A Conversation With Lanre Olabisi, Director of ATLFF World Premiere “Somewhere in the Middle” (****)

Cassandra Freeman and Charle Miller star in "Somewhere In The Middle"

I had the good fortune of working with Lanre Olabisi, writer/director/creator of “Somewhere in the Middle,” at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival Writer’s Retreat. With him was his new wife, Tiffany Smile, whom he married on Saturday. Yes, this past Saturday… be sure to ask to see their wedding video. It’s beautiful.

Lanre won the ATLFF Screenplay Competition in 2009 and has returned this year as a mentor for this year’s winners. He’s thoughtful and kind and just as excited to show you his film as you should be to see it. In between workshopping scripts, we had a chance to sit down and talk about his newest feature.

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.

ATLFF Review: "Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi" (****)

"Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi" has its world premiere at the
39th annual Atlanta Film Festival

I have to admit, I have always preferred narratives to documentaries. For me, narratives provided an opportunity to escape, to enter a world with thrilling fictional stories and characters that everyday life simply could not provide. “Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi” proved me wrong. This documentary by Neal Broffman, an ex-CNN journalist, is as engaging as it is meaningful. Sunil’s story absolutely demands to be shared with the world, and the fact that these events actually occurred make this film that much more engrossing.