Atlanta Film Festival 2022: Opening Weekend : Sonic Cinema

Atlanta Film Festival 2022: Opening Weekend

Posted by Brian Skutle Posted on Apr - 25 - 2022 0 Comment

The Atlanta Film Festival was the first one to give me a chance to cover it as a member of the press. I will always be grateful for that, and even when things might get dicey with my schedule, I will make it a point to try and go there every year, and see what they have to offer. One pandemic-era holdover is making that easy this year.

Because of having to work during the festival, press screeners and the virtual catalog the festival offers was going to be a vital part of me being able to give this year’s festival the attention it deserves. Available throughout the festival, the virtual catalog gives people from all over access to an assortment of narrative and documentary features, the short film blocks, as well as panels as part of the Creative Conference. Most are available throughout the duration of the festival, others do not unlock until their in-person screening happens. Even if you cannot make the in-person festival, it’s worth checking out the wide variety of films available.

Thursday, April 21
Even though the “official” opening night is Friday, Thursday starts access to the virtual side, as well as has one or two in-person screenings that could be attended. I started off with a review for the jazz musician drama, “Learn to Swim”, which I watched early to have a review available right out of the gates for the virtual catalog- it’s a compelling romantic drama fueled as much by style as it is by narrative. Also of interest is “The Game”, about a struggling father who helps refugees get to safe countries; when he has two boys in tow, parenting skills that have been absent for him have to come into play- be on the lookout for it.

I followed up “The Game” with Careworn Cadences, my first short film block, which showcases five stories of hardship and empathy when it comes to giving care to others. This is the type of thing the festival gives us a lot of, and in two cases especially- “She Keeps Me” and “The Bond”– we get devastating stories of this struggle, one when it comes to mental illness and family, one when the potential of being a mother to your child means everything has to go just right. They are early highlights of the festival, and you can read all my thoughts on the short film blocks at Sonic Cinema Patreon.

That night, it was time to go get my badge, get checked in, and start the in-person portion. First up was a short film block centered around Kodak and the Atlanta Film Society’s “100 Feet of Film” competition. In less than 3 minutes, filmmakers have to tell imaginative and compelling stories, and the group did not disappoint. It was a good way to start the evening. After that, in the Plaza’s wonderful main theatre, Atlanta audiences got their first in-person look at Cooper Raiff’s Sundance favorite, “Cha Cha Real Smooth”. I had missed the comedy-drama at Sundance in January, so I was excited to be able to catch up with it in Atlanta, and with an audience that seemed to enjoy it very much. What a way to start.

Friday, April 22
The official Opening Night of the festival. Last year, we got a drag show with “Socks on Fire”. In 2020, we had the family drama “The Nest”, although I took that one in early and opted for “In the Cold Dark Night” instead at the drive-in-only festival. This year, we got a return of the red carpet, where- in 2019- I had the chance to talk to Lulu Wang and Awkwafina about “The Farewell”. This year, I only had eyes for the red carpet, and another Sundance film I missed at the January festival, “892”. Based on the tragic true story of Brian Brown-Easley (played by a fantastic John Boyega), this thriller follows him into the bank he would hold up in 2017, and shows us- through deft narrative momentum- how he went from a Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom to a desperate father trying to keep from being homeless. Joining us in Atlanta was the film’s co-writer/director, Abi Damaris Corbin, and it was a pleasure to be able to talk to her both on the red carpet, and at the after party at the Carter Center, about the film; you’ll be able to hear that on the end-of-festival podcast.

Saturday, April 23
This was a work day for me, and because of my schedule Sunday morning, I opted not to go downtown for any screenings. That being said, press screeners did allow me to take in two films showing in-person ahead of time. In addition, on Friday, prior to going downtown, I watched the documentary, “Daughter of a Lost Bird”, about an Indigenous woman looking to connect with her heritage after being put up for adoption by the state when she was born. It is available on the virtual catalog.

Two more documentaries were screening downtown on Saturday, and I wanted to make sure I had my thoughts for them ahead of time. One I watched prior to the festival, and knowing my work schedule, was “Outta the Muck”, in which Ira McKinley- one of the film’s directors- takes us to his small hometown in Florida, and shows us a vibrant and proud community as it comes together for its high school football team. Of the two documentaries, however, “Refuge” had the strongest impact, although both are well worth checking out on the virtual side this week. In their film, directors Erin Levin Bernhard and Din Blankenship follow two subjects- a former military man and member of the KKK and a Muslim doctor- as they form an unlikely friendship. Seeing the former’s evolution, and the powerful optimism of the latter, is enough to give us hope that, even with profound division in our country, love can overcome hate.

After work, I did take in another virtual catalog film, though. “Portraits From a Fire” is a heartfelt, and creative, coming-of-age story about a teen who spends his time making silly movies, and inviting people from his reservation to contribute. When another teenager inspires him to make something more from the heart, maybe it will thaw the emotions of his reserved father, who’s been cold towards his son for years. Director Trevor Mack’s approach is not only deeply personal, but cinematically interesting. Of all of the virtual-only films I’ve seen, this might be my favorite so far.

Sunday, April 24
I had to work in the morning, but boy was it worth waiting for that evening’s screenings. I have never seen any of Dean Fleischer-Camp’s “Marcel the Shell” short films, but oh my God did his feature-length adaptation of the premise win me over. As hilarious as it is heartwarming, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” plays like a mockumentary about a filmmaker who happens to be staying at an Air BNB where Marcel and his grandmother live. That’s all I’m going to tell you, because you owe it to yourself to go into this one knowing as little as possible.

Later on Sunday, it was to the Carter Center for a screening under the stars of “Boycott”. Julia Bacha’s film takes a different perspective on the Isreali-Palestinian conflict, focusing on how- in 33 states- there is legislation on the books to prevent government contractors from practicing economic boycotts on Isreal. The film centers on three of the people whom are fighting these laws in court, and afterwards, there was an interesting Q&A on the film, and subject in general. “Boycott” is now available on the festival’s virtual platform.