Daveed Diggs to Receive the Inaugural ATLFF Innovator Award at our 2018 Opening Night Presentation of BLINDSPOTTING

The Atlanta Film Festival is pleased to unveil the Opening Night Presentation for the 42nd annual festival. BLINDSPOTTING, the upcoming feature film debut from director Carlos López Estrada starring Daveed Diggs, will kick off ATLFF on Friday, April 13, 2018. Diggs, who co-wrote the film with lifelong friend Rafael Casal as a provocative yet challenging love letter to their hometown of Oakland, will attend the April 13 red carpet screening at the Plaza Theatre with Casal and will receive an ATLFF Innovator Award.

This year, ATLFF will launch a new initiative to honor Originators, Innovators and Rebels in the film industry, a symbolic gesture in the spirit of key figures who have helped shape Atlanta's story. Daveed Diggs will be the first recipient of the ATLFF Innovator Award.

BLINDSPOTTING

Directed by Carlos López Estrada
USA, 2018, English, 95 minutes

Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning.  He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers and are forced to watch their old neighborhood become a trendy spot in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. When a life-altering event causes Collin to miss his mandatory curfew, the two men struggle to maintain their friendship as the changing social landscape exposes their differences.

Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about friendship and the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of Oakland.  Bursting with energy, style and humor, “Blindspotting,” boldly directed by Carlos López Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 30, 2018. Badges on sale now!

Before the festival kicks off, the public is invited to an ATLFF Kickoff Party on March 30th at the Rialto Center for the Arts from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Festival attendees will be able to pick up their 2018 badges, purchase tickets and festival merchandise, receive program guides and enjoy food and drinks.

2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Winners

2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Winners

The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the 2018 Screenplay Competition. Chosen from over 1,000 submissions, these screenplays represent those writers whose screenplays have earned:

Free access to the 2018 ScreenCraft Writers Summit and Atlanta Film Festival, a staged reading of selected scenes from their work, and once in a lifetime one-on-one mentorship opportunities.

We saw an incredible spread of screenplays, and we are in awe of all of the amazing writers working in around the world today. Thank you all for trusting us with your the work.

Feature Film Screenplay Winners

Catbird Blues by Rebecca Drummond
Georgia, USA
In the rural south, a defiantly independent young woman confronts the father she’s never known in an attempt to avenge her mother’s rape.

The Huntress by Suzanne Andrew Correa
Mexico/USA
In Juarez, a city where violence against women goes unpunished, an unlikely heroine emerges with a violent call for change.

Scout by Samuel Goodwin
Georgia, USA
A young African American woman, working on an oil pipeline in the remote mountains of Colorado, finds herself isolated and pinned down by an unseen assailant with a hunting rifle.

Spirit Lead by Maggie Calton
Texas, USA
A bible belt, born again teen causes an uproar in her church community when she accepts the lead role in her high school's production of Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Pilot Screenplay Winner

The Order by Jonathan Mason
New York, USA  
A haunting psychological thriller set in an ultra-conservative Amish community, lost in the folds of an America that has completely collapsed.

Short Film Screenplay Winner

Rollers by Jean Estevez
Georgia, USA  
A gangster wannabe with car trouble is forced to catch a ride to a hold-up with the worst getaway driver imaginable—his girlfriend.

Atlanta Film Festival Announces Finalists for 2018 Screenplay Competition

2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalists

 

The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to announce the finalists in the 2018 Screenplay Competition. Chosen from over 1,000 submissions, these screenplays represent those moving forward from our feature film, television pilot, and short film categories.

Our writers are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities to help hone their screenplays and plan the next steps in their careers.

Congratulations to the writers so far. Stay tuned as our programming team narrows this list down to this year’s winners.

Feature Screenplay Finalists

Catbird Blues—Rebecca Drummond
Honey Boy—Shia LaBeouf and Otis Lort
The Huntress—Suzanne Andrews Correa
Hurry Up And Wait—Allison Radomski
Orwell’s War—Larry Bogad
Plan B—Paige Gresty
Potter's Ground—Pearse Lehane
Spirit Lead—Maggie Calton
Truth Against The World—Denise Meyers
The Fight After—Gunnar E Garrett Jr.

Pilot Screenplay Finalists

Area 51—Joshua Smooha
Chasing Colour—Cathy Strickland, Tim Pye
End of Life—Sean Collins-Smith
Fisheye—Patty Meyer
Grand Union—A. K. Foreman
H8—Faisal Azam, Erica Velis
The Order—Jonathan Mason
Red Dirt—David Sullivan
So Who's Got the Gun?—Sheila Jenca
Ten Thousand Islands—Sue Batterton, Peter Short

Short Screenplay Finalists

Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.—Adamma Ebo
The Juncture of Custody—Grant Jackson
The Menarche—I-Hui Lee
Rollers—Jean Estévez
Weird and Wonderful—Stephanie Namkoong

Atlanta Film Festival Announces Semifinalists for 2018 Screenplay Competition

2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinalists

The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to announce the semifinalists in the 2018 Screenplay Competition. Chosen from over 1,000 submissions, these screenplays represent those moving forward from our feature film, television pilot, and short film categories.

Our writers are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities to help hone their screenplays and plan the next steps in their careers. In addition, this year marks our first ever partnership with ScreenCraft, a premiere screenwriting competition, consultation, and editorial organization. We’re working together to present the ScreenCraft Writer’s Summit for the first time at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival.

This three day event will feature panels, workshops, private mentoring and parties with top Oscar and Emmy-winning and blockbuster screenwriters, as well as agents, managers, producers and studio executives. It will be an exclusive and unparalleled opportunity to learn from the best in Hollywood, in a personal environment where unguarded conversations and long-term partnerships can be forged. All screenwriting competition Quarterfinalists are invited to a private reception at summit in celebration of their achievements.  A select few VIP Panelists will also be in attendance at this exclusive event.

Congratulations to the writers so far! Stay tuned as our programming team narrows this list down to finalists and this year’s winners.

Feature Screenplay Semifinalists

A Better Place—Katterina Powers
A Small Fortune—Adam Perry
A Witch In Salem—Patrick Lewis
Acts of God—Reed Moran
After the Jump—Marquette Jones
All That Follows—Emily Lobsenz
Beasts and Children—Bryan Ott
Black Jack—Stephen Curran
Blue on Blue—David Dasilma
Can You See Me—Profound Clarke
Catbird Blues—Rebecca Drummond
Darryn The Bold and The Sword of Boldness—J Best
Escher—Jason Kessler
Freedom Fort—Clint Williams
Honey Boy—Shia Labeouf, Otis Lort
Hurry Up And Wait—Allison Radomski
Joni—Aviva Neuman
Kaylee, Age 8—Molly Coffee, Charles Thomas
Oliver Clark & The Future Unknown—Toni Shepherd, Nickolas Shepherd
Orwell’s War—Larry Bogad
Plan B—Paige Gresty
Possum Kingdom—Matt Pope
Potter's Ground—Pearse Lehane
Rhinelander—Laura Wexler
Running—Gemma Addy
Scout—Samuel Goodwin
Spirit Lead—Maggie Calton
Sweet Petunia—Kal Bonner
The Arrow Collar Man—Ellen Ireland
The Bait—Billie Bates
The Baltimore School of Charm—Kelli McNeil
The Boca Bandit—Julie Garces
The Bullshit Boys—Toni Shepherd, Nickolas Shepherd
The Cannibal Trial—Edward Anderson
The Colonist—Brandon Maynard
The Divide—Rashmi Singh
The Dying Machine—Joseph Cahill
The Empty Sea—David Poulshock
The Escape of Robert Smalls—Spencer Magloff
The Fight After—Gunnar Garrett
The Huntress—Suzanne Andrews Correa
The Maidservant's Cap—Jeff Opdyke
The Moonbeam Fisherman—John Dummer
The Sleeping House—Suzanne Griffin
Trip—David Baugnon
Truth Against the World—Denise Meyers
War/Love—Hannah Feller
Why The Willow Weeps—Lafayette Parish
Willowport—Jess Ansik
Wonder Drug—Caitlin McCarthy

Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists

Available—Candace Brown
Counteract—Tracy Lawson
Dead Man Walking—Sean Klooster
Default—Hannah Dillon
End of Life —Sean Collins-Smith
Fisheye—Patty Meyer
Kerosene—Nicole Ramberg
Nightingale—Amanda Bermudez
So Who's Got the Gun?—Sheila Jenca
The Sensualist—Suzanne Griffin
Area 51—Joshua Smooha
Whiskey Ginger—Alan Kelly
Eire's Song—Kristen Nedopak
Awkwardly Apocalyptic—Sarah Hopkins
Between the Eyes— G.J. Lee
Brooklin (Ontario)—Marvin Kaye
Chasing Colour—Cathy Strickland, Tim Pye
Chattahoochee—Clint Williams
Colonials—Ian Fletcher
Detestable—Brandon Morrissey
Grand Union—A. K. Foreman
H8—Faisal Azam
Insurrection—Simon Bowler
Kindred Spirits—Ross Brooks
Lifers Anonymous—Sean Collins-Smith
Masks—Tommaso Pazzi
Mississippi Bound—Christopher Dennis
Radicalized—Bandar Albuliwi
Red Dirt—David Sullivan
Run! Run! Run! - The Lives Of Abbie Hoffman—Michael J. Shapiro
Shanda—Jillian Lauren
Soul Mecha: Betrayals of Exile—Clint Murphy
Ten Thousand Islands—Peter Short, Sue Batterton
Tested—Lisanne Sartor
The 12 Chairs—Gregg Greenberg
The Life and Times of Francie Paige—Victoria Lucia
The Order—Jonathan Mason
The Rapture —Shalini Adnani
The Sentient—Jeff Opdyke
Witch Hunt—Trevor Christie

Short Screenplay Semifinalists

Beyond the Fuchsias—Tara Jackson
Crocodile—Sola Bamis
Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.—Adamma Ebo
Rollers—Jean Estevez
Sweet Sixteen—Joyce Sherrí­
The Chocolate Kandinsky—Suzanne Griffin
The Juncture of Custody—Grant Jackson
The Menarche—I-Hui Lee
The Shipyard—Will Berry
Weird and Wonderful—Stephanie Namkoong

Atlanta Film Festival Announces Quarterfinalists for 2018 Screenplay Competition

2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalists

The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to announce the quarterfinalists in the 2018 Screenplay Competition. Chosen from over 1,000 submissions, these screenplays represent those moving forward from our feature film, television pilot, and short film categories and contain works from seven different countries and ten different states.

Our writers are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities to help hone their screenplays and plan the next steps in their careers. In addition, this year marks our first ever partnership with ScreenCraft, a premiere screenwriting competition, consultation, and editorial organization. We’re working together to present the ScreenCraft Writer’s Summit for the first time at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival.

This three day event will feature panels, workshops, private mentoring and parties with top Oscar and Emmy-winning and blockbuster screenwriters, as well as agents, managers, producers and studio executives. It will be an exclusive and unparalleled opportunity to learn from the best in Hollywood, in a personal environment where unguarded conversations and long-term partnerships can be forged. All screenwriting competition Quarterfinalists are invited to a private reception at summit in celebration of their achievements.  A select few VIP Panelists will also be in attendance at this exclusive event.

Congratulations to the writers so far! Stay tuned as our programming team narrows this list down to semifinalists, finalists, and this year’s winners.

Feature Screenplay Quarterfinalists

13 Minutes—Yvonne Paulin
A Better Place—Katterina Powers
A Small Fortune—Adam Perry
A Witch In Salem—Patrick Lewis
Acts of God—Reed Moran
After the Jump—Marquette Jones
All That Follows—Emily Lobsenz
All The Fish In The Sea—Will Goodfellow
Amal—Waleed Alqahtani
American Mule—Ian Ortiz
Armor—Michael Daluz
Beasts and Children—Bryan Ott
Blacks Hands in Red Lands—Larry Baer
Black Jack—Stephen Curran
Blue on Blue—David Dasilma
Boo—Mariana Worrel, Amy Frances Wright
Bronze—Kerri Weston, Robert  Pawloski
Cabbagetown—Paul Todd
Californio—Pedro Fernandez
Can You See Me—Profound Clarke
Catbird Blues—Rebecca Drummond
Cryo—Joshua Wilcox
Daisy Park—Lori Waters
Darryn the Bold and the Sword of Boldness—J Best
Escher—Jason Kessler
Fox Run—Jacob Trask
Freedom Fort—Clint Williams
Honey Boy—Shia Labeouf, Otis Lort
Hurry Up And Wait—Allison Radomski
In The Path Of Falling Objects—Arnon Manor
Joni—Aviva Neuman
Kaylee, Age 8—Molly Coffee, Charles Thomas
Las Minas de Altar—Jon Ayon
Lion Killer—Adam Scheiner
Marco Polo—Jeff Heckler
Mr. Moon—Michael Langer
Oliver Clark & The Future Unknown—Toni Shepherd
Orwell's War—Larry Bogad
Perdido—Eduardo Maytorena
Plan B—Paige Gresty
Possum Kingdom—Matt Pope
Potter's Ground—Pearse Lehane
Quintana—William LiPera
Red Light—Dempsey Tillman
Rhinelander—Laura Wexler
Running—Gemma Addy
Sardis the Merciful—Christian Thomas
Save Me!—Jean Barker
Schooling Alex—Tanya Haney
Scout—Samuel Goodwin
Silhouette—Lukas Hassel
Spirit Halloween—Billie Bates
Spirit Lead—Maggie Calton
Splintered Soul—Bobby Sacher
Split Rock—Kyle Hammersmith
Springtime for Mashinsky—Joshua Jashinski
Stampede—Ryan Sieveking
Sweet Petunia—Kal Bonner
Thank You For Waiting—Jake Leister
The Arrow Collar Man—Ellen Ireland
The Assassin's Shadow—William Pigg
The Bait—Billie Bates
The Baltimore School of Charm—Kelli McNeil
The Boca Bandit—Julie Garces
The Bullshit Boys—Toni Shepherd
The Cannibal Trial—Edward Anderson
The Colonist—Brandon Maynard
The Disease—Khalil Sullins
The Divide—Rashmi Singh
The Dying Machine—Joseph Cahill
The Empty Sea—David Poulshock
The Escape of Robert Smalls—Spencer Magloff
The Fight After—gunnar garrett
The Huntress—Suzanne Andrews Correa
The Last Resort—Martha Pinson
The Maidservant's Cap—Jeff Opdyke
The Mental State—James Camali
The Moonbeam Fisherman—John Dummer
The Opposite of Infinity—Karen Johnson
The Sleeping House—Suzanne Griffin
The Sorrow Veil—Russ Lindway
The Titmouse—Michael Nash
Trip—David Baugnon
Truth Against the World—Denise Meyers
Universal Monster—Constantine Nasr
War/Love—Hannah Feller
While The Village Sleeps—Chloe Bellande
Why The Willow Weeps—Lafayette Parish
Willowport—Jess Ansik
Wonder Drug—Caitlin McCarthy

Pilot Screenplay Quarterfinalists

Alexander The Pretty Good—Stephen McNamee
Available—Candace Brown
Charles Towne—Alston Jones
Counteract—Tracy Lawson
Dead Man Walking—Sean Klooster
Default—Hannah Dillon
DinoWars—Beau Gilbert
Eitan Has Cancer—Eitan Levine
End of Life —Sean Collins-Smith
Fisheye—Patty Meyer
Kerosene—Nicole Ramberg
Nightingale—Amanda Bermudez
So Who's Got the Gun?—Sheila Jenca
Spies Girls —Nir Shelter
Test.ed—Melissa Long
The Delphines—Stephanie Coggins
The Outskirts—Justine Beed
The Red Dog Order—Jamaal Cobb
The Sensualist—Suzanne Griffin
twentysomething—Amanda Pellegrino
White Trash Heroes —Peter Stallo
Area 51—Joshua Smooha
Because You Can—Darla Phillips, Rebecca Spindler
Bitches In Season—Sasha Feiler
Chris & Andy—Patrick Donohue
Dana Gets Superpowers—Anthony Maccio
Maniac—Greg Mania
We Need Friends—Kelley Young
Whiskey Ginger—Alan Kelly
Eire's Song—Kristen Nedopak
Ali of Saskatoon—Elaine Stirling
Asylum 2035—Mark Netter
Awkwardly Apocalyptic—Sarah Hopkins
Between the Eyes—Gregory Levy
Black Entertainment—Tony Ducret
Bonti Bay—Linn Markussen
Brooklin (Ontario)—Marvin Kaye
Burning Alive—Garrett Oakley
Chasing Colour—Cathy Strickland, Tim Pye
Chattahoochee—Clint Williams
Colonials—Ian Fletcher
Dark Horizons—CARLO CARERE
Detestable—Brandon Morrissey
Echo Lakota Nine—Scott Fleishman
Force of Will—Jessica Sieff
Grand Union—A. K. Foreman
Greyson—David Pinckney
H8—Faisal Azam
Insurrection—Simon Bowler
Intelligence—Manuel Ricardo Moreno
Kindred Spirits—Ross Brooks
Lifers Anonymous —Sean Collins-Smith
Masks—Tommaso Pazzi
Mississippi Bound Christopher Dennis
Oh, Mighty River—Dan Ritter
Pieta—Jen Kuhn
Pinetree—Maggie Calton
Radicalized—Bandar Albuliwi
Red Dirt—David Sullivan
Run! Run! Run!—The Lives of Abbie Hoffman—Michael J Shapiro
Shanda—Jillian Lauren
Soul Mecha: Betrayals of Exile—Clint Murphy
Ten Thousand Islands—Peter Short, Sue Batterton
Tested—Lisanne Sartor
The 12 Chairs—Gregg Greenberg
The Chords of War—Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
The Expedition—Rachel Fischer
The Houses—Tony Fair
The Life and Times of Francie Paige—Victoria Lucia
The Oracle of Athens, GA—Allison Izzo
The Order—Jonathan Mason
The Queen Of Caspary—Laura Solow
The Rapture—Shalini Adnani
The Retreat—John Kirk, Larry Barber, Anthony Bassanelli, M.D.
The Roar—Lynsey Murdoch
The Sentient—Jeff Opdyke
The Who Q (pilot)—Mike Malloy
Tweed—Christopher McClure
Witch Hunt—Trevor Christie
Wormhole to Hermosa—Noah Rieke

Short Screenplay Quarterfinalists

#olivia—Hannah Feller
AMAL—Dilek Ince
Beyond the Fuchsias—Tara Jackson
Buttball—Maryll Botula
Captain American—Patrick Lipscomb
Cherry Glazed—Christine Sherwood
Crocodile—Sola Bamis
Empathic—John Burdeaux
Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.—Adamma Ebo
Leave—Alysha Haran
Limerence—Charlene Fisk
Little Men—Ayesha Adu
Page Turner—Marc Roussel
Rollers—Jean Estevez
She Who Rises from the Ashes—Kaz Cai
Sinker—Alia Lundy
Sweet Sixteen—Joyce Sherrí
The Chocolate Kandinsky—Suzanne Griffin
The Cypher Sessions Marc Roussel
The Juncture of Custody—Grant Jackson
The Menarche—I-Hui Lee
The Putt Putt Preacher—Jason K. Allen
The Shipyard—Will Berry
Weird and Wonderful—Stephanie Namkoong
White Ferrari—Sarah Smith

Atlanta Film Festival Announces First 15 Films From 2018 Lineup

ATLANTA, GA — Leading up to the 42nd annual Atlanta Film Festival & Creative Conference (ATLFF), taking place April 13-22, 2018, the Atlanta FIlm Society is pleased to announce the first wave of film programming. This selection comprises 15 works in both feature length and short form across narrative, documentary, pilot episode, music video, animation, puppetry, experimental and virtual reality categories.

“One of the most beautiful things about independent film is that it allows creators who may be shut out of the Hollywood machine to tell their own stories and make their voices heard,” said ATLFF Programming Director Alyssa Armand. “As we approach our 42nd year, we look forward to continuing to provide a platform for the alternative by showcasing films that you rarely get to see on the big screen, but that absolutely deserve to be there.”

This group of fifteen films comes from a new ATLFF record of 6,650 film submissions. Hailing from Canada, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Turkey, UK and USA, these films represent the inclusive and far-reaching breadth of the forthcoming complete lineup. Last year, more than 50% of ATLFF’s film program was directed by women and nearly 40% was directed by filmmakers of color.

Of the 15 films, six are directed by ATLFF alumni. Two Georgia-lensed films are included in the first wave, narrative feature “Still,” directed by Takashi Doscher, and Virtual Reality short film “Lá Camila,” directed by Jak Wilmot. Shot in Swaziland and directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp, “Liyana” blends a rich animated tale told by five orphans with observational scenes of their reality. Documentary short film “Nuuca,” directed by Michelle Latimer, is a powerful look at the correlation between land exploitation and violence against Indigenous women and girls in North Dakota.

These films will be joined by nearly 200 others for the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival, taking place April 13 - 22, 2018.

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Narrative Feature

Disappearance

directed by Ali Asgari
Iran, 2017, Persian, 88 minutes
In the course of one cold night in Tehran, two young lovers go from hospital to hospital in search of help. Soon they will have to face the tragic consequences of their youthful naivety.

Never Steady, Never Still

directed by Kathleen Hepburn
Canada, 2017, English, 111 minutes
Having lived with Parkinson’s disease for almost two decades, Judy (Shirley Henderson) is faced with the heightened challenges of daily life when her husband and caregiver dies of a sudden heart attack on their isolated property on the shores of Stuart Lake. Meanwhile, her teenage son Jamie (Théodore Pellerin), pushed by his father to get a job on the oil fields, is terrified by the idea of filling his shoes at too young an age, and grappling with the daunting task of becoming a man in world that has no apparent room for weakness.
#NewMavericks

Still

directed by Takashi Doscher
USA, 2018, English, 88 minutes
Sick, dehydrated, and lost, Lily (Madeline Brewer) quite literally falls on the doorstep of Ella (Lydia Wilson) and Adam (Nick Blood) who own and operate a secret distillery in the middle of the Appalachian mountains. However, as Lily begins to recover she starts to notice stranger and stranger things about the couple: Despite their youthful appearance, everything they own appears to be decades old. Although they live on a beautiful farm, there are no livestock and no crops. She notices how they secretly slip away into the woods, carrying glass jugs of water with them. Most alarming, however, is that there seems to be a great rift, a deep emotional strain, between them—as if they are an old married couple who gradually fell out of love as time went on. As Lily delves deeper and deeper into the lives of this mysterious yet beautiful couple, she is soon caught in the middle of their conflict—a heartbreaking power struggle literally a century in the making. Lily will soon learn how the couple came upon this property and the deep and powerful secret they have been protecting all of these years.
#Georgia

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Documentary Feature

Armed with Faith

directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi
USA/Pakistan, 2017, Pashto//Urdu, 74 minutes
“Armed with Faith” follows the men of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bomb Disposal Unit (KPK BDU) to the front lines of the war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan. The border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—considered the gateway for terrorists from neighboring Afghanistan and adjacent tribal areas—is the backdrop of our film. The battle for control of this porous border area remains critical to the stability of Pakistan and global security. Should Pakistan, a nuclear power, fall into the hands of terrorists, the entire world is at risk. We witness firsthand the dangerous struggle undertaken by the men of the KPK BDU to protect their country against the Taliban threat in the land they both call home.

Liyana

directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp
USA/Swaziland, 2017, English/siSwati, 77 minutes
A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. Their fictional character’s journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of the transformative power of storytelling.

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Narrative Short

Arlo Alone

directed by Nicole Dorsey
Canada, 2017, English, 16:19
“Arlo Alone” is a futuristic drama that follows Arlo, a young woman, as she comes to terms with her own loneliness in a world where in-person contact has become a rarity.
#NewMavericks

Laws of the Game

directed by Aegina Brahim
Suriname/UK, 2017, Dutch, 17:54
Zeola is a single mother whose life alternates between her job as a prison guard and her career as a football referee in the men’s league. In her attempt to obtain the international FIFA Badge in an official referee test, Zeola is confronted not only with her own insecurities, but also with the unfairness of the world around her.
#NewMavericks

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Documentary Short

Carry My Voice

directed by Hasan Demirtaş
Turkey, 2017, Kurdish, 19:00
Carry My Voice is about the division of Kurdish lands after World War I. The documentary focuses on Syria and Turkey borders and how these new borders have affected the lives of Kurdish people.

Nuuca

directed by Michelle Latimer
USA/Canada, 2017, English/Hidatsa, 12:00
An evocative meditation on Indigenous women’s integral connection to land and the ways in which the extractive industry’s exploitation of the earth is linked to the violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and girls.
#NewMavericks

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Animated Short

Nevada

directed by Emily Ann Hoffman
USA, 2017, English, 12:00
A young couple's romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth control mishap in this stop motion animated comedy.
#NewMavericks

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Virtual Reality Short

Lá Camila

directed by Jak Wilmot
USA, 2017, English, 20:00
When the storms of nature threaten her very existence, the viewer must help a young shepherd girl fill the shoes of her deceased papá.
#Georgia

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Puppetry Short

You Can't Play With Us

directed by Jason Rhein, created by Serene Bacigalupi and Jacques Duffourc
USA, 2018, English, 15:00
Rapping unicorns? A dinosaur inventor? A marshmallow avalanche? Experience a new fairy tale from the imaginative world of Leroy’s Place. Built entirely from cardboard and other recycled materials, this endearing short film in puppetry tells a story of overcoming bullying. In a world where dinosaurs eat unicorns for every meal, Delux the dino refuses to eat the magical creatures and sets out to befriend them instead. When the inquisitive dinosaur happens upon some musical unicorns in Marshmallow Mountain, they aren’t as friendly as he expects. It’s not always easy to make new friends, especially when they think you are going to eat them, but Delux uses his unique skills to make the sassy unicorns take a second look. This film is intended for all ages.

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Experimental Short

Royal Jelly

directed by Stephanie Burbano
Canada, 2017, English, 9:52
The film begins in abstraction—we meet a drag queen who invites us down the rabbit hole to meet a menagerie of people that make up her community.
#PinkPeach

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Pilot Episode

Manic

directed by Kate Marks
USA, 2016, English, 17:00
Aurora, an overachieving teen with Ivy League dreams, finds herself locked in with a crazy band of misfits when she's sent to Greener Pastures Therapeutic School. Convinced it's all a mistake, she fights the system and makes a break for freedom—only to be faced with the truth about why she was committed there in the first place.
#NewMavericks

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Music Video

Biggest Curse (performed by Original Swimming Party feat. Moonchild Sanelly)

directed by Amy Allais
South Africa, 2017, English, 4:27
Fundamentally it’s about who gets to eat the cake, and who doesn’t. About the back rooms in many South African houses. And busting through those. But it’s also about childhood, and how easy it is to make friends.

The Atlanta Film Society and ScreenCraft Are Proud to Announce The ScreenCraft Writers Summit in 2018

The Atlanta Film Society and ScreenCraft are proud to partner in 2018 to co-present The ScreenCraft Writers Summit, to take place at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF). 

The Summit will kick-off Friday, April 13th 2018, the shared opening day for both the ScreenCraft Writers Summit and the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival.  The Summit will continue for three days of programming, on Saturday April 14th, Sunday April 15th, and close Monday April 16th.  

Programming will include: panels, keynotes, workshops, live table reads, small-group mentorship, a closing mimosa brunch and a pitch competition where writers and filmmakers can compete for prizes and the chance to pitch to agents, producers and A-list screenwriters.  Social hours and shared evening galas will bring Summit writers together with filmmakers and over 25,000 film enthusiasts and industry professionals attending the Atlanta Film Festival.

Panels and Workshops will include: Screenplay Craft and Structure, Adapting Intellectual Property, Writing the Television Pilot, How to Secure and Work With an Agent/Manager, Producing Independent Film and returning attendee favorite The Failure Panel.  In addition to high-level writers, the “Your Voice” track will offer panels and instruction specifically for writers and filmmakers in the Atlanta area to utilize the local production expertise to produce and create content.  There will also be programming dedicated to diversity on-screen and faith-based content, topics of great interest for Atlanta artists and beyond.  

Confirmed speakers include:  Eric Heisserer (Oscar-Nominee, Arrival), Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond, Banshee), Malcolm Spellman (Empire), Keya Khayatian (Senior Literary Agent at UTA, clients wrote Stick It, Dallas Buyers Club, Brokeback Mountain, Serendipity, etc), Eric Fineman (Producer, Spiderman: Homecoming, Miracles From Heaven) Hannah Ozer, (Literary Manager at Kaplan/Perrone), Michael Lucker (Lilo & Stitch 2, 101 Dalmations II, Vampire in Brooklyn), Jacob Krueger (The Matthew Shepard Story, founder and Instructor Write Your Screenplay) and many more to be announced soon.   

In tandem with the Writers Summit, the Atlanta Film Festival spotlights the art and craft of screenwriting through its annual Screenplay Competition. Three grand prize-winning feature film screenwriters will participate in an exclusive two-day screenwriting retreat leading up to the Writers Summit and will be recognized at the Summit Awards Ceremony. Michael Lucker (Writer, 101 Dalmatians 2, Lilo & Stitch 2, etc) will lead the retreat mentorship, with additional mentors to be announced soon.

The ScreenCraft Writers Summit will be a unique opportunity to learn from the best in Hollywood, in a small-scale environment where meaningful, long-term partnerships can be forged.  Hollywood heavyweights are coming to Atlanta in 2018 to share stories and insight over Southern hospitality – join us!

For more information visit ScreenCraft!

Apply to be an ATLFF '18 Screenplay Reader!

We are looking for a few good screenplay readers! We get so many screenplay submissions that we need some help reading them all. If you have an eye for good writing and love reading screenplays, you might be able to help us out! Let us know a bit about yourself and we will be in touch.

To start out, download and read this screenplay in its entirety. The title and author have been blacked out to avoid bias. Once you have completed the screenplay, please fill out the application and we will be in touch.

Apply to Join the ATLFF '18 Screening Committee!

More than 6,000 works were submitted for consideration into the 2017 Atlanta Film Festival—another huge increase from the year before. From these hopeful filmmakers, we have only the capacity to program around 200 features, short films, pilot episodes and music videos combined. How do we decide which films to play? How do we go through those thousands of entries to sort the ones that will please our local audience the best?

We get help. A lot of help.

Most of that help comes from our volunteer Screening Committee. Members of this team watch dozens (sometimes hundreds) of short or feature films each, evaluating them along the way. This helps the programming team sort out the worthy from the not-so-worthy so they can make the final decisions.

With nearly 2,000 submissions already received for consideration into ATLFF '18, we are excepting applications to join our Screening Committee. Volunteer screeners can earn a variety of perks (free tickets and passes to the festival) based on how many films they watch, and films can be watched most anywhere you have an internet connection.

If you have the time, the interest and the fortitude to help us screen thousands of submissions, please apply to join our Screening Committee! Space is limited, so not all applicants will be chosen. Additionally, if you have an interest in reading submitted screenplays for the ATLFF '17 Screenplay Competition, apply to be a reader! Please apply by June 28, 2017. Applications may be re-opened at a later date.

Questions? Email screening@atlantafilmfestival.com.

*Deadline to apply: June 28, 2017. Space is limited. All applicants will be considered, but not all will be chosen.