Tag: Christopher Escobar

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 Plaza Theatre isn’t just a place to see a film: It is a cultural heartbeat, the kind of space where Atlanta’s weird and wonderful converge. The Plaza, honored as one of our “Best of Atlanta” entries in this issue, is one of the most venerable movie houses in the city—and its oldest. The Plaza’s art deco marquee is a landmark at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Highland avenues, and it’s always been the anchor tenant of Briarcliff Plaza.

The best of Atlanta's arts and culture in 2020, including best new album, best neighborhood art walk, best online access, best poet, and more.

Videodrome, the roughly 2,000-square-foot shop at the corner of North Highland and North avenues, is the last video store standing in Atlanta that is not of the XXX variety. It is an oasis for film buffs (and the occasional visiting celebrity) who are suckers for special features, director’s cuts, or not letting Netflix’s algorithms ration out their media diets.

The purchase of one historic building seems strikingly auspicious for Atlanta’s growing film community: Chris Escobar’s acquisition of the Plaza Theatre.