My favorite films/shorts from the Atlanta Film Festival 2024

I was super fortunate to be able to attend the Atlanta Film Festival this year. I had been in a horrible filmmaker slump, feeling both uninspired and burnt out. The festival really helped recenter me by being surrounded by so many people passionate about cinema. Here are a few of my favorite films I saw at the festival:

Note: For all the films, check your local film festival schedules - many of these are doing the festival circuit before they’ll be released publicly (via rentals/streamers/etc.)

Secondary Note: I was not able to see the entire catalogue of the film, but these were my favorites of what I was able to watch. They are not listed in any particular order.

Also here’s the link to my vlog highlighting moments from the festival.

And here’s my friend Rosemary’s youtube channel (who I loved getting to attend the festival with!)

1. Thelma

   • Narrative Feature Film

   • Premieres in Theaters: June 21st, 2024

   • Description: When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.

   • This film was such a delight, hitting all the tropes of an action film but led by a 93 year old hero. June Squibb and Richard Roundtree led a dynamic ensemble in an exciting film that considers the truths of confronting the end of one’s life.

2. Citizen Sleuth

• Documentary Feature

• Currently doing the festival circuit, shopping for a home (will update if I find when/where to watch)

• Description: A true crime podcaster from Appalachia blurs the line between fact and entertainment as she investigates a mysterious local death

• This film investigates the consequences of our society’s true crime obsession, and the real-world affects on the people involved in the ‘crime’. Over the course of the film, Emily Nestor begins to realize that case she has been building a massive following around may not have actually been murder, but she has already built a large following of people convinced of murder. I was very excited to see this film (I thought the story was even fiction at first glance) and it definitely was as intriguing as I thought it would be.

• Fans of the true crime podcasts and books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will throughly enjoy this film.

3. Konpa

• Short Film

• Currently doing the festival circuit, (will update if I find when/where to watch)

• Description: A young Haitian-American learns how to dance Konpa to impress his crush.

• A very accurate and touching depiction of what it feels like to be a hyphenate-american, and a wonderful dose of Haitian culture in Miami.

4. Baby Gay

• Short Film (Proof of Concept)

• Currently doing the festival circuit (will update if I find when/where to watch)

• Description: Desperate to finally prove her bisexuality, Stevie Lee bluffs her way into a lesbian threesome thinking she'll "figure it out" when she gets there. She does not figure it out when she gets there.

• This was so much fun to watch, and I loved how the asian representation was done. I always love when culture is more like set dressing where it fills in details in the background of the plot but is not the main story. That’s what feels like true representation to me, and this did a phenomenal job amongst a very funny story that I would love to see get turned in to a series.

5. Mira

• Animated Short Film

• Currently doing the festival circuit, (will update if I find when/where to watch)

• Description: MIRA is a stop motion-animated short following the story of a young and talented accordionist as she caters to a charismatic water demon whose interests lie in harming and manipulating others for her own success and personal gain.

• This had such a good, dark twist and the art style was really beautiful done. The music in the short is fantastic too. This may be the hardest to find, but is highly enjoyable if you are able to watch it.

Bonus: Wildcat

• Narrative Feature Film

• In Theatres Now

• Description: Follows the life of writer Flannery O'Connor while she was struggling to publish her first novel.

• This was not part of the festival, but such an incredible experience the week after. There was a screening at our local theatre that hosted the film festival, The Plaza. We majorly lucked out and got to attend a Q&A with Ethan & Maya Hawke after the film. The audience asked some of the most insightful questions about Flannery O’Connor, Cinema/Filmmaking, and Religion & Art. It was the best Q&A I’ve ever heard so if you ever get an opportunity to hear either Hawke speak you should jump at the chance. The film is not a biopic in the traditional sense, but instead follows how a writer’s mind works, weaving elements of Flannery O’Connor’s life with her stories. I had not yet read any of her work, but this film prompted me to buy a copy of her collected works. If you’re an artist of any form, you’ll find so much inspiration in this wonderfully made film (one of my favorites of the year so far).