Atlanta Film Festival is gearing up for its 49th annual festival lineup of 132 films starting April 24 — and this year, more than 30 films and shorts are from Georgia.
The popular 11-day festival is set to run from April 24 to May 4, primarily at the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre, with other screenings at the Supermarket, the Rialto and Scout Atlanta. The shorts, documentaries and narrative features were chosen from over 6,000 submissions to display a “powerful showcase of Atlanta’s growing impact on the film industry.”
“It’s a thrilling time to be part of this vibrant, artistic community, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences back to the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre and further solidify Georgia as a hub for film and innovation,” Atlanta Film Festival Executive Director Christopher Escobar said.
The festival hosted by the Atlanta Film Society unveiled its key programming and a full lineup of official selections on March 24, hours before the Atlanta Film Festival Launch Party at the Tara Theatre. The full schedule is available online.
“Color Book” will open the festival on April 24 at the Plaza Theatre as a spotlight on local film. Directed by David Fortune, the feature tells the story of a father and his son with Down syndrome on their journey to an Atlanta Braves game. Christopher Escobar worked as an associate producer on the film.
Atlanta-made documentary “The Games in Black & White” takes another approach to Georgia stories, focusing on University of Georgia football star-turned-Atlanta real estate attorney Billy Payne and Mayor Andrew Young. The pair were instrumental in bringing the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta.
The film is co-directed and executive produced by George Hirthler and Bob Judson, who run local production company Atlanta Story Partners. Hirthler said the film tells an empowering story of Black and white Americans working together to achieve shared goals. It will premiere as a special presentation at the Rialto Center for the Arts on April 26.
“We framed the story of the Games against the backdrop of Atlanta’s vibrant civil rights history,” Hirthler said. “Beyond the highlight reel of extraordinary athletic feats, this film illustrates how two men — one Black, one white—embodied the promise of the civil rights movement and helped fulfill the destiny of ‘the city too busy to hate.’”
The two films are joined by a roster of Georgia-made shorts and features like “Withdrawal,” set and made in Athens, Ga., and directed by Aaron Strand. The native Georgian’s film tells the story of a couple battling heroin addiction in the college town.
Meanwhile, “META TAKE ONE,” directed by Ryan Dutter and John Dierre, documents the odyssey of an obsessive young director’s attempt to finish his film overnight.
“We’re thrilled to present another edition of the Atlanta Film Festival, filled with bold, thought-provoking, and truly entertaining films,” ATLFF Programming Director Jon Kieran said. “As always, our selection process is guided by a passion for discovering what’s next in cinema—films that will shape the future of storytelling.”
It’s a big step for many independent filmmakers. The Atlanta Film Festival is Academy Award qualifying and draws thousands to the screens every year. It also coincides with the 15th annual Creative Conference, from April 29 to May 2 at the Tara Theatre. The conference offers educational programming and panels for filmmakers, performers, enthusiasts and attendees.
Escobar previewed the lineup and creative conference at the 2025 ATLFF Launch Party. He shared his excitement with the standing-room-only crowd, emphasizing the three elements of the festival: seeing films, learning at the conference and getting to connect with other film lovers.
At the launch party, filmmakers and enthusiasts connected over concession drinks and at local filmmaker panels and educational panels. For Escobar, the event goes beyond networking and into real collaboration.
“It’s sort of the glue,” Escobar said. “The most important and sort of delicate and vulnerable part of a film festival experience but also the most valuable part, right?
Tickets to the 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival are available now.
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