Complete lineup of the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival

Less than two weeks away, the 38th edition of the Atlanta Film Festival is surely the most exciting yet. The lineup is striking—composed of previous festival hits and world premieres, international narratives and documentaries on a myriad of subjects. Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Toronto all send their greatest hits of the past few months, but plenty of new local fare and standout docs from the Savannah Film Festival and Macon Film Festival ("Mayan Blue" [Savannah], "Brothers Hypnotic" [Savannah & Macon], "A Fragile Trust" [Macon]) dot the lineup as well.

Local feature titles include narratives "A is for Alex" and "The Unwanted" as well as documentaries "Limo Ride" and "Mayan Blue." Georgia-connected filmmakers share films like "Beside Still Waters" and "Bayou Maharajah" and a host of Georgia set, shot and connected short films feature in several different blocks.

The Atlanta Film Festival has worked very hard in recent years to clarify its voice and put on an organized, polished presentation. It has continued to grow and mature, leading up its 40th birthday in 2016, a feat that few festivals can boast—many likely never reaching that far.

You can bet that Reel Georgia will feature plenty of coverage of this very promising edition of the Grande Dame of Georgia's festival circuit. Look forward to a massive 'What to see,' Georgia film spotlights, red carpet interviews and reviews in the coming weeks. For now, check out the complete lineup!

OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION

Joe
directed by David Gordon Green USA, 2014, English, 114 minutes
A gripping mix of friendship, violence and redemption erupts in the contemporary South in "Joe," directed by David Gordon Green. "Joe" brings Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage back to his indie roots in the title role as the hard-living, hot-tempered, ex-con Joe Ransom, who is just trying to dodge his instincts for trouble—until he meets a hard-luck kid played by Tye Sheridan (“Mud,” “The Tree of Life”), who awakens in him a fierce and tender-hearted protector. With a screenplay by Gary Hawkins, “Joe” is based on the novel by the late Larry Brown (“Big Bad Love,” “Facing the Moon”), the former Mississippi firefighter renowned for his powerful, gothic storytelling and universal themes of honor, desperation and moral rectitude.

CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION

The Double
directed by Richard Ayoade UK, 2013, English, 93 minutes
Simon James is a ghost. Friends, family, and coworkers meet his every action with complete indifference. He grimly goes through the motions, hoping for recognition that never comes. All of this changes when James Simon arrives. Physically, James and Simon are dead ringers. Yet in temperament, James is everything Simon is not: personable, spontaneous, assertive and desirable. When James begins to take over Simon’s life, he is forced to act. Jesse Eisenberg’s fantastic double performance is bolstered by a cast of seasoned character actors who bring Simon James’s gloomy retro world to life. Directed with a deftly comic hand and assured visual technique by Richard Ayoade, "The Double" is a stylish black comedy with acerbic wit to spare.

Macon Review bundle: "Desires of the Heart" (**½), "Brothers Hypnotic" (****), "A Fragile Trust" (****½)

Val Lauren and Alicia Minshew star in "Desires of the Heart"

"Desires of the Heart"

Shot on location in Savannah and India, this is director James Kicklighter’s first feature length narrative. The story follows Kris Sharma (Val Lauren) as he navigates his identity in family and in love. His encounter with Madeline (Alicia Minshew) challenges what he thought he knew about himself and, ultimately, destiny. The screenplay, which Kicklighter describes as having been 'rewritten every day,' seems like it was; I’d like to think the performances would have been better should the actors been provided a less pliable script. While the photography only ever aids very genuine emotion, the sound editing and film length leave me excited—generously stated—to partake in Kicklighter’s next, new and improved venture.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Reviews for "Brothers Hypnotic" and "A Fragile Trust" after the jump.

Macon Film Festival: 2014 Award Winners

Ben Rameaka stars in "The Last of the Great Romantics," winner of the
Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature

This year's Macon Film Festival has been a success on all fronts—great films, great filmmaker interaction and a wider audience than ever before. Jury winners were announced last night, with "The Last of the Great Romantics" taking home the Best Narrative Feature prize and "A Fragile Trust" (also a selection for the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival) taking home the prize for Best Documentary Feature. Other winners include "Humanexus," "Lapsus," "Tu Seras Un Homme" and "When My Sorrow Died."

The festival wraps up today and Audience Award winners will be announced tonight. Check out the complete list of winners after the jump.

What to see at the 2014 Macon Film Festival

Middle Georgia's premiere film event gets ready to kick off its ninth year of festivities with film screenings, workshops, celebrity guests, after parties—and of course, its signature drink, the Magatini.

The 9th Annual Macon Film Festival happens this week, kicking off Thursday, February 27th and running through Sunday, March 2nd! I'm excited to say this will be my third year in attendance; Macon having become one of my year's biggest highlights.

The Macon Film Festival is an excellent display of community—both in terms of local arts fans and filmmakers alike. This year's events look to be their most high profile yet. Not only are several filmmakers scheduled to attend, but Matthew Modine—award-winning actor of film, television and stage—will be honored Saturday, March 1st with a 30th anniversary screening of "Birdy."

Music documentaries have a bright spotlight at this year's festival, with "Muscle Shoals" opening the fest and a handful of other selections dotting the lineup. Georgia productions are front-and-center as well, with "Brother's Keeper," "Congratulations!," "Desires of the Heart" and "The Space Jockey Pursuit" being just a few of the locally produced selections. As usual, documentaries account for some of the festival's most promising selections. "Brothers Hypnotic" and "A Fragile Trust" were both recently announced as selections for the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival as well, with the former having won the Documentary Jury Prize at the Savannah Film Festival last year.

There are plenty of great films to check out at this year's festival, in addition to some awesome conferences and panels held throughout the long weekend. After the jump, we've highlighted eleven features and four short films worth checking out!

Macon Film Festival announces 2014 competition lineup for Animation, Documentary categories

The Macon Film Festival is getting an early start on its 9th edition. Today, the festival announced its competition lineup in the Documentary Feature, Documentary Short and Animation categories. The festival takes place from February 27th through March 2nd.

While the selections in these categories showcase films from the USA, Iceland, the Netherlands and Russia, the festival will also feature selections from France, India, Italy, Lebanon, Sweden and the United Kingdom. More films will be announced in the coming weeks, including the competition lineups for the Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Student Short, Music Documentary and Music Video categories. Each night of the Macon Film Festival features a special screening, often including a special guest and/or anniversary presentation of a beloved film. Wonderful music documentary "Muscle Shoals" has already been announced as the first special screening for the 2014 festival.

Check out the first films announced after the jump. More information will be posted as it becomes available. In the meantime, check out www.maconfilmfestival.com for more information.