In the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a campaign to “Save the Fox Theater” from imminent destruction. It rescued the building, preserving an iconic piece of the city’s landscape and a hub for the arts. Now the theater wants to pay it back. On May 6, National Historic Preservation Month, Fox Gives awarded $1 million in […]
Author Archives: Delaney Tarr
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Q&A: SaportaReport talks the next 50 years of Atlanta Film Festival with former Sundance, Tribeca leaders
At the 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival, SaportaReport’s own Maria Saporta and Delaney Tarr hosted a conversation with two film industry veterans about what the next 50 years of film in Atlanta could look like, and what the festival needs to move forward. Amanda Kelso, former interim CEO of the Sundance Institute, started her career […]
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ATLFF: Craig Zobel and James Ponsoldt on the fight to make Georgia films
Craig Zobel knows it isn’t easy to make a movie in Georgia. At an April 28 Atlanta Film Festival Creative Conference panel, the director of “The Penguin” and “The Mare of Easttown” got candid about the difficulty of creating in his home state. “The world doesn’t want you to,” he said. “You have to fight […]
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Atlanta Regional Commission teases strategy for affordable housing across the metro
“It’s time to move from discussion and talk to action,” Atlanta Regional Commission CEO Anna Roach said. In September, the ARC will release its comprehensive strategic plan, the Housing Strategy for the Atlanta Region, to address the region’s growing housing affordability challenges. It will lay out what housing needs to be built or preserved, who […]
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“Idiots” brings laughter and sold-out crowd to 50th Atlanta Film Festival opening night
The 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival opened with a bang. Or more accurately, it opened with raucous laughter at the sold-out Opening Night presentation of “Idiots” on April 23 at the Plaza Theatre. “Idiots,” a 2026 Sundance Film Festival hit, follows two “unqualified bozos” played by Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr., who are […]
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Dickens talks youth investment at APC newsmaker event
Teens are still the talk of the town, but this time Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is weighing in. Dickens sat down with Atlanta Press Club Chair Mike Jordan for a conversation on citywide youth investment at the April 24 APC Newsmaker luncheon, where he covered everything from arts funding to “teen takeovers.” By all accounts, […]
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Piedmont Park Conservancy announces master plan update at annual luncheon
Among the greenery at Piedmont Park, hundreds of civic and park leaders gathered for the annual Landmark Luncheon hosted by the Piedmont Park Conservancy. The guests heard a host of updates on the master plan announced last year. In 2025, the conservancy announced its first comprehensive master plan in 25 years, which would kick off […]
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Atlanta Press Club readies for largest debate series yet from April 26-28
The Atlanta Press Club is gearing up for its biggest debate year yet. From April 26-28, the Loudermilk-Young debate series will bring almost 85 candidates, ranging from governor hopefuls to the Public Service Commission, on the stage for 18 different primary election debates. “We’re like a little factory over three days,” Atlanta Press Club past […]
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Beltline cuts the ribbon on final chunk of Southeast trail
An all-ages crowd packed under a tent to watch the Atlanta Beltline open its final segment of southeast trail in Glenwood Park on April 16. It will mark the first time Atlantans can walk or ride their way on a paved path from Piedmont Park to Grant Park. “This is drawing circles, not lines,” Atlanta […]
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Invest Atlanta greenlights $2 million for Andrew Young ‘peace institute’ in Vine City
On April 16, Invest Atlanta approved a $2 million Westside TAD grant for critical relocation work on the Vine City site of the planned Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. It’s an essential step for the $100 million project. The grant will pay for the relocation of sewer overflow pipes on the property, […]
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Midtown Alliance unveils plans for ‘Midtown Green,’ a ‘layered civic landscape’
One year after announcing plans to purchase the long-vacant lot at 98 14th Street, the Midtown Improvement District unveiled its vision for “Midtown Green” at the annual Midtown Alliance Meeting. Despite the working project name, it’s no run-of-the-mill greenspace. The neighborhood coalition aims to turn the four-acre site into a park, public and performance space. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
WABE prepares for ‘100 percent community funded’ future in year two of funding cuts
As WABE enters its second year without federal funding, the public media organization is setting up for a “100 percent community-funded” future. It’s a big gap to fill. On July 19, 2025, Congress cut $1.9 million in federal funding to the public media organization, roughly 13 percent of WABE’s operating budget. It left the PBS […]
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MARTA readies to ‘meet the moment’ as World Cup inches closer to Atlanta
In 62 days, the FIFA World Cup will land in Atlanta for eight matches. It will bring an estimated 300,000 tourists to the downtown area and even more locals to the city’s core. City officials are working to ready the city for an influx of people. In an exclusive interview with SaportaReport after the Atlanta […]
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Three years in, Atlanta ‘State of Tech’ reflects on major investments
Three years in, and the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation seems to be making good on turning Atlanta into one of the nation’s top five tech hubs. The Atlanta Tech Hub unveiled its 2025 Impact Report at the official “State of the ATL Tech Ecosystem” with fanfare. “Hamilton” costumes, movie stars and high-dollar […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival brings ’boutique’ experience in seventh year
Caroline King likes to keep the Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival intimate. It’s not like major festivals where attendees shell out hundreds of dollars to stand in endless lines or cram into premieres. “I really like to think of us as more of a grassroots boutique festival,” King said. “It’s intimate.” King founded the festival […]
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Beltline on track to exceed goal of 5,600 affordable homes by 2030
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. announced today it has built or preserved 4,425 units of affordable housing to date, 79 perent of its goal, well before the self-imposed 2030 deadline. In 2025, the Beltline and its partners “delivered” 299 affordable housing units, with more lined up for 2026. The Beltline has more than doubled the number of […]
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Metro Atlanta wants to crack down on teen takeovers. Where will teens go?
Everybody has a take on the teen takeovers. They are the latest phenomenon to hit Metro Atlanta — unauthorized gatherings of hundreds of teenagers in spots like the Battery, the Beltline and the Mall of Georgia. The meetups sometimes end in chaos. On Feb. 28, a Beltline takeover turned into 14 arrests and 11 confiscated […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Cherry Blossom Festival to return with free concert, market and more this weekend
It’s an all-hands-on-deck operation at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Brookhaven. This weekend, the city will transform for its annual two-day music festival. From 10 am to 6 pm on March 28 and 29, an estimated 60,000 people will flock to Blackburn Park for a lineup including The Head and the Heart, Natasha Bedingfield and […]
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Can resilient parks help save the world? Park Pride tackles climate change at annual conference
“Maybe no city is a climate refuge,” Park Pride Education Director Eli Dickerson said. The nonprofit leader opened his remarks at the 25th annual Parks & Greenspace Conference on March 23, hosted by Park Pride, with an explainer on the year’s theme: Resilient Parks, Resilient Communities. It was the topic on everyone’s mind as they […]
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Crawfish and concerts combine for mental health music festival
The Mental Awakening festival began with crawfish. More accurately, it began with about 300 crawfish in a backyard filled with friends. From March 27 to 28, Westside Motor Lounge will become home to Mental Awakening’s two-day festival packed with thousands of attendees, live music, local art and “community spirit” aimed at supporting mental health and […]
