Out on Film!
Friday, Aug. 21 — Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve got a lot of film festival news today, not least of all that Out on Film has announced its lineup for 2026. There’s a lot of exciting stuff here, but I’m most pumped for the Spanish film “La Bola Negra,” which premiered at Cannes and won the Best Director award for Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (collectively known as Los Javis). Other highlights include the comedy “Before I Do” and the Billie Jean King documentary “Give Me the Ball.”
Without further ado … Action!
🎥 IATSE, the union that represents film and television technicians, has suspended the leadership for Local 479 – which represents below-the-line workers across Georgia and Alabama – amid allegations of corruption. There hasn’t been much released about this so far, but I’m working on getting some more information.
🍿 The BronzeLens Film Festival starts this weekend, with screenings starting today through Sunday, and then again from Aug. 27-30.
🎞️ Bianca Cato, the founder of the film community space Audio_Video_Club, announced via email that the organization will be taking an indefinite hiatus.
🤝 Cinema United, the trade group that represents movie theater owners across the world, is urging Paramount Skydance and California AG Rob Bonta to settle the lawsuit attempting to block Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery [paywall]. The group previously opposed the deal.
⚖️ ABC and Disney are suing the Federal Communications Commission on First Amendment grounds over the FCC’s demand for early review of broadcast licenses.
🦸 Marvel recently unveiled the cast of the new “X-Men” movie, including Christopher Abbott as Professor Xavier, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister.
This week’s newsletter includes an inside look at a film playing at the BronzeLens Film Festival this weekend, an interview with director Sasha Waters about her new Mary Oliver documentary, and a review of the Anthony Bourdain film “Tony.” Plus, what’s playing at theaters this week, a look at the art I’m loving recently, and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.
Thanks for reading!
Sammie
📍 Celebrate Little Five Points at People Make the Place this Sun., Aug. 23, at 7 Stages. Hear the stories of those supporting health & wellness in L5P and be entertained by Dad’s Garage improv. Light bites and food with ticket purchase! SPONSOR MESSAGE
‘Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World’ to debut on PBS Aug. 25
✍️ Even if you don’t know the name Mary Oliver, you probably know her words. Her poem “The Summer Day” ends with her most famous line – and, arguably, one of the most well known of any poet: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver was a celebrated American poet, winning a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award throughout her storied career (she passed away in 2019). She took inspiration from poets like Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, writing prolifically about the natural world around her. But while we know her words, Oliver liked her privacy. A new documentary, “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World,” takes a closer look at the poet’s personal life.
Over the course of the documentary, filmmaker Sasha Waters explores Oliver’s personal life – in all its beauty and darkness – with great tenderness, talking to people who knew her, poets who admire her, and everyday people who find solace in her work.
🪿 I spoke with Waters ahead of an Aug. 23 screening at the Plaza Theatre. Check out our conversation here.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date is here in Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is in its final weeks, marking the last chance to see one of the leading artists of her generation on view in her home state. Get your tickets before the show wraps.
Can only make it in the evening? We’ve got you covered. The show stays open after hours every Friday. Grab a drink, snag an exclusive exhibition poster, and explore the galleries at your leisure.
‘A Beautiful Lie’ to play at BronzeLens Film Festival on Aug. 23
📽️ Tarnesha Small and Tiffany Yvonne Cox have a lot in common. They’re both military brats. They both started their journeys in the film industry in the acting world. And they’ve both recently made moves to step behind the camera.
“A Beautiful Lie” – written, produced by, and starring Small and directed by Cox – premiered at the 2026 Black Writers Weekend. Now, it’ll be playing at the BronzeLens Film Festival on Aug. 23 at the Tara Theatre. The film stars Small as Teri Lewis, a woman with a seemingly perfect life. But, when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, she starts suspecting her husband Daniel (Jon Chaffin) is lying to her.
🍿 Ahead of the film’s BronzeLens screening, I spoke with Small and Cox about the making of the film. Check out our conversation here.
📍 Celebrate Little Five Points at People Make the Place this Sun., Aug. 23, at 7 Stages. Hear the stories of those supporting health & wellness in L5P and be entertained by Dad’s Garage improv. Light bites and food with ticket purchase! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Coming-of-age drama ‘Tony’ depicts Anthony Bourdain’s formative summer
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
👨🍳 At its core, Matt Johnson’s film “Tony” is a coming-of-age story – and, to its credit, one that works fairly well even if you don’t know that its subject goes on to be one of the most beloved media figures of the 21st century (or maybe, ever).
Since Anthony Bourdain’s death in 2018, there have been numerous attempts to reckon with the tragedy of his loss. But “Tony” is more successful than most because it doesn’t attempt to psychoanalyze that loss, or the man himself.
That’s not to say it doesn’t engage with the myth of Bourdain – it certainly does. But its ability to lean into and deftly execute coming-of-age story tropes maps Tony’s summer in the Cape onto a desire we’re all familiar with – the desire to be the coolest person in the room. And “Tony” hypothesizes that cool is more than a vibe – it’s passion, it’s hard work, and it’s care.
🦞 Read my review of the film here.
At the Movies!
If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
Movies releasing this weekend:
👨🍳 “Tony”
🚢 “Mutiny” (pictured)
🧘 “Namaslay”
👹 “Insidious: Out of the Further”
🧖♀️ “Spa Weekend”
Special Events:
🔪 “Manhunter: The Final Cut” in 4K @ The Plaza (Friday-Wednesday)
🏎️ “The Fast and the Furious” 25th Anniversary @ The Plaza (Friday-Thursday)
📽️ Awards Season Animated Short Films Collection 2026 @ The Plaza (Friday-Thursday)
🏰 “Castle in the Sky” 40th Anniversary @ The Tara (Saturday-Wednesday)
🍂 “When Harry Met Sally” @ Springs Cinema & Taphouse (Saturday-Sunday)
🎸 “40 Years of F**kin’ Up” @ Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (Sunday)
What I’m reading … and watching … and listening to
🪚 Reading: Since watching “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” I’ve been making my way through Carol J. Clover’s “Men, Women, and Chainsaws,” the famous academic exploration of gender in low-budget horror films and how audiences experience them. It’s a little dated in some aspects (what film theory text that first published in 1992 isn’t?), but it’s fascinating and so foundational to how we still think about horror films today.
🚣♀️ Watching: I just finished “Sterling Point,” (pictured) a teen drama from creator Megan Park that’s really scratching my “Dawson’s Creek” itch. Park directed 2024’s “My Old Ass,” which I adored, and “Sterling Point” shares a lot in common with that film – it’s smart, funny, and takes teenager woes remarkably seriously.
💿 Listening to:Phoebe Bridgers’ new album “Lost Weekend” has been keeping me company lately. I’ve always loved Bridgers’ work, but the way she speaks to grief on this album (she lost her father in 2023) is really something special. On the flip side, I find this album incredibly joyous in parts (shout out to “Bobby” and “I Can’t Wait”).
Lights, Camera, Action!
🧨 If you pay any attention to the film world, you probably already know the story of “Coyote v. Acme” (shot in 2022, shelved by Warner Bros. for a tax write-off in 2023, finally releasing later this month). The original story for the film, however, comes from writer Ian Frazier, published in The New Yorker more than 3 decades ago. For the New York Times, Steven Kurutz recently talked to Frazier about finally seeing his story get to the big screen.
📖 Between Emily Wilson hating “The Odyssey” and Rachel Cusk allegedly basing her new, quite scathing novel on actress Natalie Portman, literary beef is back, baby! If you haven’t been keeping up with the hubbub surrounding Cusk’s new novel, “Life of M,” Olivia Craighead has an explainer for you, figuring out just how much Portman actually figures into the book.
😱 Speaking of “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” I loved this conversation between Sean Fennessey and Adam Nayman on “The Big Picture” podcast about the film and the “Final Girl” canon. Stick around to hear Sean interview filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun and stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.
🖊️ Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
