The 50th 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 festival films tied to Georgia filmmakers. Attending the Atlanta Film Festival is a must for film lovers. ATLFF is presenting some of the best upcoming films Hollywood has to offer, including movies from top studios and from around the world.

The 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival and Creative Conference will take place Thursday, April 23 - Sunday, May 3, 2024, at the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre in Atlanta, with some of its lineup available virtually from May 4th - 11th.

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

Opening night on Thursday, April 23rd, will feature Idiots, directed by Macon Blair and filmed in Georgia. Emmy-winning producer Alex Orr, Executive Producer Joshua Harris, and actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. will attend.

Also on the same night, the premiere of the limited series documentary, The Birth of Trap Music, makes its debut. Stars and Executive Producers T.I. and Drumma Boy, among other cast members, will walk the red carpet ahead of the Opening Night and take part in a post-screening Q&A following the documentary screening.

On Friday, April 24, the Tara Theatre will screen One Spoon of Chocolate at 8 pm. The event will be attended by the film’s director, RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and director. The cast features Shameik Moore, Paris Jackson, Blair Underwood, Michael Harney, and Emyri Crutchfield.

A special screening of Gifted will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Tara Theater at 5 pm, with Emmy and Critics Choice Award-nominated star McKenna Grace in attendance. Grace will receive ATLFF’s Phoenix Award at the event, honoring her achievements, career momentum, and ongoing contributions to Atlanta’s film industry.

Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning actress and singer Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple, Peacemaker) will attend a special screening of If I Go Will They Miss Me at the 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

2026 IMAGE Film Awards Gala, part of the festival’s milestone 50th anniversary, will be held Friday, May 1, at Assembly Atlanta, recognizing standout contributions to film, television, and Georgia’s creative community.

This year’s honorees include Will Packer (Ossie Davis Award), Josh Brolin, Carrie Preston, Hilton Howell, and Georgia Entertainment (IMAGE Film Awards), David Cross (Rebel Award), and Alex Orr, who will receive the inaugural Will Packer Award.

The Closing Night film on Saturday, 2nd, will be Boots Riley's I Love Boosters, starring Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore.

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 annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, runs April 28 to May 1st. 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.

Highlights include conversations with David Cross and directors Craig Zobel (The Penguin) and James Ponsoldt (Spectacular Now), alongside sessions such as Practical AI for Independent Filmmakers, Inside the Independent Film Ecosystem, and Creating Creature FX and Puppetry for Indies.

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

Arrival

My View:  Arrival  (2016) PG-13  When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks, and the team, race against time for answers. With splashes of Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Nolan's Interstellar and Zemeckis's Contact, director Denis Villeneuve brings us highly creative, original and moving film about attempting to communicate with a species that seems so different from us, but just might be coming from the same common ground. Louise has to use not only her intellect to try to communicate with the aliens but also must use her humanity as well. Adams is scintillating as the woman who is the key to being able to communicate the aliens. She gives a multi-layered performance that shows Louise's strength and her vulnerability, sometimes at almost the same time. Adams has always projected a likeability in her performances, and it's essential in this film as we, the audience, have to be able to root for her character to persevere, no matter how small the rabbit hole she is taking us down. Arrival is full of wonder and amazement while creating a tension-filled ending that you will be thinking about long after this film has left the theaters. If we do ever encounter aliens, let's hope we have the brains and leadership that are displayed in this film.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Arrival Website

Indiefest:  Christine  (2016) R  Christine (Rebecca Hall) works as a reporter for a small TV news station.  All she wants is to be the best reporter that she can be, but she just may be her own worst enemy. Director Antonio Campos brings us this film based on a real person, Christine Chubbuck, a troubled and awkward reporter who had lofty goals but was probably destined to work in small markets for the rest of her career. Campos does the almost impossible, making Christine a sympathetic character, humanizing a very complicated person who had a lot of problems. Much of the credit for making a rigid and sometimes unlikable person come to life is Rebecca Hall. Her performance is dazzling, as she makes this socially awkward, determined person come to life. Hall has Christine's mannerism down, making her a person who has trouble relating to ideas such as dating or dealing with a boss you don't agree with. Hall works well with the other actors in the film, especially Michael C. Hall, who plays George, the cocky anchor that Christine is so enamored with. While I did not enjoy the final scenes of the film, those can be overlooked because of the Academy Award level performance by Rebecca Hall. You may not always like Christine, but because of Hall, you get to know her and understand why she ultimately did what she did.     My Rating: Full Price   Christine Website

My View:  Almost Christmas  (2016)  PG-13   Widower Walter (Danny Glover) wants his children to spend Christmas at his house. If they survive the experience, it will be a “Christmas miracle. Will Packer, who has produced films such as Think Like a Man (2012), About Last Night (2014) and The Wedding Ringer (2015), makes films that audience have a good time watching but are highly predictable. There will be a break up (probably due to infidelity), there will be a star-crossed couple that will get back together, family is placed first in importance, and there will be some sort of happy ending. While I found this film mildly amusing, there were three women seated next to me at the screening that laughed so hard I was worried one of them would have a heart attack.  Almost Christmas isn’t a bad film. I just don’t think it was as funny as it could have been and it’s simple, predictable ending could have been written better.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee     Almost Christmas Website  

Indiefest:  Loving  (2016)  PG-13  Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga) get married in 1958. They are sentenced to prison in Virginia because they are an interracial couple.  It’s a story of incredible courage, and we suffer at every indignity the Loving’s suffer in this film. Being told that your love is illegal and you must leave your home and family if you want to stay together, is heartbreaking and focus the Loving’s to make incredibly tough choices. Nichols lets us into their world slowly, letting us understand the time-period and just what they were dealing with on a daily basis. Joel Egerton absolutely embodies Richard Loving, the bricklaying country boy who falls in love with his whole head and heart. It’s an incredible performance of a man who takes simple pleasures and makes them his to savor. He has found a channel into this man’s soul and lets us all understand the man with a screen presence that while strong, also seems to sink a little into doorways. Ruth Negga gives an equally powerful performance as the woman who is defiant in her love for a man that is her soul mate. Negga gives Mildred an air of strength and steely resolve, whether trying to survive alone in a cell or deciding where to have her child. Nichols has done a masterful job of making this true story real and meaningful. The Loving’s story is one for the ages, and this film will stay with you for a long time.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Loving Facebook Page

Indiefest:  Tower  (2016)    Fifty years ago a man rode the elevator to the 27th floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, killing 16 people and wounding 32 others. This film doesn’t tell his story but the story of the people on the ground, some of which risked their lives to help others. The film uses rotoscoping animation and actors to retell in a documentary format this harrowing day in American history. This engrossing film is as suspenseful as any big, edge of your seat Hollywood suspense film. The animation is distinctive and really helps the storytelling. This is one of the best films of the year and should not be missed.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Tower Website

Forgotten Film:  Cross Creek (1983)  PG  In the 1930’s Marjorie Rawlings (Mary Steenburgen) moved from New York City and high society to Florida’s Everglades so that she could write. But the surroundings are not as isolated as she would like and she encounters an old, grizzled man (Rip Torn), a young store owner (Peter Coyote) and a young girl (Dana Hill). All these people along with the setting would be the inspiration for her novel “The Yearling.”  Steenburgen shines as the fish out of water but determined Rawlings. Peter Coyote, playing the love interest and Alfre Woodard, as the neighbor who takes Rawlings under her wing, give masterful performances. The real star of this film is the outstanding cinematography that highlights the rugged but beautiful land.   My Rating:  Full Price   Cross Creek Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Christine: Chicken Wrangler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Manchester by the Sea  (2016)  R  When his brother Joe dies, Lee (Casey Affleck) is forced to take care of his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges)  in his hometown. The big problem is coming back to your hometown; you have to see people you left to avoid.  Critics that have seen this movie are saying that Affleck and Michelle Williams, who plays the ex-wife, give Oscar caliber performances.   Manchester by the Sea Website

Until Next Time!