KEEPER’
directed by Maegan Houang
USA, 2021, English, 3 minutes
No one notices when Hana Vu erupts into a cathartic breakdown at a family event.

MICHAEL MYERZ - ‘DON’T GIVE UP’
directed by Kevin Daniel Lonano
USA, 2022, English, 3 minutes
Michael Myerz is locked in the fight for his life against the reigning Monster Boxer champion, the Moxer!

MIPSTERZ - ‘ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM’
directed by Abbas Rattani
USA, 2021, English/Arabic, 5 minutes
“ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM” is a musically-driven vision of Muslim joy as resistance and liberation—an imaginative future where Muslims exist boldly.

NAOMI ALLIGATOR - ‘CONCESSION STAND GIRL’
directed by Corrinne James
USA, 2021, English, 2 minutes
A frog morphs through a colorful animated world, transforming into a variety of characters and landscapes.

OBOROZUKI
directed by Joseph Ros
Cuba, 2021, Spanish/Japan/Yoruba, 5 minutes
Katsushika Hokusai’s tentacular “Dream of the fisherman’s wife” and Afro Cuban drums are the protagonists of a syncretic ritual; music and dance lead this interesting cultural intermixing music video.

PEACH PURÉE DE PÊCHES
directed by Stephanie Burbano
Canada, 2021, French/English, 3 minutes
Band stand fever dream with goddess Elle Barbara serenading you through the new/old sexual politic.

ROCHELLE BLOOM - ‘STORIES I CREATE IN MY HEAD’
directed by Derek Evans
USA, 2021, English, 4 minutes
The video is stark and unsettling, as is the video’s emotional narrative about the struggles of family life, what defines success and living up to the expectations of others.

SOMEONE - ‘STRANGE WORLD’
directed by David Spearing
UK, 2021, English, 4 minutes
Stuck indoors during lockdown, a young woman uses her imagination to evoke magic and playfulness in the world around her, translated in a moving, modern dance.

SYD - ‘FAST CAR’
directed by Ethan Nelson and Graham Epstein
USA, 2021, English, 5 minutes
Syd (of The Internet) and her girlfriend, Ariana Simone, try their very best to film a steamy sex tape in the hills of Malibu. What starts as a seemingly impossible task ends in utter sonic bliss. 

VIRTUAL REALITY

CHILD OF EMPIRE
directed by Sparsh Ahuja, Erfan Saadati
UK, 2022, English, 17 minutes
An animated virtual reality (VR) docu-drama experience which immerses viewers in one of the largest forced migrations in human history: the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.

GREENWOOD AVENUE: A VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE
directed by Tarik Jackson, Talibah L. Newman, Spade Robinson
USA, 2021, English, 20 minutes
"Greenwood Avenue: A Virtual Reality Experience" brings us into the 1920’s world of a 14-year-old Black girl experiencing first love & devastating loss in America’s Black Wall Street.

HYDROCOSMOS
directed by Milad Tangshir
Italy, 2021, No Dialogue, 19 minutes
An immersive experience which recounts the arrival of water and the emergence of conscious life on a remote corner of the universe. It’s an abstract tale, told through a symphony of performative bodies, images, sounds, lights and shadows.

MONTEGELATO
directed by Davide Rapp
Italy, 2021, Italian, 28 minutes
A montage film in VR, the first of its kind. Hundreds of cinematic sequences define a three-dimensional collage of the Monte Gelato waterfalls (Rome, Italy) as they have been filmed in more than 180 productions including films, TV series and commercials. From peplum to western, from comedy to thriller, from science-fiction to erotica: sounds and videos expand in an immersive landscape that transports the Falls in time and space.

VIRTUALLY THERE
directed by Leon Oldstrong
UK, 2021, English, 23 minutes
Imagine seeing a tragic incident from many different angles – stepping into the shoes of everyone affected? Virtually There allows viewers to experience the effects on the people behind the statistics in an immersive 360-degree film that aims to build an emotional understanding of the devastating impact of knife crime amongst young people.

2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalists

40 Finalist Screenplays now remain in contention for the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition. The following 18 feature film scripts, 11 pilots, and 11 shorts represent the very best of 2,135 total submissions. In addition to a cash prize, these scribes are vying for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities with industry experts. Please help us in championing these amazingly impressive authors!

Feature Screenplay Finalists

ADULT SUMMER CAMP by Amanda M. Miller
ALLIGATOR WOMEN by Rachel Hoiles Farrell
COME SAIL AWAY by Cheri Steinkellner
ELLA & MARILYN by Jon Davis
THE EXIT COUNSELOR by Andrew Adams
FOLLOWING THE TRACKS by Hailey Escobar
GORDITO by Miguel Castillo
GUYS ON SATURDAY NIGHT by A. P. Hello
HE HAD HIS FATHER'S EYES by Bryan Liberty
HIGHWAY 83 by Anthony Rainone
INVISIBLE by Laura Carson & Krista Gano
MEETINGS WITH MARTY by Gregor Nicholas
RUBY SAFEWAY by Amanda Biggs
SCOUT'S HONOR by Cynthia Mersten
ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN by Jon Alston & Ron McCants
TIME ZERO by Carlo & Erin Carere
TRIP by Shannon Sipher
WILD HEARTS by Jessica Rowlands

Pilot Screenplay Finalists

ALWAYS BLUE by Taylor Coriell
THE BLUE HOUR by Dralla Aierken
BOOM LAGOON by Shaun Radecki
BROCK WILBUR: ADVENTURE PIG by Lukas Ridge
JAW CRUSHER by Santiago Fernández-Concha
KUMO by William Dobson
ROOSEVELT by Audrey & Hallie McPherson
SAVAGES by Liz Fields
SPESH by Jeff Locker
SYMBIONTS by Johnny Gilligan
UNCLE BIKE by Joslyn Jensen

Short Screenplay Finalists

AFTERLIFE by Carolyn Elsey
BLACK BUTTERFLIES by Tamara S. Hall
THE ELEPHANT KING by Pier Paolo Piccoli
HAROLD, ELECTRA AND OUR LORD, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH by Kirsty Zane
JUST LIKE SARAH by Jessica Rowlands
MRS. ANNE PARKER by Elisabeth Hayward
MY BLACK FRIEND by James Martin
A PICKLE AND A COKE by Alex Kokenis
THE PORTER AND THE STONE by Nuh Omar
A ROBIN'S CALL by Tim Dann
SONS OF TOLEDO by Matt Foss & Monty Cole

2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinalists

The Atlanta Film Society is honored to reveal the 215 screenplays advancing into the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinals. The following 105 feature film scripts, 70 pilots, and 40 shorts represent the top 10% of the 2,135 total entries. In addition to a cash prize, their authors are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities. Please join us in celebrating the amazing accomplishment these talented scribes achieved, and wish them well as they continue to compete for the distinction of being named Finalists and Winners!

Feature Screenplay Semifinalists

1 BLACK GIRL'S FAIRYTALE by Celeste Banks
ACROSS THE VEIL by Alainna MacPherson
ADULT SUMMER CAMP by Amanda M. Miller
ALLIGATOR WOMEN by Rachel Hoiles Farrell
ANN LOWE by Rodney Wilkins
AUGUST JIG by Abraham El-Raheb
BAND OF MISFITS by Manny Fonseca
THE BATTLE OF EVERMORE by Bill Burton
BEAST OF VIRGINIA by Matthew Corley
BETWIXTMAS by Cheri Steinkellner
BEYOND THE PALE by Jared Faircloth
BLACK DOLLAR by Sharif Duncan
BLACK SANTA by Parco Richardson & Aiden Chapparone
BLACK SKIES by J. Ryan Briggs
BLOOD AND THE RYE by Rajiv Shah
BLUE COMEDY by Vincent Accettola
A BOXED LIFE by Frank Mendicino
BUDDHA'S SHADOW by Pattana Thaivanich
CICADA SUMMER by Andrew Adams
THE COFFIN CLUB by Joel David Santner
COME SAIL AWAY by Cheri Steinkellner
COME TUESDAY by Jason Holmes
CONSPIRE by Aaron Strand
COP KILLER by Greg Goodness
CRADLE SONG by Celeste Chaney
DA CLUB by Christopher Celestin
THE DEATH OF ME! by Debra Jarvis
DEATH, GHOSTS, & OTHER STUFF by Shannon Walsh
DIARY OF A MUSLIM CYNIC by Sarah Mokh
DON'T GLORP MY HEART by Avery Girion
THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE by Kim Hornsby
ELLA & MARILYN by Jon Davis
THE EXIT COUNSELOR by Andrew Adams
FIREBIRD by David Jones
THE FIRST PENITENT by Josh Jacobs
FLASH CARD by Joseph Stephen Meadows
FOLLOWING THE TRACKS by Hailey Escobar
FREELANCE by Mike Gerbino
FULFILLMENT by Jeremy Christensen & Kevin Human
GO-LOVE-GO by John A. Griffin
GORDITO by Miguel Castillo
GORE VIDAL by J.R. Howell
GUYS ON SATURDAY NIGHT by A. P. Hello
THE HAGUE MOTHER by Dave Moutray
HE HAD HIS FATHER'S EYES by Bryan Liberty
HIGHWAY 83 by Anthony Rainone
HOUSTON: THE MAN WHO LYNCHED JIM CROW by Gregory Lemmons & Marc Theriault
I LOVE YOU, MARGOT ROBBIE by Sav Rodgers & Taylor Gates
INCARNATIONS by Albert M. Chan
INVISIBLE by Laura Carson & Krista Gano
IT CLINGS TO HER by Ariel Sinelnikoff
IVY by Kayla Hardy
A LABOUR OF LOVE by Olga Holtz
THE LAST LOST BOY by Mike Cochnar
LONG WAY HOME by Jamaal Pittman
THE LOST CAUSE CHATELAINS by Chris Marchesano
MADE WRIGHT by Tedros Habib
MAIN DRAG by Ryan Thorsen
MAKE BELIEVE by Brit Cowan
MEATLESS by Adam Pasen
MEETINGS WITH MARTY by Gregor Nicholas
MEG AND THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF BIBLE DRILL by Kyle A Smith
MESTENGO by Theresa A Carey
MIA'S ACCIDENTALS by Gina DeAngelis
MILES AWAY FROM HOME by Brit Cowan
MINNESOTA NICE by Jonquil Goode
MUSKET AND THE RAT by Adam Pasen & Sammy Horowitz
A MYSTIC FOG I CARRY by Yen Huang
NOT SUPER by Ethan Schneier
ONE-NIGHT STAND by Shaneequa Cannon
PERDIDO by Eduardo Maytorena
PERSEPHONE by Katherine Hill
THE PLUTOCRATS by Alison Lani
THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE by Gabe Berry
QUEER KAFIR by Danial Gondal
RADICAL by Jackie Ferro
READ BETWEEN THE LINES by Adante Watts
A REAL MAN by Magda Pazdej
RHYTHM by Liz Lachman & Cynthia Greening
RISE & GRIND by Levi McCachen
RUBY SAFEWAY by Amanda Biggs
SAFE SPACE by Madeline Rooks
SCOUT'S HONOR by Cynthia Mersten
SELKIE STORY by Fairlith Harvey
SENT AWAY by Joel McElvaney
SERIAL by Robert Benjamin
SNURSE - A MAGICAL, MAGICAL FAIRYTALE by Maxwell Alexander Drake
ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN by Jon Alston and Ron McCants
STANDARD DEVIATION by Will Downs
STATE LINE by Joe Brener
SUNFLOWER by Zac Cannon
SUNSET LANES by Elena Weinberg
THE SURVEILLANCE OF ORDINARY THINGS by Susan Brunig
TAKETH AWAY by Angel Partie & Michelle Sauer
TECHNICOLOR NOIR by Madison Sean Flannery
THE THING ITSELF by Desmond Coleman
TIME ZERO by Carlo & Erin Carere
TRAPPED by Robby Justiss
TRIP by Shannon Sipher
THE UNDEFEATED MAN by Joel Fishbane
THE UNTOLD TALE OF MORGAN BERKELEY by Simon X. Frederick
WEST OF LEONA by Christopher Thompson & Brian Cobos
WHIRLWIND by Monika Moreno-Lapp
WHITTIER by Manny Fonseca
WILD HEARTS by Jessica Rowlands

Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists

THE 40 by MB Stevens
ALEXANDRIA by Diego Sacramento
ALWAYS BLUE by Taylor Coriell
ANGEL OF SKID ROW by Aaron Michael Bailey
BACK FIRES by Alex Blumberg
BEFORE CRAZY COMES by Julie Starke
BLACKSEED by Nova Black
THE BLUE HOUR by Dralla Aierken
BOOM LAGOON by Shaun Radecki
BRAINDEAD by Valerie Parker Bodurtha
THE BROAD IN THE HUDDLE by Alexis Irvin
BROCK WILBUR: ADVENTURE PIG by Lukas Ridge
CHARCOAL by Manivone Nonthaveth
CHASING SUNSET by James L. Head
CHIKAMATSU ENDGAME by Federico Sanna
CHRISTMASTOWN by John Knauf
COLORLESS by Tom Kalaj & Jason Reif
CYBERPINK by P.A. Lopez
DARYL & D0R15 by Lukas Ridge
(DIS)ORGANIZED by Adam Pasen & Sari Sanchez
ELIZABETH LACEY by Butterfly Cherry
EXONERATED JUSTICE by Kristy Thomas
FAMILY BUSINESS by Mia Volta
FERGUSON by Jon Alston
THE FORGOTTEN PLACE by Jeff Locker
FREE SPIRITS by Katharine Densmore
THE GAYEST TOWN IN NORTH DAKOTA by Tyler Geditz
HEGEMONY by Christian Maxwell
THE INDUSTRIALIST by Vikas Bandhu
JAW CRUSHER by Santiago Fernández-Concha
KAIJUS & YOUS by Benjamin Lewis
KUMO by William Dobson
LA SIRENE by Nathalie Dortonne
LIBERTY: AN UNTOLD STORY by Kaifa Dennis & F. Ford Dennis
THE LIVING by Christopher Gallegos & Brandon Martin
LOBSTER ISLAND by Chris Willis
MATCHED by Estee Williams
MELANIN by Mark St. Cyr
MURDER-IN-MARSH by Elisabeth Hayward
OTTOMAN by Cindy Matta
OUR BODIES & OTHER SHAMES by Malka Wallick
QUEENS by Anika Shakir
QUEER AND SOUTHERN GOD by Shawn-Caulin Young & Melisse Prusinski 
QUIETUS by Priscilla Estrada
RACE & DARK ROYALTY by Natty James
THE RADICAL by Stephanie Stanley
THE RECOVERY AGENTS by Marco Santiago
RED, WHITE, & BLACK by Steven Anthony Washington
THE REPUBLIC OF WEST FLORIDA by Sam Jay Gold
ROOSEVELT by Audrey & Hallie McPherson
ROOT by Katherine Street
SAVAGES by Liz Fields
SEAFOAM by Abraham El-Raheb
SECONDHAND PAWN by Steve Holbert
SILICON WIVES by Leah Dubie
SPECIAL by Jeff Locker
ST. CASTRO ST. by Kirsten Cornay
STATE OF NATURE by Conor Canning
SYMBIONTS by Johnny Gilligan
TAMBER DAWN by Benjamin Lewis
THE THREE OF US by Janna Jilnina
TRIPPING by Joseph Scott Ford
UNCLE BIKE by Joslyn Jensen
UNEDUCATED by Octavia Clahar
UNTIMELY by Allison Sanchez
THE VILNA CHRONICLES by Ira Fuchs
WALL OF SLEEP by Stephanie Stanley
WHERE LIGHT HIDES by Yvonne Paulin
WOLF'S HEAD by Samuel Anderson
YONGE STREET STRIP by Lisa Gold

Short Screenplay Semifinalists

1996 by Ra A. Hearne
AFTERLIFE by Carolyn Elsey
AREZOU by Sarah Chang Tadayon
BANDIT by Ali Keller
BETTY ANN by Barbara Weetman
BLACK BUTTERFLIES by Tamara S. Hall
BOMB GIRL BALLET by Jennifer Giacalone
CHOPPED by Quenten McNair
COPAL by Kiki Tsakalakis
THE ELEPHANT KING by Pier Paolo Piccoli
GAY, ASIAN, IMMIGRANT by Ushmey Chakraborty
GOOD GIRL by Haley Dercher
GROUP THERAPY by Evelyn Anna Danciger
HAROLD, ELECTRA AND OUR LORD, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH by Kirsty Zane
IDENTIFICATION by Larry Collins
JUST LIKE SARAH by Jessica Rowlands
KENNEDYS DON'T CRY by Francesco Capussela
MRS. ANNE PARKER by Elisabeth Hayward
MY BLACK FRIEND by James Martin
ONE WHO KNOWS by Shiloh Nyce
OURS by Julie Cohen
THE PEOPLE OF LONG, LONG AGO V. CATERPILLAR by Shaun Radecki
PERMISSION by Joe Capucini
A PICKLE AND A COKE by Alex Kokenis
PIECE OF CAKE by Jamaal Pittman
PLATYPUS by Michael Mau
PONTUS by Nicolas Diaz
THE PORTER AND THE STONE by Nuh Omar
REAL GOOD AT BEING ALONE by Carly Kimmel
REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS by Phil Vengrinovich
A ROBIN'S CALL by Tim Dann
SCARRED by Laura O. Solow
SHARDS by Carolyn Elsey
SONS OF TOLEDO by Matt Foss & Monty Cole
SUNKEN MEADOW by Courtney DeStefano
TO HAVE & TO HOLD by Ali Keller
TREE O' MINE by Bernhard Riedhammer
THE UNTAMED by Olga Holtz
WHERE PENGUINS LAY by Solomon Amadiume
WHO WE ARE by Kagure Kabue