SCREEN TIME

Annual Atlanta Film Festival opens April 1

The 40th annual Atlanta Film Festival runs April 1-10 at various venues around the city.

One of only two dozen Academy Award-qualifying events in the country, the festival showcases over 200 films annually to 25,000 attendees across 10 days.

Each year, the festival receives nearly 5,000 submissions from 120 countries arounds the globe.

Four of the features selected this year mark directorial debuts. Directed by Ted Marcus, “Like Lambs” is a dramatic narrative thriller that illustrates a student revolution. “Romeo is Bleeding,” directed by Jason Zeldes, follows Donté Clark’s quest to restore peace in his Richmond,

CA streets.

“Sink” is a narrative directed by Brett Michael Innes that adapts his novel about a Mozambican domestic worker, her South African employers and the tragedy that befalls them. “Speed Sisters” is Amber Fares’ documentary tale about the first allfemale race car driving team in the Middle East.

“Driving With Selvi” and “A Journey of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers,” documentaries from India and Bangladesh respectively, feature strong female subjects from Georgia’s fastest growing demographic.

For a complete line-up of films, visit atlantafilmfestival.com.