Had a great time volunteering at the 50th Atlanta Film Festival this year! Haven’t done one of these in a while, but I watched 84 films on the virtual festival the week after so I’m doing my top five favorite films I watched for your viewing pleasure. Go follow and support these people, they’re awesome filmmakers.
#1 - How Brief - Directed by Kelly McCormack (
@kellyandphyllis ) - In 1962, a woman returns home to her brother and sister-in-law before having intense, surreal, and brief feelings & confrontations. Inspired by the music of Connie Converse. Amazing performances and visually striking cinematography and imagery.
#2 - By A Hair - Directed by Anthony Prince Leslie (
@anthonyprinceleslie ) - A man and a woman living in Brooklyn continually have repeat chance encounters with each other that could lead to a blossoming relationship between the two of them, before each time it passes them by. Loved the chemistry and dynamic between the two leads and found the aesthetic and cinematography to feel very authentic to life.
#3 - Shirley Park - Directed by Mason R. Brown (
@mase24brown ) - A pair of friends play local neighborhood bullies on the basketball court to win back their stolen shoes. Extremely funny, fast-paced, and enjoyable, loved the ensemble of characters created in such a short runtime.
#4 - Party USA - Directed by Jared Sprouse (
@jaredsprouse ) - A woman stuck as an assistant manager in a miserable retail job gets roped into a chaotic series of events after she’s unable to get her shift covered following her father’s unexpected death. Very streamlined and well-paced, has the right amount of humor to balance out the darker elements of the story and parts of it are eerily relatable to being trapped in a bad job.
#5 - Inspired by Lip Balm - Directed by Li-Ying Chien (
@liying_chien ) - An author struggles to adapt her graphic novel for the screen as modern business expectations around streaming and social media warp it from her original vision into something much less appealing to her. Funny and relatable as an artist in the 21st-century feeling the need to chase trends to get your work seen, but still unexpectedly heartfelt with effective cinematography.
