The 49th Annual Atlanta Film Festival and Creative Conference

It’s time for my favorite event in Atlanta, the Atlanta Film Festival! As one of the largest and longest-running festivals in the country, ATLFF welcomes an audience of over 28,000 annually to discover hundreds of new independent, international, animated, documentary, and short films selected from 8000+ submissions worldwide. As always, there is an emphasis on films celebrating the local area, with films at the festival tied to Georgia filmmakers. Attending the Atlanta Film Festival is a must for film lovers. ATLFF is presenting some of the best upcoming films that Hollywood has to offer, including movies from top studios and films, along with films from around the world.

The 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival and Creative Conference will take place Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, May 4, 2024, at the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre in Atlanta, with some of its lineup available virtually.

The long-running festival has always been a distinguished event, recognized as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine. Atlanta Film Festival has been celebrated as the Best Film Festival by Creative Loafing, Sunday Paper, 10Best, and Atlanta Magazine.

The opening night presentation of Color Book is on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Plaza Theatre. Directed by David Fortune, the film follows a devoted father who is learning to raise his son with Down Syndrome as a single parent after his wife passes. Director David Fortune, executive producer Naturi Naughton, cast members Will Catlett, Brandee Evans, Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, and producers Kiah Clingman and Kristen Uno will be in attendance.

On Saturday night, April 26, at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, there will be a special presentation of the documentary The Games in Black & White. Centered on the inspirational friendship of icons Andrew Young and Billy Payne, the most successful Black and White partnership in the American South in the civil rights era. The Games in Black & White presents the first comprehensive look at Atlanta’s Olympics from bid to legacy and the city’s transformation that followed. Ambassador Andrew Young, Billy Payne, and Dallas Austin are expected to attend.

Sunday night, April 27, at the Plaza Theatre, there will be the marquee presentation of Shadow Force. In Shadow Force, Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They break the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes an all-out war. Lead Actress and Producer Kerry Washington will be in attendance.

On Friday night, May 2nd, at the Tara Theatre, A Cappella Books presents An Evening with Ed Helms with his book “SNAFU.” Actor, comedian, writer, and host of the hit podcast “SNAFU” Ed Helms comes to the historic Tara Theatre for a hilarious and history-packed evening in celebration of his new book, “SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups.”

The festival is also known for its short film categories and is one of the few festivals in the country that offer Academy Award-qualifying for all three short categories: Narrative, Documentary, and Animated.

The 15th annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, returns on Thursday, April 24th - Friday, May 3rd. The Creative Conference provides educational programs for aspiring filmmakers, festivalgoers, newcomers, and community members to gain insight from industry experts. The Creative Conference features workshops, panels, talks, and demos that will delve into the world of filmmaking, focusing on topics such as screenwriting, pitching, acting, producing, casting, funding, and distribution and how they all come together to make a film or television episode.

The full schedule of films and events is available at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com and through the ATLFF 2025 app. Festival passes are on sale now on the site. Tickets for individual events will be available online.