Kerry Washington, 2 Chainz bring Black star power to Atlanta Film Festival

Films

‘Color Book’

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

The festival’s opening film, “Color Book,” a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee, is very homegrown, written and directed by David Fritz Fortune, a graduate of Heritage High School in Conyers and Morehouse.

Grieving his wife’s unexpected passing, a Black man named Lucky is having a hard time caring for his special needs son, Mason, and with life in general. What should be a joyful father-son experience at an Atlanta Braves game becomes harrowing. The story prominently features MARTA transit as an unexpected co-star of the film, and a good span of the Atlanta area is displayed.

Playing father and son, Will Catlett (“A Thousand and One,” “Love Is”) and Jeremiah Daniels have great chemistry that is loving yet uneasy. Terri J. Vaughn (“She the People”) and Brandee Evans (“P-Valley”) make memorable appearances, while “Power” franchise star Naturi Naughton serves as an executive producer. Opening night is sold out, so check out the encore screening.

1:30-3:30 p.m., Sun, May 4, Tara Theatre, Jack Auditorium

‘The Games in Black and White’

Credit: ATLANTA STORY PARTNERS

Credit: ATLANTA STORY PARTNERS

Billed as a story about how the interracial friendship of Ambassador Andrew Young and 1996 Olympic CEO William Porter “Billy” Payne delivered the epic Games to Atlanta, this documentary is really about the rise of our modern-day city.

Powered by Atlanta Story Partners, with music from Dallas Austin, this balanced documentary explores difficult topics like the Centennial Park bombing and allegations of gentrification. Still, it tells a story about a moment in time only Atlanta could meet, with nods to the city’s Civil Rights Movement legacy, global business and Black political representation, and the empowerment of women and Black businesses in the process.

6:30-9 p.m., Saturday, April 26, Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University

‘Shadow Force’

Kerry Washington will be present for this advanced screening of her latest film, where she and “Lupin” star Omar Sy play Kyrah and Isaac, one-time leaders of a multinational special forces group, who broke rules by falling in love and go underground to protect their son. Now with a large bounty on their heads, they have no choice but use their skills to survive the attacks.

7-8:44 p.m., Sunday, April 27, Plaza Theatre, LeFont Auditorium

‘Ricky’

Credit: Courtesy of t

Credit: Courtesy of t

Fresh from an impressive Sundance debut, director Rashad Frett’s film about a 30-year-old Black man released from prison after entering at age 15 is set in Hartford, Connecticut, but the conversation around Black men in the criminal justice system hits home. Stephan James, who played John Lewis in “Selma” and made his debut as Jesse Owens in “Race,” gives a nuanced performance that also explores the Caribbean immigrant experience. Sheryl Lee Ralph also shines in a memorable supporting role.

4-5:49 p.m., Sunday, May 4, Tara Theatre, Eddie Auditorium

Shorts Block

Black Boy Fly

Don’t miss the only block of all-Black shorts at this year’s festival, which focuses on Black boys and men.

“The Buzz of St. Roch” is about New Orleans beekeeper Carl Harrison Jr., who co-directs with Patrice E. Jones. Afro-Nuyorican filmmaker Miguel Ortiz’s “Bloqué” is about Malick, a drummer struggling to find his rhythm. “Teddy” follows a male birth doula in Texas, while Congolese filmmaker Daniel Kayamba’s “Mondele” is about a young boy of Congolese descent whose mother objects to his dreams of becoming a filmmaker. Caroline Josey Karoki’s “Art with Every Breath” zooms in on Savannah-based visual artist Jerome Meadows, who explores cultural heritage and resilience in his work.

Finally, “Red Clay,” written by Tauheed “2 Chainz” Epps and actor Omar Epps, follows teens Nook and Bub as they navigate poverty, their mothers’ drug addictions, and other pressures in early-2000s Atlanta. It stars Atlanta-rooted actors Christopher Ammanuel and Jaylan Ragin, and director Christian Nolan Jones, with “Queen Sugar” star Rutina Wesley playing Nook’s mother.

4-5:21 p.m., Saturday, May 3, Plaza Theatre, LeFont Auditorium; stream from May 5-12

Panels

Case Study: How We Made Our Award-Winning Feature ‘Color Book’

Find out how a duo of HBCU alums — writer/director David Fortune from Morehouse and ace producer Kiah Clingman from Howard — took their film “Color Book” from a pitch competition at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival to production in Atlanta to its 2024 Tribeca Film Festival premiere and now opening the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival.

1:30– 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, Tara Theatre, Eddie Auditorium

Case Study: Making the Short Film ‘Red Clay’

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Film Festival

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Film Festival

It’s an all-ATL affair as Tauheed “2 Chainz” Epps, director Christian Nolan Jones and actor Jaylan Ragin (a Carver High School graduate) join “P-Valley” star Gail Bean to discuss their short film “Red Clay.”

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, Tara Theatre, Kenny Auditorium

Virtual events (streaming May 5-12)

Writing for Movies and Television with Shay Ogbonna

Get the inside scoop on writing for movies and television with “Fight Night” showrunner Shay Ogbonna.

‘Super High: A Period Piece’ in Animated Shorts

Bianca D. Lambert delivers laughs and awareness in this nine-minute animated short about a Black woman suffering from fibroids. In the film, she turns to a medical cannabis product from Whoopi Goldberg to manage pain, which causes her to begin talking to Goldberg’s picture during a workday.

‘Maya,’ ‘On A Sunday at Eleven,’ and ‘Free the Buns’ in Shorts: La Renegadas

Black girlhood is in full focus in these three shorts from Black women filmmakers. “Maya” from writer and director Nadera Herbert-Bey explores colorism and a young girl’s self-confidence, and how she eventually fights back. Alicia K. Harris’ “On A Sunday at Eleven” shows a young ballerina’s isolation from her Blackness and a safe haven that restores her sense of self. Blanche Enaka shines a spotlight on Black girls in a story called “Free the Buns.”

‘The Devil Is Busy’ in Shorts: Lost and Found

Soledad O’Brien Productions injects humanity into the national anti-abortion and pro-choice debate with this powerful glimpse into the inner workings of the Feminist Women’s Health Center.

‘Sunset and the Mockingbird’ in Shorts: No Ordinary Love

Music outlasts memory loss in this intimate documentary short about celebrated jazz pianist Junior Mance. Shot over a decade, it follows Mance’s wife and manager, Gloria, as she struggles to keep her husband connected to the music that gives him life even as it all slips away.

‘The Return (Enchukunoto),’ ‘If the Sun Exploded Today,’ and ‘Why the Cattle Wait’ in Shorts: Veneration

There is mysticism in these offerings — two of which are tied to Africa — from Black women filmmakers.

Massai filmmaker Laissa Malih captures the beauty of her people and the land of her heritage, while noting harmful environmental changes and the potential for positive cultural change for women. “Why the Cattle Wait,” from Oscar-shortlisted South African filmmaker Phumi Morare, leans into folklore to tell the story of a goddess determined to convince her human lover to leave Earth behind.

And Trayvon Martin’s tragic death haunts Kai Hartman’s “If the Sun Exploded Today,” which is about a Black female deity who helps deliver Black children who die too soon to the afterlife.

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