Atlanta Film Society Announces First 14 Selections from 2017 Atlanta Film Festival

After the 40th annual Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) in April of 2016 saw record-breaking numbers of works submitted, festival attendees and media impressions, the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS) immediately put plans in place to maintain the momentum. In preparation for the 41st ATLFF next spring, the organization is pleased to announce a first slate of programming comprising feature length and short films, narratives, documentaries, pilot episodes, music videos, animation, puppetry, experimental and virtual reality.

“We are really excited to release a first wave of films that represents every category of our festival programming,” said ATLFS Executive Director Christopher Escobar. “ATLFF isn’t just one thing, and by including short films, pilots and virtual reality alongside features, we are presenting a greater picture of what to expect this year.”

"Tower" Review (***½)

"Tower" mixes animation with archival footage.

"Tower" follows the tragic story of the 1966 University of Texas at Austin sniper shooting. This documentary brilliantly juxtaposes live action film, radio archives, and animations to parallel the narration of both survivors and witnesses to the event.

One thing I had difficulty remembering was how unheard of school shootings were at the time. It's almost an unsettling blast from the past into just a relevant presence, but one important aspect of this film is that it does not 'glorify' the killer. "Tower" truly focuses on the heroes and survivors, while honoring the victims.

Macon Film Festival: 2016 Award Winners

Seckeita Lewis' "Jerico" was crowned the Audience Award-winning Narrative
Feature at the 2016 Macon Film Festival.

The 2016 Macon Film Festival was a roaring success on all fronts. Kicking off with a Sundance Institute Short Film Master Class and a 30th anniversary screening of "Pretty in Pink" with special guest Andrew McCarthy, the 11th edition of the festival continued the trends of growth in attendance and maturity in programming.

The Jury and Audience Award winners have been released, with no film taking more than one prize. "Jasmine" won the Narrative Feature jury award, while Linda J. Brown's "You See Me" took home the Documentary jury prize. Georgia-lensed documentary "Hotel Clermont" was the audience's choice in the nonfiction lineup. "Jerico" won the Karen Black Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature.

Check out the full list of winners after the jump.

Georgia Filmmakers Spotlight an Iconic Location and a Quirky Phenomenon in Documentaries "Hotel Clermont" (****) & "Eat White Dirt" (****½)

Tammy Wright, the primary subject of "Eat White Dirt."

One of the greatest appeals of a film festival is its ability to introduce audiences to stories from around the globe. And while I enjoy seeing the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's nighttime streets and the breathtaking high-altitude views of the Himalayas on the big screen, there's something remarkably special about seeing a film that highlights the stories right in my backyard.

Two Georgia-lensed documentary shorts have been making waves among the southern film festival circuit: "Hotel Clermont" by Heather Hutson and "Eat White Dirt" by Adam Forrester. Both screened earlier this year at the Atlanta Film Festival and both came away with notable awards—"Hotel Clermont" won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short and "Eat White Dirt" won the Seed&Spark Jury Award. Although I missed their screenings in Atlanta back in April, I made sure to catch them this weekend during the Macon Film Festival's "Southern Stories" shorts block, and I'm so glad I did.

"Legs: A Big Issue in a Small Town" Review - Macon Film Festival (**)

The titular, controversial sculpture of Sag Harbor, New York.

Four years before Angelina Jolie stunned the world on the 2012 Oscar Red Carpet with her bold, leggy pose, there was another pair of legs that caused quite a flurry of reactions and opinions. In 2008, eccentric art gallerists Janet Lehr and Ruth Vered erected a 16 foot tall, fiberglass sculpture of a pair of stocking-clad legs outside their home in the small, conservative town of Sag Harbor. Cue the controversy.

14 Films to See at the 2016 Macon Film Festival

Middle Georgia's main film event returns for its 11th edition on July 21-24. While the festival focuses on music and Southern documentary, there's something for everyone.

A 30th anniversary presentation of John Hughes' classic "Pretty in Pink" with star Andrew McCarthy is a good hook. So is a Sundance Master Class with Georgia-born director James Ponsoldt. So are special screenings of Ponsoldt's critically-acclaimed hits "The Spectacular Now" and "The End of the Tour." But the 11th annual Macon Film Festival has a whole lot more to offer!

A couple of years deep into Macon's focused effort to spotlight music-themed films and Southern non-fiction, the festival is bursting with promising offerings in both categories. Pepper in loads of Georgia-lensed shorts, some festival circuit hits, diverse international offerings and quality workshops—you have yourself a dynamite 4-day event.

We've highlighted 14 films from this year's Macon Film Festival that you must check out!

What to See at the 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

The largest Jewish film festival in the world returns for its Sweet Sixteen. Here is a list of titles for you to check out during the 23-day event.

We love that each new year of the Georgia film festival circuit kicks off with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The city's most widely attended film event stretches out over three weeks at eight different venues across Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Alpharetta, Marietta, Vinings and Sandy Springs. No film festival in the state packs the house as consistently as AJFF and we are looking forward to joining in the opening night ceremonies on Tuesday, January 26 at the Cobb Energy Centre.

This year's lineup is as strong as ever, with films pouring in from all over the world and covering all sorts of thematic ground. Whether you want academic documentaries, Israeli award-winners, Japanese biopics, romantic comedies, musicals or whatever else you can think of—AJFF '16 has it.

We've compiled a long list of films you must see this year! See our picks after the jump.

The Goods: 20 Should-Be Oscar Contenders from 2015

The year is over. A lot of films have come and gone, but a few managed to stick in our heads for perhaps longer than we expected. Will these titles and their stars pop-up on the Academy's list in a couple weeks? Probably not, but maybe they should! 

We have compiled 20 should-be contenders this awards season. Some of them might surprise you! Who do you think should be in the conversation? Check out our list and leave a comment.

"Meru" Review (****)

Shark's Fin, the real star of the extreme sports documentary "Meru."

“Meru,” directed by Jimmy Chin and E. Chain Vasarhelyi, is the harrowing true story of three climbers who dare venture upon this world’s steepest and most challenging of climbs. Conrad Anker (a climber known for his relentlessness, but made famous by his discovery of the remains of George Mallory’s body), Jimmy Chin (National Geographic photographer, world-class climber, and the film's director), and Renan Ozturk (talented climbing up-and-comer) are willing to test the limits of their potentials, they’re willing to push themselves to do what, literally and truly, no man has ever done before.

"Best of Enemies" Review (****½)

William F. Buckley, Jr. and Gore Vidal in "Best of Enemies."

For our illumination, enlightenment, and consideration, Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon give us “Best of Enemies;" a superb examination of William F. Buckley, Jr., Gore Vidal, and how ABC pitted them against each other in order to save the network from impending doom. Through ten televised debates circling the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968, Buckley and Vidal devolved from intellectuals into petty rivals, and a road to our current normalization of morally-void cutthroat political commentary was paved.

With this at its center, the film poses what I learned wasn’t an unintentional question through a Q&A with the filmmakers:

At what cost did ABC succeed? Was it worth it? 

"The Wolfpack" Review (****)

"The Wolfpack:" Mukunda, Bhagavan, Govinda, Narayana, Jagadisa,
and Krsna Angulo.

Almost five years ago, five tall, dark, and slender full-suited boys in sunglasses ran past Crystal Moselle on First Avenue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

"I had a hunch there was something going on there. So I chased after them," said Moselle, Director and Producer of "The Wolfpack" during the Q&A after its Savannah Film Festival screening on October 24th. "They asked what I do, and I told them I was a filmmaker, which made them really excited. They'd only been out for about a week."

"Frame by Frame" Review (*****)

Farzana Wahidy in the documentary "Frame by Frame."

“Frame by Frame” is an elegant and symphonic documentary tribute to the empathy and integrity of the photojournalist, and it might be the most impactful documentary of my generation.

In a country once ruled by a regime that criminalized photography for half a decade, directors Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli weave together the ground-breaking work of four photojournalists capturing the aftermath of a post-Taliban Afghanistan.

"Finders Keepers" Review (****½)

John Wood loses his leg twice in "Finders Keepers."

"Finders Keepers" is easily the most unbelievable documentary I’ve seen in years. The premise alone is enough to make you laugh and think, 'there’s no way that happened.' But it did. And not only did it happen —it happened mostly on camera (thank goodness). I swear my jaw dropped at least five times.

The film follows two men who get wrapped up in a legal battle over the possession of one of the men’s legs. It all starts when Shannon Whisnant, a local resident of Maiden, North Carolina, buys an abandoned storage unit filled with someone else’s junk. Whisnant opens up an old, rusted smoker that was sitting in the back of the unit and finds a human leg—skin and all. Intertwined with this half of the story, we also learn about John Wood—a kind-hearted man whose addictions and financial struggles forced him to stop making payments on his storage unit in which he was storing his amputated leg.

10th Annual Macon Film Festival Kicks Off with "Mavis!" (****)

Mavis Staples stars as Mavis Staples in her documentary called "Mavis!" (Staples).

“I’ll stop singing when I have nothing left to say… and that ain’t gonna happen.” That’s our introduction to Mavis Staples in the Jessica Edwards' documentary “Mavis!” Mavis is a wildly compelling and gregarious 76-year-old with a voice that booms like thunder. The exclamation point that end caps the title of the film is so perfectly befitting—it’s a wonder she doesn’t simply spell her name that way; the title is screaming at you with a smile and a buoyancy that floats you through the film. Mavis is without a doubt, the living, breathing, heart-pumping definition of an exclamation point, radiating a charisma and earnestness so vivid and loud that it nearly knocks you out of your chair.

Macon Film Festival: 2015 Award Winners

Sara Casasnovas and Jesús Lloveras star in "Day Release (Tercer Grado),"
winner of Best Narrative Feature and Excellence in Directing awards.

The tenth anniversary of the Macon Film Festival saw its most high profile guest yet (Burt Reynolds), its highest attendance yet and—in the honest opinion of this annual attendee and film critic—its best programming yet. While special screenings of "Deliverance," "Sharky's Machine," "Slow West" and opening night presentation "Mavis!" have garnered the most attention, the entire lineup is glittered with exceptional films across the board.

Several selections won two awards—"Jinxy Jenkins, Lucky Lou" took home the Best Animated Short and Excellence in Editing awards, "Forced Contact" was awarded both Best LGBT Short and Excellence in Cinematography honors, and "Day Release (Tercer Grado)" received awards for Best Narrative Feature and Excellence in Directing.

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

Review: "Cartel Land" (***½)

Meth lab in Michoacán, Mexico

"Breaking Bad" meets "The Hurt Locker" in "Cartel Land," Director Matthew Heineman's investigative documentary about two vigilante forces and their common enemy: the Mexican drug cartels. Stateside we have Tim "Nailer" Foley, head of the Arizona Border Recon, armed and ready to stop the drug war from crossing the border into Altar Valley. In Michoacán, Mexico, Dr. Jose "El Doctor" Mireles leads the Autodefensas—a citizen militia determined to dethrone the Knight Templars, a ruthless cartel that terrorizes the community.

2015 Macon Film Festival Complete Lineup Revealed

This year's Macon Film Festival is bound to be the biggest event yet. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Macon announced last year that it would move the four-day event from February to July, coinciding with the city's annual Bragg-Jam Music Festival—creating a ten-day mega event in downtown Macon.

Kicking off our annual coverage of middle Georgia's premiere film event, we are pleased to showcase the entire lineup! Several great films are to be showcased this year, including many Georgia features and shorts, several films that also played the 2015 Atlanta Film Festival ("Divided Time," "Frame by Frame," "Old South," "Wildlike") and some very special presentations to be attended by #GAfilm icon Burt Reynolds.

OPENING NIGHT:

MAVIS!

USA (Director: Jessica Edwards) – Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples' message of love and equality is needed now more than ever.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS:

Special Screening of DELIVERANCE (1972) 

USA (Director: John Boorman) – Burt Reynolds scheduled to attend a Q&A following the screening of this iconic Georgia film. 

HOW SWEET THE SOUND: BLIND BOYS FROM ALABAMA
USA (Director: Leslie McCleave) – Directed and Produced by Leslie McCleave Filmed over the course of ten years, How Sweet the Sound tells the story of The Blind Boys of Alabama. They met as children in the 1930’s at a state-run segregated vocational school and would become one of the last great gospel quartets, traversing the famed “gospel highway” and beyond. As the surviving band members recount their unlikely success story, we see a rare, frank view of life on and off the road with these renowned performers, now in their 70’s and 80’s.

LIVE FROM NEW YORK!
USA (Director: Bao Nguyen) – "Saturday Night Live" has been reflecting and influencing life in the United States for 40 years. Live From New York! goes deep inside this cultural phenomenon exploring the laughter that pulses through American politics, tragedy and popular culture.

Special Screening of SHARKY’S MACHINE (1981) 

USA (Director: Burt Reynolds) – Reynolds scheduled to attend a Q&A following this Closing Night screening. 

SLOW WEST

United Kingdom/New Zealand (Director: John Maclean) – "Slow West" follows a 16-year-old boy on a journey across 19th Century frontier America in search of the woman he loves, while accompanied by mysterious traveler Silas. The film stars Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

WESTERN
USA (Director: Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross) – For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, TX, from Piedras Negras, MX, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.

The Short Circuit: 2015 GSU Student Film Festival Jury Selections Screen at the High Museum of Art

GSUFF sign outside the Hill Auditorium.

Last Thursday, twelve jury selected student films screened at the annual GSU Student Film Festival (GSUFF) at the renowned High Museum of Art. These films were selected from over sixty submitted works produced in Georgia State University media production courses during the past academic year. Yours truly was in attendance to give you a look into a night of exciting student films.

A wide variety of works were represented throughout the night, with films ranging from documentaries on music and dance to stop motion animation and experimental films. Parents seem to be an inspiration among this year's filmmakers with films such as "Dad," "Mom," and "Emilio" portraying the struggles and lives of caregivers. While some films stood out through breathtaking cinematography and film editing, others got lost in the crowd. But as a whole, I was thoroughly impressed with the programming of the night.

ATLFF Review: "Old South" (***)

"Old South" screened at the 39th annual Atlanta Film Festival

Set against the backdrop of a divided Athens community, "Old South" explores the neighborhood struggle between two communities and their desire to preserve their historical legacies. On one side, there is Kappa Alpha (KA), a white fraternity known to fly the Confederate flag and stage antebellum-style parades. They move into a predominantly black neighborhood, whose citizens are still very much aware of the treatment their ancestors endured from the Civil War era. Through candid interviews with its residents, the documentary does an appropriate job of providing perspectives from two racially different communities. However, the documentary itself is decent at best and I would not consider it a "must-see" from the Atlanta Film Festival.

ATLFF Review & Interview: "Janey Makes A Play" (****)

To know Janey is to love Janey. A dancing, chuckling, playwriting 90-year-old great-grandmother, Janey Callahan-Chin is the essence of youth. Her unwavering positivity and bulletproof work ethic have shaped an indispensable role in the small town community of Rio Vista, California: she's been writing, directing, and producing local stage plays for thirteen years. "Janey Makes A Play" documents Janey's non-profit troop No Small Thing Productions as they prepare for their eighteenth play—an original story about a mortgage banker, his daughter, and the quest to save their town from The Great Depression. Director Jared Callahan (AD on "I Am Not A Hipster" and the short that inspired "Short Term 12") delivers his feature-length debut with graceful command and charming purpose. This Atlanta Film Festival World Premiere is a tender, joyous must-see.