When Martina Lindo and Jhaneal Hector first met, they found they had a lot in common. They were both Jamaican-born, American-raised, and both working in the film industry in Atlanta. They quickly became friends, and started talking about starting some type of venture together. But you know how it is – you talk and talk about making moves, but you never do. Then, suddenly an opportunity arose.
Screen Room ATL, created by Khalimah Gaston, used to be one of the big screening collectives for Black creatives in Atlanta. When Gaston moved to Los Angeles, there was suddenly a gap in the market.
“It was really a home hub,” Hector said. “That leaving [meant] the community didn’t have that place you go to anymore, to support each other, to meet each other, to start networking.”
So, in 2022, Hector and Lindo started On Set ATL, a film organization that hosts local screenings and serves as a gathering space for Atlanta’s filmmaking community. They’re next screening event will be on Nov. 21 at Ambient Plus Studio.
Hector and Lindo both wanted to create a screening series characterized by excellence. On Set ATL is an invitation-only event (they accept submissions, but that doesn’t guarantee a film will be shown) with a focus on filmmakers who Lindo and Hector believe are investing time and energy into honing and perfecting their craft (they review and select the films themselves).
“We want to show our community what excellence in filmmaking looks like, even at the independent filmmaking level,” Lindo said.
In addition to excellence, the other part of the equation is community. At On Set ATL’s last screening event, called “The Table is Ours” on Aug. 27, they screened a film called “Weirdo,” directed by Creed Smith. According to Lindo and Hector, most of the people who worked on the film met at the very first On Set ATL event.
For Lindo and Hector, that’s part of the aim of this organization – allowing creatives a space where they can network and meet their next collaborators.
“They called it their On Set baby, because it really came from out of this new community that they formed together,” Lindo said. “It felt really special.”
Lindo and Hector focus on making the night feel special for the filmmakers they’re celebrating, with a red carpet, green room, champagne, and all the other fixings of Hollywood, including The Slate Awards, their version of the Oscars. “We’re a little extra,” Hector said, right before Lindo interrupted to say: “No, we’re a lot extra.”
“It’s meant to give the Atlanta film community the feeling of, we made it already,” Lindo said. “We’re in Hollywood. We don’t have to wait for that.”
The Nov. 21 event is called “No Rules, Just Vision,” and will include a short film from director Christian Nolan Jones called “Red Clay.” The film was also executive produced and co-written by Omar Epps and Tauheed Epps, professionally known as 2Chainz. “333,” directed by Naturi Naughton-Lewis, will also screen, along with “Odds” by Jeffrey Jackson and “Bleached,” from co-directors Kerri Garrett and Ralph Parker III. “Bleached” also features Hector in the lead role.
Before their Aug. 27 event, Lindo and Hector took a break from On Set ATL for a couple of years. Initially, the popularity of the event took them by surprise, and their pockets couldn’t keep up with the demand. They tried to do more events than they could handle and spent a little too much time thinking about the pomp and circumstance of it all.
“When we first started, we were overwhelmed, because we both felt like we were no-name people here in Atlanta,” Hector said. “I was acting, doing my auditions, and [Lindo had her] writing degree … We didn’t expect the overwhelming [response].”
While they still want the night to feel special for the filmmakers – and they’re still doing most of the work themselves – this time is different, Lindo said.
“We’re just back to basics, focusing on the work, the community, and creating a platform and a space for people to feel seen,” Lindo said. “That doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.”
On Set ATL is aiming to host 6-8 events a year and has also started the process of becoming a nonprofit, according to Lindo. They’re also hoping to find more opportunities for partnerships and sponsorships, with the goal of one day being able to give money to filmmakers to help fund their projects.
“Resources are everything, and as a producer, I know,” Hector said. “It takes money to do an independent film properly. The creatives, they make it happen, but it’s very hard, bootstrapping it.”
Lindo said she would also love to see On Set expand to other cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York.
“We’re just hoping that the stars will align and it will all happen at the same time, so that we can really position On Set to be the hub, the foundation,” Lindo said. “When people think about independent filmmaking in Atlanta, they say On Set ATL first.”
