CinemATL: the blog

CinemATL Weekly Film Update Launches April 21st

Don't hear about an event till it's past? Tired of missing meetings and screenings? Trying to network, but don't know where? Sign up for the Update and always be in the know! What's in the Weekly Film Update? Current Theaterical Releases

Local Screenings

Meetings and Networking Events

Film News

The Latest CinemATL Articles

The Latest CinemATL Podcast

The Latest Reviews: National and Local

Southern Film Film Festivals

and More! Update Launches Weekly on April 21st

On April 21st, CinemATL is launching the Weekly Film Update. Not only will the Update tell you what's new in CinemATL, but released every Friday, the Update will also be a resource keeping you informed about the Atlanta Film Community at large.

What do we need? We're looking for the following information from Atlanta filmmakers and film organizations:

Local Screenings Special Screenings Weekly Meeting Info Special Meeting Info Networking Events Film News Relevant to the South Film Festival Information

So help keep the Atlanta Film Community in the know and start sending your info to info@cinematl.com. And if you haven't subscribed to the Weekly Film Update already, send an email to cinematlweekly@comcast.net and put "Subscribe Weekly Film Update" in the subject line.

Submissions will be added as space and time permits. The inclusion of a submission is at the discretion of CinemATL staff.
CinemATL does not endorse or sponsor submissions listed unless otherwise noted. Submissions received without a working email address or web site in addition to a contact number will not be added.
Currently CinemATL only accepts submissions for events in the Atlanta area. CinemATL does accept submissions for Festivals throughout the Southeast.
CinemATL doesn't share or sell private information including email addresses to third parties without prior consent. Unless otherwise stated, private information collected is for internal CinemATL use only.

March 24 - 26 Atlanta Women of Color Film Festival

Friday, March 24th 2006 Meet & Greet with Filmmakers: 6:00pm - 7:00pm Screenings: 7:15pm - 10:45pm Saturday, March 25th 2006 Screening times: 12 noon - 9:50 pm Sunday, March 26th 2006 Screening times: 3:00pm - 6:00pm Where: The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture & History 101 Auburn Avenue 4th Floor Atlanta, GA 30303 Admission: FREE For more information visit the official site: Iyalode Productions

cinemATL's 1st Podcast:

We at cinemATL have just recorded our first podcast this evening. Our first guest was Atlanta Film Festival Director Jake Jacobson. We got so much great stuff we were going to pull an NBC and supersize the first ep. However, we're going to be bringing you this great interview in two parts (maybe even three). Want to know what Jake's got planned? Want to know what this year's focus is going to be? How about finding out what the 30th AFF is going do for Atlanta filmmaking? You can even find out what Jake's already working on for 2007. So be on the look out for more info about the release of our podcast. And expect more interviews with locals involved in all aspects of the film scene here in Atlanta and the South.

WIF/A: 6 - Atlantic Station Regal Cinemas: 0

Reflecting on WIF/A's and WIFTI's Short Film Showcase: Let me get this out of the way. Whoever Atlantic Station Regal outsourced their A/V services to did a sh*tty job. Half way through A Place Called Home the DVD froze. That would be just the first of several glitches that added at least 45 minutes to the showcase's total running time. At the cocktail reception afterwards, the Regal manager did give us free passes and graciously credited Sherry Richardson for single handedly keeping the showcase on track. Unfortunately, as the audience, we didn't know that it wasn't WIF/A who wasn't prepared. And since we only found that out after the showcase was over, first timers to a WIF/A event, who skipped the reception, are most likely now wandering the streets of Atlanta with a decidedly false impression about how WIF/A does things. (Let's not fail to mention that I got the notion that Fox Sports Grill was none to happy the reception started an hour late.) However, who really cares when the shorts themselves were so damn strong. In particular, the 6 local shorts were beyond impressive. They were so moving semi-loyal readers, I've avowed to dial back my bitching and moaning about quality films coming out of the "A" from a 9 to an 8. Unfortunately, I've got to make my total quota, so I'm raising my B&M about why aren't more women behind the camera from a 7 to a right out 10. At sixteen percent, it's appalling that there are so few women writers, directors and producers working behind the scenes. Starting with Charity Harvey's The Memory of History and ending with Raquel Asturias's Sharing Our Souls, these Women are the collectors of who we are. Their cameras aren't tools they're an extension of themselves. Mechanical appendages that organically allow them to be observers of the intimate and the minute. Whether it's an oral and pictorial history of Herren's restaurant, a mockumentary about being a "video vixen" or a fairytale about our willingness to destroy the present to recreate a past that no longer exists, these are personal stories. Unflinching stories. Stories that we should be grateful have been added to our collective memory. Sandra M. Yee's Hoo Hoo - Losing Mother Tongue probably encompasses what these film do best. In the opening frame, we're introduced to Yee's grandmother. Fierce, energetic, witty and willing to scold anyone within earshot, she's a character that you immediately gravitate to. Just as we're beginning to know her, we learn that a month after Yee started the documentary, her grandmother suffered a heart attack and died two days later. It's a sobering moment that only makes you grasp the previous six minutes ever more tightly. As a part of celeberating International Women's Day, last night's films are a reminder that we must always be actively pursuing memory and creating memory. That we all need to be collectors of who we are.

March 9th "The Vagina Monologues"

The Vagina Monologues THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2006 - 8:00 PM Woodruff Arts Center Rich Auditorium 1280 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309 Directed by: Nailah Manns Executive Producer: Carletta S. Hurt

FEATURING: Marshawn Evans, Toccara Jones, Carol Mitchell-Leon and Kaira Whitehead STARRING: Eva Acosta, Brandy C. Huff, Sheryland Neal, Kimberly Jurgen, Therese Lambert, Nadya Simpson, Carla A. Tyrell, Chantell Welch and Samantha Worthen

Admission:$25 in advance/$30 at the door

VIP Reception (immediately following performance): $15

For more information or to order group tickets (10+) Contact Carletta S. Hurt 404.964.3732 or carletta@ikamproductions.com or visit: I Kam Productions

Proceeds from this performance will benefit: The Princess Project, an initiative of Miss/Ms Black Georgia USA Scholarship Foundation, is a program where they "adopt" 15 foster girls ages 7-12 and provide opportunities for increased exposure; build self-awareness, confidence and literacy skills. The Center to End Adolescent Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) , an initiative of the Juvenile Justice Fund, is one of the nation's most aggressive initiatives to prevent sexual exploitation of children and to take action wherever sexual abuse is occurring.

March 8th Women In Film Short Film Showcase

WIF/A in association with Women in Film International presents a Short Film Showcase celebrating International Women's Day March 8, 2006 7–10 p.m. Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station 16 216 19th St. NW Showcasing seven shorts that have collectivelly garnered 50 international awards, including a 2005 Academy Award, this simultaneous event spread across 18 screens and five countries is an opportunity to see astounding work by some of today's most talented female filmmakers. Along with the seven shorts, local filmmaker Kasia Kowalcyzk's short Replacing Delphine will also be screening.

Guest Speaker, Short Film Showcase, Cocktail Reception $10 WIF/A members - $20 non-members *cost includes film screenings and reception (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Reserve your seat today! Seating is limited.

March 4th Celeberating Cultures In Motion

A Celebrating Cultures in Motion Pre-Film Festival Showcase

March 4th 2-6 pm cost: $5 El Cine Mireles 3378 Canton Rd. Marrietta, GA

The African American Cinema Gallery and the Sweet Auburn SpringFest have teamed up to host their first international film festival May 12-13 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. Dedicated to the late Coretta Scott King, the theme of this year's fest is Fulfilling The Dream. Building up to the event the AACG and El Cine Mireles are presenting a series of Pre-Festival showcases featuring filmmakers, vendors and door prizes. The next one will happen this Saturday and they'll be screening Ordinary Lives, DL Chronicles and Proud Mary (a filmmaker Q&A for Proud Mary follows the screening). Try to make it out if you. But, if you can't make it to this, make time to catch them in May at the Sweet Auburn Springfest.

March 12-19 Independent Black Film Festival

The 2006 Independent Black Film Festival will once again bring together great talent from Technology, Music, Films and Video Games for a week of educational panels, cultural events, film screenings, and industry networking. With its unique combination of diversity and entertainment, Atlanta is poised to be the epicenter for this collision of Arts and Sciences. Some highlights from this year are:

The Oscar nominated Tsotsi from South Africa
The Youth Film Challenge: Youth 13 to 18 have seven days to write,shoot and edit a short.
Everybody is a Star event hosted by HOT 107.9's Rashan Ali
Screenwriter's and Filmmaker's Toolkits
Think Tank - Redefining Cinematic Images and Cultural Identity in the Arts and Media

For more information and a complete list of events and screenings visit the IBFF website: Independent Black Film Festival