ATLFF lineup announced
March 28 — Happy Friday, Scene readers! We are just a few days away from the start of April, and that means it’s almost time for the Atlanta Film Festival! It also means the pollen count is looking DIRE, but let’s try to focus on the positive, shall we?
This year’s opening film is “Color Book,” directed by Atlanta native David Fortune about a father and his son with Down syndrome on their way to an Atlanta Braves game. The lineup also includes films such as “Magic Farm,” “To a Land Unknown,” and “Speak.” Learn more about the festival and its corresponding Creative Conference here.
Without further ado … Action!
🎶 Atlanta’s Night of Ideas event will take place on March 29, and will feature late-night discussions on major global issues complemented by live music, screenings, and performances.
☀️ The Sundance Film Festival will move to Boulder, CO. in 2027, officially ending its time in Park City, Utah.
🇵🇸 Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian directors of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was attacked by Israeli settlers and then detained by Israeli forces earlier this week. He has since been released.
🕵️ Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as the producers of the next “James Bond” entry.
🏠 Trilith Institute has announced a new monthly event series called Backstage Pass, which will include discussions with industry professionals. The first event is tonight, March 28, and covers how to rent your home out to a production.
🏖️ “Coastal,” a new documentary about Neil Young, will be released in theaters for one night only on April 17.
🎥 A movie called “Watcher at the Realm,” produced by the Atlanta-based company Poly-Krafted Entertainment, will debut at the Tara Theatre on April 3.
This week’s newsletter includes a conversation with French Stewart about his new film “Bob Trevino Likes It,” takes a look at some of the films playing at the Backlight Student Film Festival this weekend, and offers a review of the new live-action “Snow White.” Plus, there’s a new episode of Crash Zoom and some reading recommendations for your lunch break.
Thanks for reading!
Sammie
🏅 Betsy Akers, an advisor with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, achieved the No. 5 spot for volume sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
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Student filmmakers thrive at Backlight Student Film Festival
🏫 Since its inaugural event in 2022, the Backlight Student Film Festival has been providing student filmmakers an outlet to share their work. This year is no different.
This year’s festival takes place March 29-30 at the Tate Theatre in Athens. The festival is free to attend and includes student film screenings, an industry panel, a red carpet, a mixer, and an awards ceremony.
Eleven films will be screened at this year’s festival, all made by students from schools like the University of Georgia, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Columbus State University. Ahead of the festival, I interviewed some of the student filmmakers whose films will be showcased.
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French Stewart talks ‘playing against type’ in ‘Bob Trevino Likes It’
💻 Most people probably know actor French Stewart from his starring role on the ‘90s sitcom “Third Rock from the Sun,” or maybe more recently as Chef Rudy on the Chuck Lorre show “Mom.” But, in Tracie Laymon’s new film “Bob Trevino Likes It,” it’s Stewart like you’ve never seen him before.
“Bob Trevino Likes It” is a semi-autobiographical film that stars Barbie Ferreira as Lily Trevino, a young woman with an estranged relationship with her father, played by Stewart.
Stewart came to the project through his wife, Vanessa, who is in the same writing group as Laymon. Lily’s father is a tough, frustrating character – the dictionary definition of “bad dad,” you might say – and the role posed an opportunity for Stewart to try something different.
🗣️ I recently spoke with Stewart about the movie. You can find that interview here.
‘Snow White’ is not that bad, but that’s sort of the problem
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
🍎 The new live-action remake of ‘Snow White’ has been mired in controversy from the very beginning.
Some of those controversies are more serious than others – for example, the online ire star Rachel Zegler incurred by pointing out that an animated film from 1937 isn’t the most forward-thinking when it comes to feminism was one of the dumbest days I’ve ever experienced on the internet. But the film’s scaled-back premiere didn’t help the feeling that Disney wasn’t confident enough in this particular live-action offering to deal with public opinion surrounding its stars’ political beliefs, or its decision to portray the seven dwarves using CGI. “Snow White,” it seemed, would be a debacle of the largest kind.
You might be surprised to learn, then, that “Snow White,” directed by Marc Webb, is better than the average Disney live-action remake that’s been forced down our throats over and over again for the past few years. Although, that isn’t saying much.
🏆 Bonnie Majher, an advisor with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, earned the No. 6 spot for volume sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
💛 During one of her most meaningful transactions, Bonnie’s swift handling of a sale — closing in just 27 days — enabled her client to be by her husband’s side in Colorado for his final moments, thanks to a remote closing.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Crash Zoom: Top 5 movies since COVID and Sundance city predictions
🎧 Welcome to a new episode of Crash Zoom, the podcast where we take a deep dive into film and entertainment industry news!
Each week, join me, Sammie Purcell, and my cohost Aaron Strand as we explore how things happening at the highest level trickle down and affect the independent artist. This week, we discuss our favorite movies since the COVID-19 pandemic began, what’s going on over at Apple TV, and more.
A programming note: we recorded this episode before the Sundance Film Festival announced it would be moving to Boulder, Colo. in 2027. This is an important detail, because I predicted that would be the case! This is me, patting myself on the back.
☀️ Check out the episode here.
Lights, Camera, Action!
✍️ Joan Didion heads, rejoice! After the famed writer’s death in 2021, her personal notes and datebooks were given to the New York Public Library and put with the work of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne. The more than 300 boxes of Didion-Dunne effects finally became available to researchers on March 26, and Vulture got a first look at what’s included. Take a look here.
📖 If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a new book to read – I’m in the middle of “Say Nothing” right now, and it’s excellent if you need a rec. In this article in The New Yorker, actress Amanda Seyfried shares some reading recommendations of her own. The books center around questions of what it means to be a good mother, a good wife, and a good daughter.
📱 Micro dramas are taking the world by storm – well, at least a very particular demographic of the world by storm. These mini soap operas, which usually involve a woman being swept off her feet by a secret billionaire, are becoming immensely popular on phone apps like ReelShort, FlickReels, and DramaBox. So, what accounts for their rise in popularity? Check out this NPR article to learn more.
