Atlanta Film Festival 2020 – What Makes a Festival? : Sonic Cinema

Atlanta Film Festival 2020 – What Makes a Festival?

Posted by Brian Skutle Posted on Sep - 28 - 2020 0 Comment

My first film festival experience was in 2002, but it wasn’t enough to really get a feel for the festival, as a whole; I was there for one reason- to watch Amber Benson’s “Chance”, and I know that I was not the only one. I’ve taken in several panels and short film blocks at DragonCon’s Film Festival, but that- more often than not- has just bled into the fabric of the larger convention for me. My first official film festival experience was last year’s Atlanta Film Festival. It was an eye-opening experience, but it felt a lot like DragonCon in many ways. Covering three film festivals this year, however, I couldn’t help but have my eyes opened again, in a different way.

When it comes to reading coverage of film festivals, as vividly as one can describe it, it still feels like a similar routine of going from one screening to another, talking to filmmakers, and running down the best, and worst, the festival had to offer. In taking in three different festivals in the Women in Horror Film Festival in February, Fantasia Fest in August, and now, the Atlanta Film Festival, I was struck by the differences in each one in terms of personality. I’m not talking about the structure, where the latter two had to adapt to taking place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the type of films that embody each festival. That came into focus watching the two Monday evening screenings at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival I took in, “The MisEducation of Bindu” and “The Outside Story”, and reflecting on the films I took in at last year’s festival. While there are certainly films that fall outside of the mold in the Atlanta Film Festival, many of the films- be it narratives or documentaries- center on stories of personal growth and change, or social issues that help us engage with a different community that is not our own. That really snapped into focus that evening, and just about every evening after that.

Each of this year’s film festivals for me had an embarrassment of riches from a cinematic standpoint (and in terms of filmmakers to meet and talk to), and something to offer, in their own ways. The Women in Horror Film Festival had a tremendous sense of community and imagination among both the films, and festival goers, that made it feel like DragonCon, in a lot of ways. Fantasia Fest may have been entirely a home event for my first time covering the festival, but the collection of wild, and bold, genre films, and the engagement of the Discord server, helped make it feel as though I was being involved in the discovery of intriguing cinematic visions, and a lot of fun movies.

If I’m being honest, the Atlanta Film Festival topped both of those. There are films from both festivals I loved more, and filmmaker experiences that were terrific and long-lasting, but having a variety of screening locations to go to, and the socially-distanced idea of a drive-in screening schedule, was wonderful. It was relaxed and had a lot of charm and personality, and the film selection was full of heart and humanity that made this feel just so emotional, and a homecoming, in a way, compared to just watching from home, or feeling like we were in the same place all weekend long.

This was a festival that just felt inviting and welcoming in the stories it gave us. That didn’t mean there weren’t stories that stung, like the way a former basketball champion seems lost in mental illness (“Curtis”); or a husband is struggling to deal with the end of his marriage (“The Killing of Two Lovers”); or how systemic racism allowed a murder to go unresolved for 35 years (“In the Cold Dead Night”); or how women are taught to take abuse just to serve affluent families, and help their own from afar (“Overseas”). It wasn’t all gloom, however, as an introverted video editor learned to open up (“The Outside Story”); an activist finds her voice (“The Glorias”); music brings people from two nations together (“Fandango at the Wall”); and cinema is a welcome distraction for a community, even a war zone (“Cinema Pameer”).

The Atlanta Film Festival is a celebration of humanity, told through a cinematic lens. It was one I needed more than I realized going into it, and I cannot wait to see what it has in store next year!

2020 Atlanta Film Festival: The Reviews
“John Lewis: Good Trouble”
“Feels Good Man”
“Climate of the Hunter”
“Overseas”
“The Nest”
“The Orphanage”
“Some Kind of Heaven”
“The Killing of Two Lovers”*
“In the Cold Dark Night”
“Cinema Pameer”
“Dead by Midnight: Y2Kill”
“The MisEducation of Bindu”
“The Outside Story”
“Curtis”
“Beast Beast”
“Once Upon a Time in Venezuela”
“Black Conflux”*
“Test Pattern” (Quick Take Video)
“Fully Realized Humans”
“Homegoing”
“The Glorias”
“Fandango at the Wall” (Quick Take Video)
“Sylvie’s Love”
*Filmmaker Interview Included