After a festival-scarce summer, Macon’s Annual Film Festival is finally back! Like last year, the festival will be a hybrid between in-person and virtual screenings, allowing any and everyone to join in on the experience. The in-person screenings will be from August 19th- August 22nd, and the virtual screenings from August 26th -August 29th. You can buy tickets here, and view the schedule here.
To ensure the perfect individualized experience for you, the rest of this blog will give you an easy-to-skim-through overview of the entire festival! For the best experience, we recommend adding each film of interest to your personalized schedule on SCHED (using the schedule link above).
Overview
To kick off the festival, there will be a special, free screening outdoors at Mill Hill Community Arts Center on Thursday, August 19th. The rest of the festival following the kick-off will showcase 85 films from around the world at the Douglass Theatre, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the planetarium at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. For the virtual festival, they will be broadcasted on the Macon Film Festival Channel (by Film Festival Flix).
These films vary from Narrative Feature, Documentary, Narrative Shorts, LGBTQ Shorts, Student Shorts, Music, and Fulldome, as well as multiple Georgia Made Blocks. To help you curate that perfect Film Festival schedule, here is a breakdown of the 4 Special Screenings.
Four Special In-person Screenings
Best Summer Ever
Thursday, August 19, 2021, 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm EDT Mill Hill Community Arts Center
Synopsis: Sage and Anthony have had the “Best Summer Ever” after falling in love at a dance camp in Vermont. Not expecting to see each other again until the following summer, Sage, by a twist of fate, arrives unexpectedly at the same high school as Anthony. Now faced with the drama of high school cliques, an evil cheerleader, and the illegal secret that keeps Sage's family on the move, they are forced to reevaluate their relationship as Tony struggles to be both the high school football star and the dancer he’s always wanted to be.
Insight: This fresh and exhilarating take on the beloved teen musical genre featuring eight original songs and a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities. BEST SUMMER EVER was created in partnership with Zeno Mountain Farm an organization that champions lifelong friendship and opportunity for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities. The film premiered at SXSW 2021 and was ranked number 6 on USA Today’s top ten films to not miss from SXSW21.
Fulldome Immersive Showcase (With an Encore Screening)
Friday August 20, 2021 7:00pm - 9:30pm EDT Museum of Arts & Sciences
Overview: A collection of immersive short full-dome films at the Museum of Arts & Sciences. This special Immersive Showcase features the most innovative artistic content from around the world. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore museum exhibits and galleries after hours. The short film block will be screened twice with the first seating at 7:30 pm and the second seating at 8:30 pm.
Featured Films:
Black Mantis: The Build, New World, Babel, Totalidad (Wholeness), Terra TV, Suprematism
Encore Screening - XX-treme Art Immersive Films:
Tudo Desconexo, Saravá, Double
First Date
Saturday August 21, 2021 7:45pm - 10:00pm EDT Douglass Theatre
Synopsis: Shy high schooler Mike finally summons the courage to ask out his badass neighbor Kelsey, only to realize he’s missing a key element for a successful date - the car. Panicked and low on cash, he’s conned into buying a beat-up ‘65 Chrysler. Mike's plan to win over Kelsey soon turns into a surreal misadventure when they are inexplicably targeted by a pair of cops, a criminal gang, and a vengeful cat lady. A night fueled by desire, bullets, and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park. In this perfectly executed throwback thrill ride, directing duo Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp deftly weave together elements of dark comedy, teen romance, shoot 'em up action, and classic coming-of-age story, creating a truly entertaining ride that never misses a beat. This refreshing mix of tones, coupled with a break-out performance from Tyson Brown as Mike, make the FIRST DATE a truly outstanding first feature.
One of These Days
Sunday August 22, 2021 7:30pm - 9:45pm EDT Douglass Theatre
Synopsis: In a small southern town in the US, twenty down-on-their-luck folks compete to win a brand new pick-up truck, a prize that might finally tip the scales of life in their favor. The annual 'Hands On' contest puts the vehicle literally within their reach – the winning contestant is the last one standing with their hands held firmly on the truck. Armed only with their dreams and determination, the participants forgo basic human needs to stand around the pickup truck for days to beat out their competitors. All for the benefit of an enthusiastic audience and the glare of the local media who turn up each year for the car dealership's popular publicity stunt. As the blisteringly hot days and long nights of struggle, exhaustion, mind games, hilarity, loss of control and insanity add up, only one winner can drive away with the truck. As the blisteringly hot days and long nights of struggle, exhaustion, mind games, hilarity, loss of control and insanity add up, only one winner can drive away with the truck. Each contestant has their own reasons for joining the contest, and as the hours' tick by, their humanity is laid bare. Who will hold on and win – and at what cost?