FIVE FREE VIRTUAL EVENTS at the 2020 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL The free virtual panels on COVID-19-related topics are part of the Creative Conference
ATLANTA, GA (September 21, 2020) — The Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF), which began on Thursday, September 17, 2020 and will run through Sunday, September 27, 2020, is hosting five virtual events on COVID-19-related topics affecting the film industry and has made them available to view online without cost. The complimentary panels are part of the Creative Conference, ATLFF’s series of educational workshops, panels and Masterclasses. The COVID-19 panels and additional paid Creative Conference events are available on demand virtually through the end of the festival.
The five free Creative Conference events feature panels of actors, producers, casting directors, crew members and more involved in the film industry discussing the challenges of working in the industry during the unprecedented pandemic. The panel topics include: “Casting in the Age of COVID;” “COVID Testing and Film Production;” “Actors Roundtable – Truly Vulnerable;” “COVID and the Crew;” and “Remote Post-Production in the Age of COVID”.
In addition to the free events, the final lineup of the 44th annual festival includes 50 drive-in and 127 digital screenings from selected works. There are 27 additional Creative Conference events available for purchase, including three livestream scheduled events. Among the headlining livestreams is a Masterclass with award-winning writer and director Damon Lindelof, whose Georgia-lensed series “Watchmen” just won 11 Emmys at the 2020 ceremony.
For more information about the Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference and the full schedule of films and events, visit https://www.atlantafilmfestival.com/schedule. Passes for the festival and individual virtual and drive-in screenings are available for purchase now on the website.
Stay connected with ATLFF on Twitter: @AtlantaFilmFest & Instagram: @AtlantaFilmFestival #ATLFFFollow the Atlanta Film Festival on Facebook: www.facebook.com/atlantafilmfestival
FREE VIRTUAL EVENTS AT THE 2020 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL + CREATIVE CONFERENCE
COVID Testing and Film Production
Panelists: Producers Patricia Taylor & Gabrielle Pickle
Moderator: Producer and Creative Conference Director Linda Burns
Description: Panel: Speed, affordability and accuracy continue to pose a challenge to productions gearing up for fall, especially indies. Fresh off a Georgia film shoot, producers share what they learned about COVID testing, results lags and test efficacy.
Link to view: https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2020/play/5f5698b7b6231b00299f5a94
Casting in the Age of COVID
Panelists: Regional Set Representative Susan Moss (SAG/AFTRA), Casting Director Jessica Fox-Thigpen & Actor Mike Pniewski
Moderator: Producer and Creative Conference Director Linda Burns
Description: Panel: A casting director and SAG representatives discuss common questions and concerns, as well as what actors should expect from casting and contracts, PPE protocols and how to report non-compliance anonymously.
Link to view: https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2020/play/5f5698b7b6231b00299f5a96
Actors Roundtable – Truly Vulnerable
Panelists: Miles Mussenden, Eric Goins & Meg Messmer
Moderator: SAG / AFTRA Actress Karen Ceesay
Description: Panel: Atlanta-based actors share what it’s like being back to work, from the benefits of being local, occasionally managing their own props and wardrobe tweaks, to crews covered in PPE and managing their own COVID fears.
Link to view: https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2020/play/5f5698b7b6231b00299f5a98
COVID and the Crew
Panelists: Freelance Commercial COVID Compliance Coordinator Keith Pearson, Turner Broadcasting Manager of Production Safety Megan King & Cinematographer and AC Trish Solyn
Moderator: Producer and Creative Conference Director Linda Burns
Description: Panel: Atlanta-based crew members and COVID compliance coordinators share stories from shooting during COVID, the benefits of being local, the challenges of wearing PPE in the Georgia heat, and what’s working and what isn’t.
Link to view: https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2020/play/5f5698b7b6231b00299f5a9a
Remote Post-Production in the Age of COVID
Panelists: Sound Designer Chris Nicholson, Assistant Editor Inëz Czymbor, Composer Ben Holst, Post Production Supervisor Drew Sawyer & ADR Mixer Greg Crawford
Moderator: Georgia State University’s CMII Project Manager Lisa Ferrell
Description: Panel: Georgia’s post-production professionals from various departments discuss working remotely, how coordination, communication and planning are even more important, and the challenges they’ve had to overcome to ‘make it work.’
Link to view: https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2020/play/5f5698b7b6231b00299f5a9c
About the Atlanta Film Festival and Atlanta Film Society
The Atlanta Film Festival, now in its fifth decade, is an Academy Award-qualifying festival and one of the region’s largest and longest-running preeminent celebrations of cinema in the Southeast United States. More than 30,000 festival attendees enjoy independent, animated, documentary and short films each year, selected from more than 8,400 submissions from 120 countries. The Atlanta Film Festival is the chief annual operation of the Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS), one of the oldest and largest organizations dedicated to the promotion and education of film in the United States, which enriches the community through screenings, classes, workshops and other events year-round. It is also the most distinguished event in its class, recognized as the ‘Best Spring Festival’ by Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ‘Best Film Festival’ by Creative Loafing and Atlanta Magazine, as well as one of the ’25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World’ by MovieMaker Magazine. Major funding for the Atlanta Film Society is provided by Turner, XFINITY, Delta Airlines, MailChimp and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners through the Fulton County Arts & Culture Department and the National Endowment for the Arts through the Art Works category. www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com
