The 46th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) returns April 21 – May 1 with 27 world premieres as part of its lineup.
Along with the opening night film is“892” – starring John Boyega as a Marine struggling to reintegrate into civilian life – and closing night film “Mija” – a documentary about an ambitious music producer from an undocumented family – there will be 11 marquee screenings with a mix of Hollywood star power and the best of independent film.
The 155 total announced creative works from a record-breaking 10,000 submissions will screen at multiple venues in Atlanta and virtually. Screenings will be held at three venues, including Plaza Theatre (1049 Ponce De Leon Ave NE), Dad’s Garage (569 Ezzard St SE), and The Carter Center (453 Freedom Parkway), with more to come. All virtual screenings and events will be presented via Eventive.
“We’re particularly excited about this year because we are not only back to in-person screenings, but our hybrid format will provide even more opportunities for audiences to participate around the globe,” said festival director and Plaza Theatre owner Christopher Escobar. “A huge part of our ethos is advocating for diverse voices, which is why it’s even more important that we continue to evolve and connect with communities everywhere in new and innovative ways.”
Other highlights include narrative features “Cha Cha Real Smooth” starring Dakota Johnson and written and directed by Cooper Raiff; “Emily the Criminal” starring Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi; and “Summering,” a coming of age story directed by Georgia-native and celebrated ATLFF alumni James Ponsoldt.
Documentary feature highlights include “Look At Me: XXXTENTACION,” an inside look at a gifted young rapper’s tumultuous rise to fame before his death at the age of 20, and “REFUGE,” a story about fear and love in the American South from local Atlanta directors Erin Levin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship.
The 12th annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, returns with in-person panel discussions and one-on-one in-depth virtual conversations focusing on screenwriting, showrunning, pitching shows, podcasting, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing with industry experts from Georgia to New York and Los Angeles.
Highlights of the Creative Conference include masterclasses, panels, and conversations with actress Antonia Gentry (star of Netflix’s “Ginny and Georgia”), actress Priah Ferguson (“Stranger Things”), actor Atkins Estimond (“Hightown”), producer/director Cherien Dabis (“Only Murders in the Building”, “Ozark”), actress Danielle Deadwyler (“The Harder They Fall”, “Station 11”), showrunner Nick Antosca (“Candy”), cinematographer Daniel Patterson (“The Last OG”, “Woke”), director Stacey Muhammed (“Black-ish”, “Queen Sugar”), comedy writer Robert Peacock (“Mad About You”, “Blue Collar TV”), VFX editor Barry Murphy (“1883”), and many more.
The full schedule of films and ticket information is available at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com.