The 48th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) will take place Thursday, April 25 – Sunday, May 5, 2024 at the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre in Atlanta and virtually.

Kicking off the lineup is the Opening Night presentation of director Michael Showalter’s “The Idea of You” starring Anne Hathaway as Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

The Closing Night presentation of director Greg Kwedar’s “SING SING,” follows Divine G (Coleman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, as he finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.

Other highlights of the programming include narrative features “Brief History of A Family,” about a middle-class family whose fate becomes intertwined with their only son’s enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China; “I SAW THE TV GLOW,” about a teenager who’s just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own; and documentary “Luther: Never Too Much,” that chronicles the life of an iconic musical performer, from childhood musical talent to worldwide fame.

While 118 countries are represented in the selections, more than 24% of films have ties to Georgia filmmakers. The 142 total announced creative works from submissions will feature diverse filmmakers who continue to uplift voices and stories from around the world. Eleven Marquee screenings will combine Hollywood star power with the best of independent film.

“We’re so excited to be bringing another edition full of artful, challenging, and flat-out fun films to Atlanta this spring. When we make selections for ATLFF, we always follow our sense of discovery, of seeing what movies will be in the years to come. And we think anyone visiting the festival this year will come away knowing what we know, that cinema has a really rich future ahead of it.”
Jonathan Kieran, Programming Director, ATLFF

Since its founding, diversity in programming has been a cornerstone of ATLFF’s mission, demonstrated by their lineup of 29 feature-length films, 90 short films, and 22 creative media selections. Of these selections, 49% are directed by filmmakers who identify as female or non-binary, and 59% are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC).

OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION

The Idea of You
directed by Michael Showalter
United States // 2024 // English // 115 min
Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION

SING SING
directed by Greg Kwedar
United States // 2023 // English // 105 min
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

MARQUEE SCREENINGS

Brief History of A Family
directed by Jianjie Lin
China, Denmark // 2024 // Chinese // 99 min
A middle-class family’s fate becomes intertwined with their only son’s enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China, putting unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions under the microscope
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

Evil Does Not Exist
directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Japan // 2023 // Japanese // 106 min
Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a camping site near Takumi’s house offering city residents a comfortable “escape” to nature.#Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

I SAW THE TV GLOW
directed by Jane Schoenbrun
United States // 2024 // English // 100 min
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show – a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

Last Summer
directed by Catherine Breillat
France, Norway // 2023 // French // 106 min
Follows Anne, a brilliant lawyer who lives with her husband Pierre and their daughters. Anne gradually engages in a passionate relationship with Theo, Pierre’s son from a previous marriage, putting her career and family life in danger.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

Red Rooms
directed by Pascal Plante
Canada // 2023 // French // 110 min
The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl, to whom Kelly-Anne bears a disturbing resemblance.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

SING SING
directed by Greg Kwedar
United States // 2023 // English // 105 min
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

The Idea of You
directed by Michael Showalter
United States // 2024 // English // 115 min
Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

Thelma
directed by Josh Margolin
United States // 2024 // English // 97 min
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.
Marquee, #NarrativeFeature

Luther: Never Too Much
directed by Dawn Porter
United Kingdom, United States // 2024 // English // 101 min
Chronicles the life of an iconic musical performer, from childhood musical talent to worldwide fame. Explores his collaborations, influences, character and relationships with family, friends and fans.
Marquee #DocumentaryFeature

Power
directed by Yance Ford
United States // 2024 // English // 85 min
Driven to contain threats to social order, American policing has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, it can be described by one word: power.
Marquee #DocumentaryFeature

Seeking Mavis Beacon
directed by Jazmin Jones
United States // 2024 // English // 102 min
Investigates the disappearance and reexamines the legacy of one of the most influential Black women in technology.
Marquee #DocumentaryFeature

NARRATIVE FEATURES

A Song for Imogene
directed by Erika Arlee
United States // 2023 // English // 104 min
Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Cheyenne, a once free-spirited songwriter, flees in the night from her possessive boyfriend, Alex. Back in her rural hometown, Cheyenne faces her bitter mother and reunites with her vagabond sister, Janelle: now a single mother to a five-year-old son. The two rekindle their sisterhood and Cheyenne’s forgotten dreams. Meanwhile, Alex discovers evidence of the hidden pregnancy and decides to chase Cheyenne down, challenging her to break a generational cycle of abuse. Immersive in its realism, A SONG FOR IMOGENE is a story of grit set against the grueling landscape of the American South that explores issues of abuse, trauma, and the female bid for independence.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

A Strange Path
directed by Guto Parente
Brazil // 2023 // Portugal // 83 min
A young filmmaker returns to his hometown and attempts to reconnect with his eccentric father as the pandemic rapidly accelerates across Brazil. Resuming their distant father-son relationship proves to be more complicated, however, as bizarre phenomena begin to fray the edges of their reality.
¡CineMás!, #NarrativeFeature

African Giants
directed by Omar S. Kamara
United States // 2024 // English // 106 min
Over a weekend visit in Los Angeles, two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers navigate the changing dynamics of brotherhood after a surprise announcement.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeFeature

Asog
directed by Seán Devlin 叶 世民
Canada, Philippines // 2024 // Tagalog, Waray // 101 min
ASOG is a screwball tragicomedy starring a cast of real life Super Typhoon survivors. Jaya is a non-binary teacher whose career as a comedian hosting a late-night television show ended due to a climate disaster that devastated the Philippines. Picking up the pieces in their life, Jaya decides to travel across the country in hopes of winning a beauty pageant and the prize money that comes with it. But before they can leave, a chance encounter with Arnel, a student going the same way in search of family, complicates their solitary plans. As they travel seemingly countless miles together on foot, bike, and boat, the unlikely duo find themselves forever changed by each other and those they encounter on their journey.
PinkPeach, #CinematographyCompetition, #NarrativeFeature

Atikamekw Suns
directed by Chloé Leriche
Canada // 2023 // Atikamekw, French // 102 min
On June 26, 1977, a vehicle drives into a river outside the Atikamekw community of Manawan in northern Québec. Two Whites survive the accident, but five Atikamekw lose their lives. The police conclude it was an accident, but for the victims’ families, many questions remain unanswered. A historical and poetic story, a hybrid between documentary and fiction — SOLEILS ATIKAMEKW (ATIKAMEKW SUNS) is freely inspired by the dreams, impressions, and memories of the victims’ loved ones.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #CinematographyCompetition, #NarrativeFeature

Boca Chica
directed by Gabriella A. Moses
Dominican Republic // 2023 // Spanish, English // 97 min
As a young girl growing up in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, 12-year-old Desi is powerfully drawn to song and music by a famed ancestor with a musical legacy. Her handsome brother Fran lives in New York pursuing his music, too, while struggling to make ends meet. The long-awaited return of their cousin Elvis and his marriage festivities animate the family and community. But Elvis’ sinister machinations reveal that his business interests involve trafficking children. Threatened by the very people who should care for her most, Desi finds her voice among a group of underground rap artists. BOCA CHICA weaves richly drawn stories into a coming-of-age story of hope and discovery.
¡CineMás!, #Noire, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

Do You Say What You Mean?
directed by Win Marks
United States // 2024 // English // 87 min
Aliyah, confident and easy going, quickly falls for a truck driver, Sean. Their relationship plays out in snapshots as they try to build a life together, but the more they try, the more they unravel.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaFeatureCompetition, #NarrativeFeature

Dragoons
directed by Reinis Ubelis
Latvia // 2024 // Latvian // 77 min
Father-to-be Pavel and his pregnant girlfriend Sabine spend their days living like nomads and breaking into houses in search of food and resources. Upon finding themselves lost in a mysterious forest, they seek refuge in a crumbling gothic manor inhabited by two aging siblings, the Dragoons. Soon they find that escape is impossible and Sabine’s delivery is approaching. Haunted by the guilt of leading his girlfriend into a nightmare scenario and falling under the sway of the weird Dragoons, Pavel soon begins to question his own ability to separate reality from dreams.
InCompetition, #CinematographyCompetition, #NarrativeFeature

Faceless After Dark
directed by Raymond Wood
United States // 2024 // English // 82 min
Following her breakout success as the star of a killer clown horror flick, Bowie now finds herself struggling to capitalize on her newfound semi-fame. But when she is held hostage by an unhinged fan posing as that same killer clown, horror becomes her reality as she fights to survive the night and escape before he completes his sinister plan to recreate the film’s fatal plot. Jenna Kanell from the TERRIFIER franchise gives a tour-de-force performance in this wild, gory ride.
Georgia Film, #GeorgiaFeatureCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeFeature

Melk
directed by Stefanie Kolk
Netherlands // 2023 // Dutch // 96 min
Days after giving birth to a stillborn baby, Robin’s breasts start to produce milk. Unable to bring herself to throw it away, Robin makes the unusual decision to donate her milk. As her quest for a place to donate becomes more difficult than anticipated, more and more milk starts to crowd her freezer, relationship, and life.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

Mountains
directed by Monica Sorelle
United States // 2023 // Haitian Creole, English, Spanish // 95 min
Xavier, a Haitian demolition worker, is outgrowing the Little Haiti home he shares with his wife Esperance – a seamstress and school crossing guard – and their son Junior, a young adult pursuing a standup comedy career. MOUNTAINS is a multigenerational drama that explores the relationships between immigrants and their children, Miami’s own stratification of race and nationality, and the looming threat of gentrification.
Noire, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

Poor Clare
directed by Blaine Redden
United States // 2024 // English // 119 min
Just before dawn, a strange man appears at Clare’s door. The young filmmaker begins to see this man wherever she goes. She struggles to connect to those around her, to tell them what haunts her, until she meets a mysterious stranger who is intent on showing Clare what she’s most afraid to see. Drawing from the rich and shadowy legacy of underground, cult, and trash film, POOR CLARE is a vivid and dreamlike vision etched in camcorder tape.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeFeature

The Battle
directed by Vera Egito
Brazil // 2024 // Portuguese // 84 min
Constructed of just 21 separate shots, THE BATTLE brings you inside the Philosophy School building of São Paulo University on a decisive day in October 1968, that came to be known as the Battle of the Students. As they attempt to carry out a crucial University-wide election, students and Professors of the Left Student Movement face pressure from within and physical threats from the reactionary forces outside their door.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #¡CineMás!, #NewMavericks, #CinematographyCompetition, #NarrativeFeature

The Trap
directed by Lena Headey
United Kingdom // 2023/4 // English // 84 min
Michelle is a broken woman, shut off to the world. Then Joe, a damaged young man, arrives at Michelle’s fortress of solitude and brings her back to life. However, their tender romance is shattered when Joe reveals that he is the son Michelle gave up more than twenty years earlier. After a brutal reckoning, Joe and Michelle set off together in search of Joe’s father. Along the way, they slowly rebuild their relationship, discovering the power of unconditional love and, ultimately, redemption.
NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

We Strangers
directed by Anu Valia
United States // 2024 // English // 80 min
When Rayelle Martin, a Black woman scraping by in Gary, Indiana, scores a job housekeeping for a pair of upper-crust families across town, it seems like a step up from her usual thankless commercial cleaning gigs. However, the slights and secrets that are dealt out in these houses of privilege serve as a constant reminder of her outsider status. Things take a turn when Rayelle shares an impulsive, seemingly harmless lie: that yes, she can speak to the dead. This lie begins to spin out of control, and Ray’s attempt to gain ownership over her own identity goes in directions she could have never predicted.
In Competition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeFeature

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Amakki
directed by Célia Boussebaa
United States, Netherlands // 2024 // Sidamuu Afoo, Sidama // 104 min
AMAKKI, meaning “your mother”, is an intimate journey through Sidama’s coffee-growing hills in Ethiopia. It explores the interconnected lives of a grandmother, a mother, a young girl, and a baby girl, celebrating the profound moments of love, loss, and resilience that shape the tapestry of motherhood and womanhood.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #CinematographyCompetition, #DocumentaryFeature

Baghdad on Fire
directed by Karrar Al-Azzawi
Norway, Iraq // 2023 // Arabic // 60 min
BAGHDAD ON FIRE is an energetic account from inside the demonstrations of the new Iraqi youth. Together with friends Khader and Yousif, 19 year old Tiba has started a medical team that helps the brave young protesters. They spend days and nights in tents in Tahrir Square in the center of Baghdad, where they discuss and plan how to bring freedom, democracy and change to Iraq.
DocumentaryFeature

Caterpillar
directed by Liza Mandelup
United States // 2023 // English // 111 min
Endlessly struggling to feel seen, David becomes infatuated with a mysterious company’s promise to transform people’s lives by permanently changing the color of their eyes. After traveling to India to get the controversial procedure, he begins to question if this artificial beauty will give him the fulfillment he truly seeks.
PinkPeach, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryFeature

Citizen Sleuth
directed by Chris Kasick
United States // 2024 // English // 82 min
CITIZEN SLEUTH follows Emily Nestor and her Mile Marker 181 podcast, as she conducts an amateur murder investigation into the death of Jaleayah Davis. With a growing audience of millions, Emily’s podcast becomes a hit, but as she probes deeper into the case, she’s confronted with a new truth she struggles to tell her listeners.
DocumentaryFeature

Family Tree
directed by Jennifer MacArthur
United States // 2024 // English // 97 min
FAMILY TREE explores sustainable forestry in North Carolina through the stories of two Black families fighting to preserve their land and legacy. Despite setbacks, they work to create sustainable land to pass on to the next generation. The forest itself and the beauty of its changing seasons become a primary character in this family drama.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryFeature

Go Like Hell
directed by Scott Edwards
United States // 2024 // English // 104 min
In an industry dominated by billionaires, a team of renegade engineers bands together to bootstrap a rocket company amidst the sprawling Texas cattle fields. With funding rapidly dwindling and a relentless race against the giants of “big space,” this scrappy startup, led by an eccentric and determined CEO, must defy the odds and race to reach orbit before their finances collapse.
InCompetition, #DocumentaryFeature

Happy Campers
directed by Amy Nicholson
United States // 2023 // English // 78 min
Every summer, working-class families enjoy waterfront living in a scrappy trailer park off the coast of Virginia. When the relentless march of capitalism threatens their shabby Shangri-La, the denizens of Inlet View face the inevitable, and reveal the secrets to a rich life.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryFeature

Naked Ambition
directed by Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch
United States // 2023 // English // 73 min
Bunny Yeager, once heralded as the world’s prettiest photographer, had a huge influence in 20th-century pop culture. As a model and photographer, she was a trailblazer whose work helped pave the way for both the feminist movement and sexual revolution. Featuring Dita Von Teese, Bruce Weber, and Larry King, NAKED AMBITION is a rediscovery of a brilliant and forgotten artist.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryFeature

Pianoman
directed by Sunny Liu
United States // 2024 // English // 52 min
David Avenando, an undocumented immigrant in NYC, finally achieves his dream of opening a piano factory in Yonkers, but runs into unforeseen circumstances that threaten to take away his livelihood and potentially separate him from his family. This moving film will resonate deeply with those intrigued by civil rights, social justice, and immigration.
InCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryFeature

Rape Play
directed by Gabriella Mykal
United States // 2023 // English // 82 min
RAPE PLAY is an experimental documentary that explores fanfiction writing amongst teenage girls online and the learned narrativization of sexual experiences. Through interviews, lyrical essays, and fantastical reenactment, it touches on internet history, sexual assault discourse, and the magical cultural production happening in the bedrooms of teenage girls worldwide every day.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #DocumentaryFeature

Richland
directed by Irene Lusztig
United States // 2023 // English // 93 min
Richland, Washington is proud of its heritage as a nuclear company town and proud of the atomic bomb it helped create. RICHLAND offers a prismatic, placemaking portrait of a community staking its identity and future on its nuclear origin story, presenting a timely examination of the habits of thought that normalize the extraordinary violence of the past.
NewMavericks, #DocumentaryFeature

Taxibol
directed by Tommaso Santambrogio
Italy // 2023 // Spanish, English // 50 min
Driving around the streets of Cuba, Lav Diaz – the famous Filipino director – and Gustavo Flecha – a talkative Cuban taxi driver – find themselves discussing politics, social conditions, and love. Through their dialogue and the subsequent narrative construction, the audience is invited to reflect on the harmful actions of significant historical figures and examine their impact on human lives.
¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryFeature

Thank You Very Much
directed by Alex Braverman
United States // 2023 // English // 99 min
Throughout his short life, Andy Kaufman’s work dissolved the boundaries between fiction and reality, and his commitment to performance on-stage and off rendered any distinctions between his characters and his real life useless. From Executive Producers Josh and Bennie Safdie, THANK YOU VERY MUCH is the definitive documentary look at how a shy, oddball kid from Long Island became the most polarizing performance artist of the 20th century.
DocumentaryFeature

The Body Politic
directed by Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough
United States // 2023 // English // 91 min
THE BODY POLITIC is a harbinger of hope in a country plagued by gun violence. In Baltimore, Brandon Scott, an idealistic young leader with a holistic plan to stop chronic violence in his city,is elected mayor. Throughout his first year in office, we follow Brandon as he fights powerful political forces to save lives in Baltimore and reveal a pathway toward healing for the nation.
Noire #DocumentaryFeature

The South Got Something to Say
directed by The Horne Brothers
United States // 2023 // English // 96 min
Pulling footage from an archive spanning the first fifty years of hip-hop as well as new interviews with Atlanta icons and genre luminaries (Killer Mike, Arrested Development, Goodie Mob, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri), THE SOUTH GOT SOMETHING TO SAY tells the ongoing story of Atlanta’s undeniable impact on hip-hop.
GeorgiaFilm, #DocumentaryFeature

NARRATIVE SHORTS

8 Minutes 20 Seconds
directed by Harris Doran
United States // 2024 // English // 9 min
Max must race against time to reconcile with his ex-boyfriend for them to be together in Earth’s last moments of sun.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

A Bird Called Memory
directed by Leonardo Martinelli
Brazil, United Kingdom // 2023 // Portuguese // 15 min
A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua, a trans woman, searches for Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.
¡CineMás!, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

A Forgotten Place
directed by Alice Leigh Barrós
United States // 2024 // English // 14 min
A reclusive stripper returns to her conservative home to answer a question that tortures her: whether she was abducted by an alien or if there’s a darker truth to her past.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #NarrativeShort

A Short Film About Kids
directed by Ibrahim Handal
Palestine // 2023 // Arabic // 10 min
Four kids from the refugee camp in Bethlehem decide to visit the sea for the first time in their lives.
InCompetition, #NarrativeShort

As You Are
directed by Daisy Friedman
United States // 2023 // English // 14 min
An interabled queer couple spend the night together for the first time.
NewMavericks, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

Baby Gay
directed by Arielle Frances Bagood
United States // 2024 // English, Mandarin, Shanghainese // 9 min
Desperate to prove her bisexuality, Stevie Lee bluffs her way into a lesbian threesome thinking she’ll “figure it out” when she gets there.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

Barely Breathing
directed by Derek Evans
United States // 2023 // English // 20 min
An awkward accident forces Sai to move back in with his father, forcing them to bridge the gap left by the death of Sai’s mother years prior.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NarrativeShort

Becoming
directed by Tramaine Raphael Gray
United States // 2023 // English // 25 min
An imaginative queer teen weaves in and out of his own fantasy world while struggling to connect with his older brother.
Noire, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

Billy & Mac
directed by Sam Hahn
United States // 2024 // English // 8 min
A closeted high school football player discovers the dead body of his crush.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

Black Silk
directed by Patrick Michael
United States // 2023 // English // 16 min
A timid black boy is thrust into turmoil when a violent revelation from his estranged father sets him on a harrowing path of self-discovery.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Blue Boy
directed by Tyler Riggs
United States // 2023 // English // 19 min
Insecure New Jersey bodybuilder Joey Rossi, aka Joey Muscles, starts doing steroids in a last-ditch effort to go pro.
NarrativeShort

Buster’s Onion
directed by Giovanni Tortorici
United States // 2024 // English // 10 min
As an aging grandfather’s mysterious surgery draws near, he and his wife contend with what their 50 years of marriage have come to.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NarrativeShort

Chickenshit
directed by Ellie Rogers
United Kingdom // 2023 // English // 8 min
At the height of summer, two rowdy boys spend the afternoon tearing through the countryside discovering nature, electricity, and themselves.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #PinkPeach, #NarrativeShort

Claude
directed by Finola Hughes
United States // 2024 // English // 15 min
Her childhood stuffed bunny, Claude, watches his owner navigate her turbulent love life as an adult trans-woman.
InCompetition, #PinkPeach, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Definitely Not a Monster
directed by Brea Cola Angelo
United States // 2024 // English // 19 min
After a beloved icon dies after being accused of rape, his devoted widow invites a journalist into their home to clear his name.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Don’t Wipe Your Tears
directed by Dominick Cormier
United States // 2024 // English // 16 min
A young couple is triggered by each of their childhood traumas after a playful moment turns upside down.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Everything Goes Dark
directed by Alex Casimir
United States // 2023 // English // 15 min
A Black high school student prepares to take her senior yearbook photo when horrors lurking within come to the surface.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Free Lunch
directed by Samuel Laine
United States // 2024 // English // 4 min
A first grader is forced to perform manual labor after failing to cover his two-dollar lunch debt.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Goodnight, Moon
directed by Michael Patten
United States // 2023 // English // 18 min
After hijacking his father’s ashes, Steve Gailule makes a suburban pilgrimage to his childhood home.
InCompetition, #NarrativeShort

Ham
directed by Fiona Hampton
United Kingdom // 2023 // English // 12 min
On a walk through the woods in the depths of rural England, childhood friends Cathy and Jules find a baby.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks

Happy Thanksgiving
directed by ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby
United States // 2023 // English // 8 min
An Indigenous man takes a Happy Thanksgiving wish very very personally.
InCompetition, #NarrativeShort

Heaven is Nobody’s
directed by Hector Prats
United States, Spain // 2024 // English // 12 min
A boy journeys through a nightmarish city to find a cure for his mom, as a dancing curse descends on him and his home.
InCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #NarrativeShort

I Could Just Die, and That Would Be All Right
directed by A.K. Espada
United States // 2023 // English // 19 min
A suicidal woman lures a monster into the woods to kill her only to wake up the next day as an undead vampire.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #NarrativeShort

I Didn’t Mean To Say I Love You
directed by Jenna D’Angelo
United States // 2023 // English // 7 min
Abby has a full-on meldown after accidentally saying “I love you” at the end of a voicemail to an ex.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

It Stays with us
directed by Rich Perez
United States // 2023 // English, Spanish // 14 min
A young Latino teen struggles with his lingering grief years after a devastating loss.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

It’s All Happening
directed by Sammy Grand
United States // 2024 // English // 14 min
Through a series of phone calls, Hazel and Rowan discuss Rowan’s upcoming move to New York where they will finally live together despite their rapidly deteriorating friendship.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Jedo’s Dead
directed by Sara Nimeh
United States // 2024 // English, Lebanese // 11 min
A young Middle Eastern girl confronts loss when she finds her dead grandfather. Alone and confused, she works through the stages of grief.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Jellyfish and Lobster
directed by Yasmin afifi
United Kingdom // 2023 // English // 20 min
Two elderly and terminally ill patients in a care home find magic in the mysterious swimming pool in the basement.
NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Kayla Baby
directed by Clark Comstock
United States // 2024 // English // 16 min
When a girl and her sister are forced to relocate to an abandoned housing development, they befriend a teenage boy and an old man.
InCompetition, #NarrativeShort

Klette
directed by Michael Abay
Belgium // 2022 // Dutch, French // 17 min
A day’s journey of an unaccomplished 26-year-old woman in Brussels after a one-night stand.
Noire, #NarrativeShort

Konpa
directed by Al’Ikens Plancher
United States // 2023 // Haitian Creole, English // 9 min
A young Haitian-American learns how to dance Konpa to impress his crush.
Noire, #NarrativeShort

Lava
directed by Carmen Jiménez
Spain // 2023 // Spanish // 18 min
Berta is very happy to spend time with her cousin but doesn’t realize he has other intentions.
NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Living Reality
directed by Philip Thompson
United States // 2024 // English // 16 min
An exploration of the emotional divide between fiction and reality in the American sitcom.
InCompetition, #Noire, #¡CineMás!, #NarrativeShort

Mr. Bold
directed by Aiman Mimiko
United States , Nigeria // 2023 // Yoruba // 13 min
A young boy attempts to earn the respect of his older brother by desecrating a Mosque in a small Nigerian town.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Okem
directed by Joshua Okwuosa
United States // 2023 // Igbo, English // 15 min
Okem, a Nigerian immigrant, is faced with his worst nightmare when he receives a call from home informing him his mother has been kidnapped.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NarrativeShort

One Happy Customer
directed by WATTS
United States // 2024 // // 6 min
An aged sex worker dispatches her clientele quickly with a special trick, until an unexpected client arrives with a special trick of his own.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Rainbow Sun
directed by Malik Ali
United States // 2023 // English, Spanish // 15 min
A father and son must decide if the secrets they have kept from each other will break the family or if love will allow them to push past it.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Shut Up & Fish
directed by Raul Sanchez & Pasqual Gutierrez
United States // 2023 // English // 14 min
When friend group of Chicano teens go fishing for the first time, Aiden, the newest to the group, finds he must challenge the status quo.
InCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #NarrativeShort

Skettel
directed by Moon Lee Ferguson
United States // 2024 // English // 14 min
A single mom of a special needs child struggles to keep her head above water as she tackles the day as a bottle girl with a quarter tank of gas.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

Ten to One
directed by Jonathon Pawlowski
United States // 2023 // English // 6 min
Daniel and his personal care assistant prepare for a first date, but when things go bad, Daniel calls on a friend to calm him down.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Terminally Ill
directed by Christopher J. Cole
United States // 2024 // English // 8 min
When a rapper is summoned to his grandmother’s deathbed, he engages in a madcap freestyle in an attempt to prevent her from dying.
InCompetition, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

The G-Spot
directed by MELISSA BAYER
United States // 2023 // English // 5 min
A woman’s newest sex toy possesses unforeseen mystical power.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

the girl with the om tattoo
directed by Paras Chaudhari, Marquelle Young
United States // 2024 // English // 25 min
When the livelihood of her yoga studio is threatened by a thriving yoga influencer industry, Nalini’s struggle for self-worth sends her into a destructive downward spiral.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #NarrativeShort

The Last Black Dinosaur
directed by Danielle Nebeliuk
United States // 2024 // English // 14 min
A cop slips into a musical alternate reality and sees the past, present, and future of the black man he kills.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

The Museum
directed by Annette Elliot
United States // 2024 // English // 15 min
After years of rejection, a Black artist confronts a past he has been unable to forget.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

The Year of Staring At Noses
directed by Karen Knox, Matt Eastman
Canada // 2024 // English // 22 min
A woman undergoes plastic surgery in an attempt to become a contestant on a beloved reality television show.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #NarrativeShort

Wokman
directed by Jeremy Thao
United States // 2023 // Mandarin, English // 16 min
An American-born Chinese boy gains a perspective on his parents’ American Dream after starting to work at the family restaurant.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NarrativeShort

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

A Home on Every Floor
directed by Signe Rosenlund-Hauglid
Norway // 2023 // Norwegian // 11 min
A young Eritrean poet from Oslo uses her voice to excavate the lost home of her childhood.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

A Synonym For Art: Rodgric J.
directed by Kasey L. Martin
United States // 2023 // English // 3 min
A Black man shares his personal journey of self-expression through tattoos.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

About a Bowshot Away
directed by Sangsun Choi
United States // 2024 // English, Korean // 14 min
With a little help from her parents, a young Korean-American girl pursues her dreams of becoming an Olympic archer.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #DocumentaryShort

American Seams
directed by Carly Jakins
United States // 2024 // English, Navajo // 17 min
The stories of three quilters reveal an intimate portrait of rural women in the American West.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryShort

And Still the Seed
directed by Llaima Suwani Sanfiorenzo
Puerto Rico // 2023 // Spanish, English, Latin // 14 min
This short film tells a captivating story about the importance of reforestation, with Puerto Rico’s native and endemic trees as the protagonists.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryShort

Cycles
directed by Pisie Hochheim; Tony Oswald
United States // 2024 // English // 14 min
A single mom from rural Kentucky travels to San Diego to sell her eggs in order to support her family.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryShort

Elephant
directed by Wes Sterrs
United States // 2023 // English // 15 min
“Elephant” spins a yarn of quiet observation against the backdrop of Maine’s emerging Spring as the tightly-wound circle of life unfurls.
InCompetition, #DocumentaryShort

Friendly Signs
directed by Rahsaan Thomas
United States // 2022 // English, ASL // 22 min
An incarcerated man seeks to start a sign language class inside a state prison.
InCompetition, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

Goodbye, Morganza
directed by Devon Blackwell
United States // 2024 // English // 15 min
Years after a family’s displacement, the youngest daughter is left to pick up the pieces—all of them fitting within 2 storage units.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

I Am More Dangerous Dead
directed by Majiye Uchibeke
United States, Nigeria, UK // 2022 // English // 24 min
Poetic tribute to Nigerian writer and environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed for his beliefs.
InCompetition, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
directed by Julio Palacio
United States // 2024 // English // 23 min
A teenage girl with a rare form of autism finds her voice after 14 years of being silent.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryShort

Map to the Sirens
directed by Demetrius Antonio Lewis
United States // 2024 // English // 15 min
An exploration of the landscapes and history of the American South through the eyes of rideshare drivers
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

My Queerceañera
directed by Marcos Nieves
United States // 2023 // Spanish // 17 min
Upon turning fifty years old, Karyna, a transgender immigrant, is determined to fulfill her lifelong dream of celebrating her Quinceañera.
InCompetition, #¡CineMás!, #PinkPeach, #DocumentaryShort

Olive
directed by Lev Omelchenko
United States // 2023 // English // 12 min
“Olive” follows an energetic woman on her daily routine of salvaging and redistributing food and “waste” across Atlanta, GA.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition

Pirsas
directed by Angélica M. Torres Tamayo
Colombia // 2023 // Spanish // 20 min
16 years after a tragedy that took her brothers life, the director returns with her mother to the site of the event, looking for answers.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryShort

Prelude of a Story
directed by Ashley Salman
Chile // 2023 // Spanish, English // 17 min
Following her mothers passing, a young Chilean woman searches through archival footage to try and understand who her mother really was.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #DocumentaryShort

Seven Acres and a Church
directed by Caroline Josey Karoki
United States // 2023 // English // 7 min
A passionate community matriarch fights to preserve her church, heritage, and community’s history in Savannah, GA.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #Noire, #DocumentaryShort

The Alchemy of David
directed by Nicholas Woytuk
United States // 2023 // English // 15 min
An artist-photographer reflects on the state of his medium and wonders if the digital age has taken the magic out of making art.
InCompetition, #DocumentaryShort

The Waiting
directed by Volker Schlecht
Germany // 2023 // English // 15 min
Mysterious deaths occur all over the planet and have a similar pattern. Why have so many species vanished?
InCompetition, #DocumentaryShort

We Exist in Memory
directed by Darian Woehr
United States, Brazil // 2024 // Spanish, Warao // 13 min
How do you rebuild “home” from nothing but memories? Through intergenerational conversations, we witness the complexity of raising a new generation in displacement.
InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #DocumentaryShort

ANIMATED SHORTS

27
directed by Flóra Anna Buda
France, Hungary // 2023 // Hungarian // 11 min
Alice is 27 years old today. She still lives with her parents and tends to live in her dreams to escape her dreary everyday life.
NewMavericks, #AnimatedShort

A Paw Over Dark
directed by Dorian Saisse, Marisa Molson
United States // 2023 // English // 11 min
A washed-up actor descends into madness after a dog steals his spotlight.
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

ATM
directed by Chih-Ching Tseng
Taiwan, United States // 2022 // English // 3 min
A story about a money machine, a poor man, and cat food.
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Discoteque
directed by Masashi Yamamoto
United States // 2023 // English // 5 min
I feel your beat, you feel my rhythm, till the end.
PinkPeach, #InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Don’t Forget to Take Medicines on Time
directed by Xiaoxuan Han
China // 2023 // Chinese // 2 min
Have the mushrooms not disappeared yet？
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Lil Sherbet
directed by Xinhe Zhao
China, United States // 2023 // Chinese // 3 min
My body is mine, but not all mine.
NewMavericks, #InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Mira
directed by Eva Louise Hall
United States // 2023 // English // 11 min
An accordionist busker gets more than she bargained for when her desire to be noticed attracts the attention of a dangerous competitor.
NewMavericks, #InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Provisions
directed by Kheyal Roy-Meighoo
United States // 2023 // English // 4 min
A young American woman asks her grandmother how to make traditional Trinidadian provision soup while discussing home, family, and diaspora.
GeorgiaFilm, #InCompetition, #NewMavericks, #AnimatedShort

The Lost Courier
directed by Ma Zidong
China // 2023 // Chinese, English // 3 min
It may have gone through some incredible things before the courier reached us.
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

The Nectar Instead
directed by Yoo Lee
United States // 2023 // English // 4 min
A young fly gets trapped in a fly trap in a stop-motion studio, only to have an existential realization about its entire life.
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

The Sun is Bad
directed by Rachel Mow
United States // 2023 // Cantonese // 3 min
In 80s Hong Kong, a temperamental girl tries to destroy the sun and stop it from melting her city using toys.
InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Vainglorious
directed by Gabriel Ugbodaga
United States, Nigeria // 2023 // English // 8 min
A skilled young boxer and a determined father clash in a traditional Nigerian boxing match.
Noire, #InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

Worry World
directed by Jessica Patterson
Ireland // 2023 // English // 9 min
What price would you pay for the connection?
NewMavericks, #InCompetition, #AnimatedShort

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

(ಥ﹏ಥ) ✧MY PARENTS ARE CIA PSY0PS!!!* ಠ_ಠ
directed by Haydon Mayer
United States // 2023 // English // 10 min
On a sleepy summer night in 2004, my parents are fighting but I wish they would shut up because I’m trying to fix my new blog.
ExperimentalShort

Burnt Milk
directed by Joseph Douglas Elmhirst
United States, Jamaica // 2023 // English, Patois // 9 min
When an isolated Jamaican midwife takes a moment of solace by following a ritual, she’s taken home.
Noire, #ExperimentalShort

Chamber of Shadows
directed by OK Seyoung
South Korea // 2023 // // 11 min
Eadweard Muybridge’s photographs of animals, people, and landscapes begin to move in a transparent acrylic frame.
ExperimentalShort

Decomp Disco
directed by Russell Sheaffer & Aaron Michael Smith
United States // 2024 // English // 5 min
“Taking place entirely on “Cybill’s Disco Jet
PinkPeach, #ExperimentalShort

Devouring Stones Up Close
directed by Cat Rider, Zap Mcconnell
United States // 2024 // English // 9 min
A dance film that serves as an expression of feminine rage and channels the spirits of those whose land we walk, create, and dance on.
NewMavericks, #PinkPeach, #ExperimentalShort

Islets of Langerhans
directed by Anna Winter
United States // 2023 // English // 5 min
Islets of Langerhans is an experimental documentary about chronic illness and mother/daughter relationships
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #NewMavericks, #ExperimentalShort

Photosynthesis
directed by Brian Zahm
United States // 2023 // // 7 min
Seeds. Light. Water. Life.
ExperimentalShort

The Expectation of the Observed
directed by Stephanie J Williams
United States // 2022 // // 5 min
This stop motion about labor features disembodied meaty legs, flayed of skin, dancing in repetition even as they start to disintegrate.
Noire, #ExperimentalShort

They Got Me Goin’ In On My Day Off.
directed by Luis Figueroa Caunedo
United States // 2024 // English // 5 min
A lo-fi, dry-humored glimpse of a Manhattan bus driver who gets called in to work on his day off.
¡CineMás!, #ExperimentalShort

Wonderful
directed by Daniel Martinico
United States // 2024 // // 4 min
Into the flickering abyss. Tiny fragments sourced from Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE are folded into a stroboscopic incantation.
ExperimentalShort

MUSIC VIDEO

Ara – Torn
directed by Sinan Taner
Switzerland // 2023 // English // 4 min
TORN portrays the structure and fragility of a relationship by depicting inner states. A story about the rupture of patterns.
MusicVideo

billy woods and Kenny Segal – Soft Landing
directed by Henry Nelson, Tim Blake Nelson
United States // 2023 // English // 3 min
Birds fly high you know how I feel, sun in the sky you now how I feel, breeze drifting on you know how I feel, birds fly high you know how I feel.
¡CineMás!, #MusicVideo

E – Glitter Electron
directed by Chihiro Sato, Takaaki Numa, E
Japan // 2022 // // 6 min
This film is a glitter storm of pleasant and strange visual images and electronic sounds on the theme of electricity, which is the driving force of modern civilization.
NewMavericks, #MusicVideo

Home is Where – Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!
directed by Texas Smith
United States // 2023 // English // 6 min
A woman time travels back in time to her mother’s past, present, and future on September 10th, 2001.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #MusicVideo

Mad Fox – Cinerama
directed by Matt Fulks
United States // 2023 // English // 4 min
Louisville rapper Mad Fox recreates 30 of film’s most iconic moments
MusicVideo

Nicole Blakk – Run
directed by SYCHELLE-KRISTINA YANDA
United Kingdom // 2023 // English // 3 min
Everybody’s running from something, right?
NewMavericks, #MusicVideo

Pattie Gonia, Quinn Christopherson, and Yo-Yo Ma – Won’t Give Up
directed by Abdul Kassamali
United States // 2023 // English // 5 min
Climate justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked – how we treat this planet is how we treat each other.
Noire, #MusicVideo

Pronto – Light Light
directed by Maximilian Speidel
Switzerland // 2022 // Swiss German, English // 6 min
A young adult clears out his mother’s apartment, unlocking his quest to preserve her unconditional love through cherished memories.
MusicVideo

Quinn Bentley – Stripes
directed by Sarah Menasce
United States // 2024 // English // 3 min
STRIPES is about a young woman’s intrusive thoughts, slowly taking on a concrete & sinister form.
NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #MusicVideo

Sadmadbad – Everything is Fine
directed by Naomi Plasterer
United States // 2023 // English // 3 min
From birth to death a painful life full of trials and tribulations. Everything is not fine. Will their next life be better?
NewMavericks, #¡CineMás!, #MusicVideo

Tammy Lakkis – Get Up
directed by Oksana Mirzoyan
United States // 2023 // English // 3 min
A live performance by electronic music composer Tammy Lakkis of her song “Get Up.”
NewMavericks, #MusicVideo

Tim Aminov – Ultraviolence
directed by Andrei Maica
Kazakhstan // 2022 // Russian, Kazakh // 3 min
How does the crowd feel? Where does this collective unconscious come from, ready to kill and indulge in the idea of violence?
MusicVideo

Zulu – From Tha Gods To Earth
directed by Malakai
United States // 2023 // English // 5 min
Black Culture is not a monolith. FROM THA GODS TO EARTH explores the metamorphosis of Black Ancestry through hardcore punk.
Noire, #MusicVideo

EPISODIC

Do It To Me If You Want
directed by Elise Kibler, James Udom
United States // 2023 // English // 19 min
Alexandra runs into her ex’s identical twin Kent at a Halloween frat party.
NewMavericks, #Noire, #Episodic

Last Option
directed by Don-Dimitri Joseph
United States // 2024 // English // 11 min
Daniel, a gifted psychic with the ability to see into the future, decides to use his powers to commit burglaries.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #Episodic

Lucy & Sara
directed by Susan Park
United States // 2024 // English // 7 min
Two unlikely sisters learn to lean on each other after the death of their beloved father despite their seemingly toxic relationship.
NewMavericks, #Episodic

Roboto
directed by Keone & Mari Madrid
United States // 2023 // English // 18 min
A choreographer hits rock bottom when a dancing artificial intelligence puts him out of work and becomes everyone’s favorite dance partner.
NewMavericks, #Episodic

The Comic Shop
directed by Robert Butler III
United States // 2023 // English // 13 min
A former engineering major opens up her own Comic Book store in the heart of Los Angeles with her quirky friends.
Noire, #NewMavericks, #Episodic

The Murder on Cape Melancholy
directed by Christian ‘Blaque’ Meier
United States // 2024 // English // 26 min
After being accused of a brutal murder, Todd Bishop plunges into chaos uncovering twisted town secrets on his quest for vindication.
GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaShortCompetition, #Noire, #Episodic

VIRTUAL REALITY

Comfortless
directed by Gina Kim
United States, Korea // 2023 // English, Korean // 16 min
Filmed on-site, COMFORTLESS immerses in American Town, a brothel exclusive to the U.S. Air Force Base in Kunsan, South Korea.
NewMavericks, #VirtualReality

Even You Leave: A Neighborhood Sketchbook
directed by Geoffrey Beatty
United States // 2023 // English // 4 min
A hand-drawn, animated, 360° film documenting a historic neighborhood in Philadelphia.
VirtualReality

Minitourism
directed by Jan Grabowski
Poland // 2023 // Polish // 8 min
A trip around the world that turns out to be a metaphorical journey set in a miniature park.
VirtualReality