Founder Drew Sawyer talks the ATLFF opening night premiere of Idiots The Atlanta premiere of Idiots at ATLFF 50 (Photo by Mikey Smith) “It takes a village, and sometimes a village of lunatics to make a movie,” Moonshine Post Production founder Drew Sawyer humorously said upon taking the stage at the Atlanta Film Festival Opening Night, where he helped introduce a screening of Idiots to a sold-out crowd. Idiots – which follows two down-on-their-luck men forced to work togeth

A hidden-gem documentary that’ll make you yearn for yesteryear When We Were Live screens at ATLFF 50 The in-person run of the 50th Atlanta Film Festival has officially concluded, but the festivities are far from over. The virtual fest is in full swing, inviting audiences from all across the globe to watch some stellar selects from this year’s lineup. As you peruse the catalog, I’d like to recommend a lovely little documentary from the heart of Austin, Texas. When We Were Live

The festival ended with a screening of one of the year's most anticipated features Boots Riley and Taylour Paige's Q/A at ATLFF 50 (Photo by Mikey Smith) Boots Riley is back and he’s taking no prisoners. The multi-hyphenate artist appeared for the closing night of the 50th Atlanta Film Festival at the historic Plaza Theatre to present his latest film, I Love Boosters. Boots Riley at ATLFF 50 (Photo by Mikey Smith) In typical Boots Riley fashion – the same auteur that brought

Writer-Director Jared Sprouse and co. give the inside scoop on their zany dark comedy The cast and crew of Party USA (Photo by Nico Hawthorne) Party USA is a firework of a film: it’s bold, it’s colorful, and it sure knows how to pack a punch. The dark comedy describes itself as “a downward spiral of red, white, and blue-collared chaos,” charting a disgruntled retail worker’s (Ainsley Seiger) journey to undo the fallout following an uncovered shift at a party store. Ahead of t

13 years after its initial release, Ponsoldt's Georgia-based love story still remains a landmark in the state's filmmaking journey ATLFF's revival screening of James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now When you search the keywords “Georgia filmmaker” or “Directors from Georgia,” you will almost always come across the name James Ponsoldt. Ponsoldt, an Athens native, has been directing feature films and television for over twenty years. From his first film, Off the Black, to 2015’

Four panelists gather at ATLFF 50's Creative Conference to discuss the importance of audio in filmmaking The Audio Post panel at the Atlanta Film Festival (Photo via My Global Presence) Filmmakers, editors and sound engineers filled the Jack Auditorium at the Tara Theater this week during the Atlanta Film Festival to learn about audio from four seasoned veterans, with over a hundred years of experience combined. Elise Riley, CEO and founder of My Global Presence, served as mo

Writer-director Costa Karalis invites audiences to experience this North Florida “magic trick” Frogtown director Costa Karalis promoting the film at ATLFF 50 (Photo by Mikey Smith) If there’s one mission on filmmaker Costa Karalis’ mind, it’s to make movies unlike anything audiences have seen before. Karalis’ debut feature, Frogtown, had its Atlanta premiere on Saturday at the 50th Atlanta Film Festival. The film played to a sold-out audience, with a line of s

The writer-director crafts a darkly funny tale of love, secrets, and corporate power The cast and crew of Third at ATLFF 50 (Photo by Mikey Smith) A husband stuck in a rut. A wife hungry for more. A handsome stranger falling from the sky. What could possibly go wrong? Atlanta-based feature Third had its world premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival on Friday. Created with an insanely talented local crew, the film is a shocking tale of twists and turns that holds far more than

The program kicks off with two projects proudly produced in the heart of the ATL ATLFF preparing for their 50th film festival (Photo by Mikey Smith) As the sun set over Poncey-Highland on Thursday, the 50th Atlanta Film Festival kicked off at the historic Plaza Theatre. Arguably the city’s biggest film event, the 11-day festival runs from April 23 to May 3 and is set to welcome a plethora of creatives from all across the globe. From screenings and Q&As to filmmaker meetups an

Reflections Ahead of Reel Friends’ One-Night-Only Event Haynes and Bale doing press for Velvet Goldmine (from MovieStillsDB) “The idea is to create a world in which reality, fantasy, and memory each have equal weight.” - Todd Haynes, Velvet Goldmine commentary track There is a scene early on in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America in which two characters, both strangers, share a dream. In this dream they encounter a phenomenon they call the “threshold of revelation,” which al

Executive Director Jessie Sparrow dives into the non-profit’s mission of belonging As the world looks towards the future of storytelling, Georgia’s own RE:IMAGINE ATL is on the front lines of fostering the next generation of creatives. What began as a music video summer camp quickly evolved into a media education and workforce development center that has serviced over 7,500 young people. Founded by Susan Spiccia in 2014, the non-profit offers courses, camps, and creative opp

Honnie Korngold, founder of CineVantage Honnie Korngold has worn many hats. She’s the founder of Athens-based production company CineVantage , along with workforce development nonprofit PhilanthroFilms and the Georgia Storylab creator hub. As she’s watched the film industry shift, sink, and soar over the years, this producer learned a crucial lesson that’s kept her afloat: the important of pivoting. Originally from Los Angeles, Korngold got her start in travel events, orch

"Inconceivable!" A live table read of William Goldman's The Princess Bride hosted by Reel Friends (Photo by Mikey Smith) There’s no better cure for the February blues than a storybook adventure. On Sunday, Reel Friends hosted their first live table read event, reenacting William Goldman’s beloved script, The Princess Bride. Housed in the historic Avon Theatre , it was a night full of fairytales, swordfights, and of course, twoo wuv. The cast, listed below, was an all-star sh

The multi-hyphenate challenges Georgians to shift the narrative surrounding the local arts scene Withdrawal director/writer/editor Aaron Strand Indie. In both movies and music, the term has lost much of its original meaning. What was once a proud signifier of independent, unconstrained production is now often minimized to a marker of genre or aesthetic. As big-budget companies continue to misconstrue the label for their own use, filmmaker Aaron Strand is here to show that tr

A Georgia-grown sports flick gears up for a groundbreaking national release If there’s one thing Signing Tony Raymond proves, it’s that good things come to those who wait. The film industry is notorious for overlooking the little guy. Though the studio system of Old Hollywood is long gone, the field is still dominated by big players. Investors tend to avoid taking chances on smaller projects and opt for familiar faces to fill seats. This weekend, sports dramedy Signing Tony

...Chicken isn't vegan? Reel Friends Presents Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Photo by Mikey Smith) Nearly sixteen years after its release, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World remains a key part of the pop culture pyramid. Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s acclaimed graphic novel series, the film’s popularity has only increased with time. The movie continues to influence style choices, expand music tastes, and strike fear into the heart of evil exes everywhere. On Saturday, the Plaza Theat

What I learned as a first-timer in the cult of the Cullens The sold-out screening for Twilight at The Tara (Photo by Mikey Smith) Confession: I’ve never seen Twilight. Olivia, you call yourself a film buff, yet you’ve never seen THE greatest piece of vampire cinema to ever grace the silver screen? I know. I’m as disappointed as you are. Somehow, between my semi-sheltered homeschool upbringing and mistakenly writing the franchise off as low-brow kitsch, I survived my teenage y

Check out some fantastic projects from local filmmakers! The filmmakers behind this month's Reel Talk programming (Photo by Mikey Smith) It’s that time again! Reel Talk is back and better than ever. The brainchild of ATL filmmaker/ Reel Friends founder Rocco Shapiro, Reel Talk is a monthly mixer where artists share projects they’re proud of, such as short films, music videos, commercials, and more. Films are screened once in full and then replayed on mute while the directo

The crew behind Spanish Moss discuss their vision on creating a feature-length brickfilm (From left to right) Andrew King, Sebastian Soler, and Tyler Herren outside the Tara in ATL (Photo by Mikey Smith) With numerous festival selections, a handful of awards, and an NPR interview under his belt, Sebastian Soler is already an artist’s artist. Fresh out of Kennesaw State University, this filmmaker uses a miniature medium to tell larger-than-life tales—and he’s about to be the

Art Seen ATL is proud to partner again with Reel Friends to document their latest Reel Talk event at the historic Tara Theatre in Atlanta. Reel Talk invites movie fans of ATL to check out shorts from local artists and hear their own live commentary on the films presented in reel time (pun totally intended). August's Reel Talk lineup (photo by Mikey Smith) At this Reel Talk event, the shorts screened were: TikTok Challenged (dir. Ivan Rome) Black Girl Day Off (dir. Nina Lee)