You Can Find Me in the A: EDBI Festival Preview

MORE THAN MUSIC: SENEGAL

With less than one week until the 40th anniversary #ATLFF, we can hardly contain our excitement! Tuesday night at Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge, we're sharing it with you. Join us for our monthly Eat, Drink & B-Indie event presented by Stella Artois for a look into our local lineup and the filmmakers behind it!

Artist minds behind features, shorts, virtual reality and art installations will be present with trailers and screening details. Become familiar with ATLFF alumni just two days before we kick off the best part of our year!

Guest appearances include:

Babacar Ndiaye — More Than Music: Senegal [STEEL block]
Brian Lonano and Victoria Cook — Gwilliam [STEEL + WOOL blocks]
James Martin & Jen West — The New Orleans Sazerac [STEEL + COTTON blocks]
Brit Wigintton & Grey Clawson — Violet [STEEL block]
Robyn Hicks — Que Sera - Atlanta Film Festival World Premiere [RUBY block]
Russell Sheaffer & Aaron Smith — On Surgery [COPPER block] + It's So Easy (The Mechanism of Power) Installation at 7 Stages

James Bickert — Frankenstein Created Bikers World Premiere
Jason Drakeford — Interrupture [5th annual SOUND + VISION]
Phoebe Brown, Charlene Fisk & Carrie Schrader — The Founders film World Premiere at Atlanta Film Fest

Brent Costin — The Brint Koston Show [Pilot Case Study panel]

As always, Eat, Drink & B-Indie is FREE and open to the public! The first 40 attendees of age will receive a drink ticket for a free Stella Artois. 

See you in the A!

Atlanta Film Festival Announces New Organization Name for Year-Round Identity as Atlanta Film Society

The Atlanta Film Festival is pleased to announce a new name to reflect its year-round nature—the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS). The ten-day Atlanta Film Festival will still take place every spring, but the organization will operate as the Atlanta Film Society going forward.

Originally founded as the IMAGE, Inc. (Independent Media Artists of Georgia, Etc., Inc.) in 1976, ATLFS has endured several name changes in the last four decades in order to convey its year-round service to the filmmaking and film-loving community while reflecting connection to its flagship program. 

“This name change represents who we are right now and paves the way for where we want to go,” said ATLFS Executive Director Christopher Escobar. “The change from ‘Festival’ to ‘Society’ better depicts the work and effort showcased all year long through screenings, classes, events and special programs. It clarifies that we are only part of the greater Atlanta film community and reinforces our plan to serve this community in a bigger way.”

For years, the organization has operated several year-round programs under the Atlanta Film Festival moniker, such as the Airport Shorts program, which screens select short films on 15 screens throughout Hartsfield-Jackson Airport’s new International Terminal; Eat, Drink & B-Indie, a monthly film-themed networking and educational mixer at Manuel’s Tavern; Film Festival Collective, an XFINITY Video On Demand channel that showcases short films from several prestigious film festivals across the country; the Filmmaker-in-Residence program, which supports accomplished Atlanta-based festival alumni in a three-year residency; and New Mavericks, a year-round screening and networking program spotlighting female filmmakers from Atlanta and beyond.

Among the most important details of the ATLFS announcement is the A/V Toolbank—a new equipment rentals program that provides audio/visual and presentation equipment for local groups and organizations seeking to host screenings or events. Operating as an arm of the nonprofit ATLFS, the A/V Toolbank borrows the spirit of the Atlanta Toolbank, but the focus on audio/visual equipment makes it the first resource of its kind in Metro Atlanta. This program provides high-quality equipment and technical expertise at competitive rates, creates additional support for the Atlanta Film Society and extends significant equipment discounts to other Metro area nonprofit arts organizations.

“The A/V Toolbank is a crucial facet of ATLFS,” Escobar continued. “We’ve been working with organizations like WonderRoot, GSU Student Film Festival and The Goat Farm Arts Center and aided events like Elevate, Flux Projects and Art on the Beltline while piloting this program. This announcement allows us to formalize the resource and make it more widely available.”

As with any nonprofit, the Atlanta Film Society relies heavily on the support of members and sponsors. For several years, year-round memberships have focused solely on the benefits they provide directly to members—with festival passes at the core—ranging in price from $50 to $750. In conjunction with this new identity, ATLFS has established patron levels ranging from $1,000 - $10,000 to enable community impact and maintain a focus on membership benefits.

Tomorrow! Eat, Drink, & B-Animated

International Animation Day is October 28th, and we're bringing the fun to you a week early! This month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois will bring you a varied panel from the local animation industry. Join us at Manuel's Tavern tomorrow night from 7:30 to 9:30pm to hear from illustrators, lip-sync specialists, animation executives, and more. 

The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a drink ticket for a free Stella Artois!

Check out ASIFA-Atlanta for more information on their International Animation Day celebration! Their showcase this year focuses on diversity, disability inclusion, and a return to the roots of ASIFA: promoting peace through animation.

Eat, Drink, and Open Mic!

It's that third Tuesday time of the month again—and the Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois stage needs you! September 15th is an Open Mic free-for-all at Manuel's Tavern from 7:30-9:30pm; sign up for your 60-second slot and use it to tell the crowd whatever you'd like. Need actors or crewmembers for a new film? Launching a crowdfunding campaign? Ready to announce yourself to the Atlanta industry? This will be a great evening of networking and friendship-starting. And don't forget: the first 40 attendees receive a drink ticket for a free Stella Artois!

This is a FREE EVENT!

Screenwriting Master Michael Lucker Breaks Down a Script at This Month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie!

Fresh off hosting his Screenwriter School this weekend (July 18-19), acclaimed screenwriter and industry expert Michael Lucker will join us for a special EDBI all about Screenwriting. We will break down a script using 12 actors and a scene written by Lucker himself. ATLFF Screenplay Programmer Ali Coad will also be on hand to answer questions!

It all happens Tuesday, July 21 at 7:30 PM at Manuel's Tavern.

Once you learn from Lucker and finish your own film, television or webseries screenplay, make sure you submit it to the 2016 ATLFF Screenplay Competition!

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.

Five of Georgia's Biggest Film Festivals Will Share the Spotlight at Tuesday's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie!

We are gathering together directors and programmers from Georgia's most prestigious film festivals to discuss how they run things and what they look for in submissions. This is a can't-miss event for local filmmakers and festival-goers! Representatives from the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, BronzeLens Film Festival, Macon Film Festival and Out on Film Festival will be in attendance!

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.

Learn More about the 48 Hour Film Project and the benefits of participating at this month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie!

FREE EVENT! The 48 Hour Film Project comes back to Atlanta on the weekend of June 12-14, 2015. On Tuesday, May 19, at Manuel's Tavern, come and learn more about the event's structure and history, as well as what it takes to be a part of it. Hear from past participants and winners and get tips for your own project.

Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 PM at Manuel's Tavern

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.

Learn the basics of becoming a PA at this month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie!

Leading up to the new GPP/ATLFF PA Academy, brought to us by master producer Linda Burns on May 16th and 17th, we are going to answer all of your questions about who PAs are, what PAs do, and how to become a PA! Whether you are a set PA, an office PA, an art PA or working in another department—there are a lot of basics you need to know. Get primed for your admission to the Academy by Linda and a group of experienced Atlanta PAs.

Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 PM at Manuel's Tavern

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.

Trying to fund your film? Join us at Eat, Drink, & B-Indie next Tuesday!

This month, ATLFF will launch its second annual Kickstarter campaign, focused on bringing more filmmakers to town for the 2015 festival.

This month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois is all about crowdfunding. Whether you are considering Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Seed&Spark or some other crowdfunding website for your film—or if you are a frequent backer—join us as we discuss the different platforms and the dos and don'ts of campaigning. We will have a panel of experienced crowdfunders who will give you tips and tricks based on their campaigns for organizations like Dad's Garage and ATLFF and films like "AKA Blondie" and "Little Cabbage."

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.

Tuesday, November 18
7:30 PM
Manuel's Tavern

Animation in Atlanta is the Focus of this month's Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois

International Animation Day is October 28th. This month's Eat, Drink, and B-Indie is a week before that, but we still want to celebrate! Atlanta is pretty big on the scene, with Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Floyd County Productions, ASIFA-Atlanta and our various schools all contributing to the rich animation culture here.

At this month's EDBI, we will hear from several of Atlanta's foremost animators—including independent auteurs as well as people from some of Atlanta's biggest animation production companies like Floyd County and Adult Swim! Watch some reels of these incredibly talented people's work and learn their techniques and how they make a living in the industry.

We will also preview ASIFA-Atlanta's International Animation Day celebration!

This is a free event and open to the public!

Join us on the third Tuesday of every month at Manuel's Tavern for Eat, Drink, & B-Indie presented by Stella Artois! The first 40 (age appropriate) attendees will receive a ticket good for a free Stella Artois.