Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta Film Festival
The Atlanta Film Festival celebrates a major milestone this year, marking its 50th anniversary, a distinction few film festivals in the U.S. have reached. ATLFF is an Academy Award qualifying festival with a reputation as highly competitive, drawing cinephiles and filmmakers to the city annually. The 2026 festival runs in person from April 23 to May 3 at the Plaza and Tara theaters, with virtual screenings from May 4 to 11.
The festival includes three main components: film screenings, the Creative Conference, and social programming. Christopher Escobar, executive director of ATLFF, notes that the festival is built for shared experiences. “Film is meant to be seen with an audience. The energy, the discussion, the chance to hear from the filmmakers themselves—that’s what makes it memorable,” he says. Attendees can connect with filmmakers through question and answer sessions, talkbacks, and social events.
For the 50th anniversary, the festival will celebrate films that shaped ATLFF’s history, including Daughters of Dust, The Spectacular Now, and Great World of Sound. Actor and filmmaker Carrie Preston, filmmaker James Ponsoldt, and director Craig Zobel will make special appearances, and there will also be a special presentation of Baristas vs. Billionaires by Academy Award‑nominated filmmaker and Georgia State grad Mark Mori, whose film Building Bombs debuted at the festival in 1989. Narrated by Susan Sarandon, the documentary chronicles Starbucks baristas in Buffalo who try to unionize.
Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta Film Festival
The film’s opening night will feature Idiots, directed by Macon Blair. Filmed in Georgia, the comedy stars Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage and chronicles the chaotic journey of two drivers tasked with taking a wealthy teenager to rehab. The festival will also screen the documentary short The Birth of Trap Music with T.I. in attendance.
Marquee programming also includes high-profile titles such as Rose of Nevada (George MacKay, Callum Turner), Power Ballad (Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas), Obsession (Michael Johnston), I Want Your Sex (Olivia Wilde), Caroline, Caroline (Samara Weaving, Kyra Sedgwick), Late Fame (Willem Dafoe), Silent Friend (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), and Romería (Llúcia Garcia).
Special screenings include 2019’s Richard Jewell, with lead actor Paul Walter Hauser in attendance, and short film The Accountant, with actor, writer, and director Ray McKinnon attending. The film won an award at the 2001 ATLFF and later an Academy Award.
Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta Film Festival
For the closing night, director Boots Riley will be in attendance for his film I Love Boosters, starring Keke Palmer and Demi Moore, capping the festival with a standout finale. The comedy, a critique of capitalism, follows a group of shoplifters who target a billionaire designer.
The competitive side of the festival includes narrative and documentary features; narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated shorts documentary shorts; music videos; episodic series; and virtual reality works, showcasing both emerging and international voices. Narrative features include Berehezade, directed by Danae Reynaud, in which a stand-up comedian must win over her kidnappers to be released; Montréal, ma belle, directed by Xiaodan He, following a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant in Montreal who begins an affair with a young Québécoise while confronting repressed desire; Seahorse, directed by Aisha Evelyna, where a sous chef’s life is disrupted by the return of her estranged father, now living on the streets of Toronto; and Third, from Georgia local Alexander Parkinson, which follows a married couple exploring a relationship with another man. Documentary features include Child of Dust, directed by Weronika Mliczewska, in which a Vietnam War–era son reunites with his ailing father after decades apart; and Far from Maine, directed by Roy Cohen, where an Israeli filmmaker reckons with the killing of a Palestinian friend through an unfolding cinematic dialogue across time.
The Creative Conference returns with 50 panels and workshops exploring craft, finance, and Atlanta’s signature micro-budget filmmaking ethos. Sound + Vision at the Goat Farm Arts Center offers an immersive evening of music, art installations, virtual reality, and experimental storytelling.
For first-time attendees, Escobar suggests sampling a narrative feature, a documentary, and a shorts block—a perfect introduction to the festival’s 50-year legacy.
The full schedule of films and events is available online and through the ATLFF 2026 app. Festival badges and individual tickets are on sale now.
