THE ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL

A world class celebration of film in Atlanta’s backyard

By Isadora Pennington

Filmmakers from across the country and around the world will arrive March 20-29 for the annual Atlanta Film Festival.

The event brings together critically acclaimed actors, filmmakers and professionals in the film industry to watch movies, attend red carpet events and to network. The festival has taken place since 1976, and has been based in a variety of venues and theaters in town, including the Midtown Art Cinema and Eyedrum. For the past two years the festival has been hosted by Plaza Theater and at 7 Stages in Little Five Points.

The Atlanta Film Festival is a membership-based nonprofit arts organization, and the festival seeks to encourage the community to think creatively and constructively through and about film. They offer year round events such as screenings, panels, parties and workshops to filmmakers and film-lovers alike.

Not only does the festival provide a unique opportunity for meeting influential creatives in the film industry, but it also serves as an introduction to Atlanta for many people who have never visited before, and encourages new projects and productions in the city. The festival is one of the largest and longest running film festivals in the nation, bringing in an audience of over 25,000 annually. The selections include independent films, documentaries, animations and short films.

The 2015 festival will feature over two dozen films with ties to Georgia. Included among the films and shorts are works by Anna Spence, Raymond Carr, Jiyoung Lee, Jef Bredemeier, and Plaza’s own Brandon Delaney and others.

Here, we have compiled a list of 10 Featured Films that we think you’ll enjoy. For a comprehensive lineup and to find out more about tickets and passes, go to www.atlantafilmfestival.com and www.facebook.com/atlantafilmfestival.

Hope to see you there!

big charity: The Death of America ’ s Oldest Hospital

One of the casualties of Hurricane Katrina was the abandonment of Charity Hospital, New Orleans’ 300-year-old medical facility that tended to its population regardless of one’s ability to pay. Glustrom’s film delves into the hospital’s history, including those days after the hurricane hit when the government failed to act. It also presents us with harsh realities regarding the death of public medicine in America.

Director: Alexander Glustrom. USA, 2014, English, 64 minutes

Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts play married fortysomethings in Noah Baumbach’s latest coming-of-middleage story. After befriending Darby and Jamie (Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver), a young and unpredictable Brooklynite-couple, Josh and Cornelia find their marriage and careers upended as they struggle to evaluate the importance of acting their age.

Director: Noah Baumbach. USA, 2014, English, 97 minutes

While We ’ re Young

In a historically black neighborhood in Athens, Georgia, a college fraternity traditionally known to fly a confederate flag moves in and establishes their presence by staging an antebellum style parade. The documentary follows the neighborhood struggle over three years, while both communities fight to preserve their historical legacies against an evolving cultural backdrop in the South—and the nation as a whole. Director: Danielle Beverly USA, 2015, English, 54 minutes

Old South

Follow Dante as he closes one of Atlanta’s most magical landmark restaurants, Dante’s Down the Hatch. For 43 years, it was the only place you could dine inside an old pirate ship with live jazz while live crocodiles swam in a moat beneath your feet. Many people chose to make this place a tradition with birthdays, marriage proposals and anniversaries. See why it lasted so long and how it touched so many lives. Director: Jef Bredemeier. USA, 2015, English, 91 minutes

The Long Start to the Journey

Dante’s Down the Hatch

“The Long Start to the Journey” follows filmmaker Chris Gallaway on his personal attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail and to learn what the trail means to individuals he meets along the way. This is a personal story of struggle and perseverance as well as a historical account of the origins and cultural relevance of the Appalachian Trail.

Director: Chris Gallaway. USA, 2015, English, 70 minutes

“Frame by Frame” is a featurelength documentary that follows four Afghan photojournalists navigating a young and dangerous media landscape. Through cinema verité, powerful photojournalism, and archival footage shot in secret during the Taliban, the film reveals a struggle to capture the truth.

Frame By Frame

Directors: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli. USA/Afghanistan, 2015, English/Dari, 85 minutes

The Keeping Room

After their father and brother leave to fight in the Civil War, sisters Augusta and Louise (Brit Marling and Hailee Steinfeld) and their slave, Mad, are left to tend to their homestead alone. When two rogue, drunken Union soldiers come looking for trouble, the women must defend themselves as General Sherman’s march quickly approaches. “The Keeping Room” rips genre and gender conventions apart in its showcase of three powerful and resilient southern women. Director: Daniel Barber. USA, 2014, English, 95 minutes

Stray Dog

Harley-Davidson, leather, tattooed biceps: Ron “Stray Dog” Hall looks like an authentic tough guy. A Vietnam veteran, he runs a trailer park in rural Missouri with his wife, Alicia, who recently emigrated from Mexico. Gradually, a layered image comes into focus of a man struggling to come to terms with his combat experience. When Alicia’s teenage sons arrive, the documentary reveals a tender portrait of an America outside the mainstream. Director: Debra Granik. USA, 2014, English, 98 minutes

A rich middle aged American woman (Pia Marie Mann) unexpectedly discovers her true origin after her parents have died. Deeply moved, in the midst of an identity crisis, she decides to travel, hoping to find the natural mother she has never known. She goes to a small and remote place in the south of Italy, Montedoro. She finds an apocalyptic scene when she gets there: the village, resting on a majestic hill, is abandoned and nobody seems to live there anymore. Director: Antonello Faretta. Italy, 2015, Italian/English, 88 minutes

Montedoro

The life of reclusive Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson (played by Paul Dano and John Cusack), from his successes with highly-influential orchestral pop albums to his nervous breakdown and subsequent encounter with controversial therapist Dr. Eugene Landy. Director: Bill Pohlad. USA, 2014, English, 120 minutes

Love and Mercy

Visual Arts

American Craft Council Atlanta Show: A three-day celebration of all things handmade, the Southeast’s largest juried indoor craft show features more than 225 of the country’s select contemporary craft artists. March 13 through March 15. $12 to $13. shows.craftcouncil.org/atlanta

16 Likes, 3 Comments: Paintings by Leah Owenby: Painter Leah Owenby captures the fleeting moments of social media in this new body of work. Closes March 13. Free. decaturartsalliance.org

Steve Schapiro: Selma : On the heels of the major movie release of the film “Selma” comes this rare collection of photos from Steve Schapiro, who documented the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Closes March 14. Free. jacksonfineart.com

Jim Dine Exhibit : A father of the Pop Art movement, Jim Dine has shown more than 220 solo exhibits worldwide in sculpture, paintings, prints and photographs. Closes March 21. Free. alanaveryartcompany.com

Lost and Found: Brian Novatny returns to Atlanta after his 2006 exhibit with a new body of paintings and drawings that explore historical maritime disasters. Closes March 21. Free. marciawoodgallery.com

A Gathering of Continents: Georgia Tech’s Deluxe Editions of Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Major: Joan Blaeu’s nine volume atlas (also called the Grooten Atlas) remains the foremost European Atlas published in the 17th century. See original volumes on display at Tech’s Paper Museum. Monday through Friday. $3. Ipst.gatech.edu/amp

The Coca-Cola Bottle: An American Icon at 100: It’s the centennial of the famous Coca-Cola bottle, and the High Museum is exploring its iconic history with photographs and pop art images from artists like Andy Warhol. Tuesday through Sunday. $12 to $19.50. high.org

Creating Matter: The Prints of Mildred Thompson: Explore the cosmos and the creation of the world through the abstract works of Mildred Thompson, an artist trained in New York and Germany and later settled in Atlanta. Tuesday through Sunday. $6 to $8. carlos.emory.edu

Maren Hassinger… Dreaming : Newspapers, plastic bags and leaves become large-scale art installations at this solo exhibition for sculptor and performance artist Maren Hassinger. Tuesday through Saturday. $3. museum. spelman.edu

The Power of Poison: Step inside fairy tales, rainforests, and some of history’s most puzzling cases to unravel the mystery of poison in this family-friendly exhibit at Fernbank Museum. Daily. $16 to $18. fernbankmuseum.org

Performing Arts

A World Too Wide: CORE celebrates contemporary dance and Baroque music with new choreography and an orchestral score performed live. March 7. $15 to $60. coredance.org

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy: Two of the world’s most celebrated fiddlers, this married couple is a whirlwind of Celtic music, dance and song. March 7. $22 to $44. ferstcenter.gatech.edu

Rigoletto: Verdi’s story of lust, vengeance and sacrifice returns to Atlanta in a new production from The Atlanta Opera at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Closes March 8. $26 to $140. atlantaopera. org

Wicked: Back by “Popular” demand. “Wicked’ returns to the Fox with the story of how two friends in Oz grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Closes March 8. $45 to $175. broadwayinatlanta.com

Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Synchronicity Theatre will be developing this play by Atlanta’s own Lee Nowell all week long, leading to the first public staged reading on March 21. March 21. $10. synchrotheatre.com

Caroline Haffner: French Imperial Princess Caroline Murat is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist performing the works of Chopin, Liszt and Mozart under the stage name Caroline Haffner. March 8. $25 to $50. afatl.com

The Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series: Berlin to Broadway: Kurt Weill: Hear the songs, operas and instrumental music of this century composer who created some of the most memorable and political music of the 20th century. March 12. $65. thebreman.org

Snapshot: Sharp Observations, Small Revelations: Full Radius Dance returns to 7 Stages Theatre with a program featuring pieces inspired by Emily Dickinson, fairy tales and the work of street photographer Garry Winogrand. March 13 and March 14. $15 to $20. fullradiusdance.org

I Love Lucy Live on Stage: Audience members act as the 1952 studio audience members to the filming of two hilarious and oh-so-familiar “I Love Lucy” episodes in this stage show. March 13 through March 15. $45 to $65. cobbenergycentre.com

The House of Yes: Wendy MacLeod’s dark, compelling tale of family dysfunction tells the story of an upper-class suburban family who hides a dysfunctional dynamic. March 13 through March 28. $17 to $25. outofboxtheatre.com

Classical Guitar with Miloš Karadaglić: Miloš Karadaglić brings his electrifying performance style back to Symphony Hall with Rodrigo’s second concerto for guitar and orchestra, originally written for Segovia, the grand master of classical guitar. $24 to $99. March 19 and March 21. atlantasymphony.org

Daniel Roumain: Daniel Roumain, known for his collaborations with artists ranging from Philip Glass to Lady Gaga, returns to Emory’s Schwartz Center to premiere a new work commissioned by Emory. March 20. $45. arts.emory.edu

Atlanta Jewish Music Festival: Yael Deckelbaum & Diwan Saz: Israeli performers Yael Deckelbaum and Diwan Saz headline this sixth annual festival celebrating both traditional and modern music of Jewish heritage. March 21. $25 to $30. atlantajmf.org

Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet: From the playwright of “Choir Boy” and “In the Red and Brown Water,” this uncommonly magical play draws audiences into a world of self-discovery and sexual identity. Opens March 25. $20 to $32. actors-express.com

Little Shop of Horrors: A nerdish florist finds his chance for success and romance thanks to a giant maneating plant in this comedy horror rock musical. Closes March 28. $12 to $20. onstageatlanta.com

Atlanta Cupcake Factory

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake

Rich, fluffy chocolate cake with a slightly dark chocolate flavored icing and candy ornament. The shop’s display case carries a variety of flavors and combinations. $2.75.

624 N Highland Ave. NE, 30306 theatlantacupcakefactory.com (678)358-9195