The Atlanta Film Festival is run and managed by the Atlanta Film Society, formerly known as IMAGE Film & Video Center. Its mission is to lead the community in creative and cultural discovery through the art of cinema. ATLFF is one of the largest and longest running film festivals in the United States.
The festival mainly screens independent films, including genres such as sci-fi, horror and experimental. It features a range of categories including Feature Film, Short Film, Pilot Episode, Experimental Short, Puppetry Short, Music Video, Virtual Reality Film, Georgia Film. In 2016, the organizers received over 4,700 film submissions from more than 120 countries from across the globe. ATLFF also hosts a Screenplay Competition.
The festival presents a number of awards including Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Music Video. Notable award-winning films include Zero Day, Pope Dreams, Great World of Sound, Make-out with Violence, That Evening Sun, and I Used to Be Darker.
The Atlanta Film Festival also presents special awards. For example, its Pink Peach prize is awarded to the best LGBT-themed feature and short films. Within the New Mavericks program, prizes are awarded to the fest features and shorts made by female filmmakers with strong female leads. Special awards also include Special Jury Award, Filmmaker-to-Watch Award, and Audience Award.
As we’ve already mentioned above, ATLFF is one of only two-dozen Academy Award qualifying festivals in the country. This means that films featured in some of its competition categories are eligible for the Academy Award in corresponding categories. In 2002, The Accountant by Ray McKinnon won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film after qualifying at the 2001 ATLFF.
Along with competitive and non-competitive screenings, the program of the festival includes conferences, masterclasses and other industry events, as well as entertainment for spectators. Events are held at different venues including Plaza Theatre, 7 Stages Theatre, High Museum, Center for Puppetry Arts, Rialto Center for the Arts, Fox Theatre, Ponce City Market, and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Photo: atlantafilmfestival.com
