Macon Film Fest 2024
Films are ready to roll for the 19th annual Macon Film Festival.
The festival will again feature the best from independent filmmakers during daily screenings classified in various film blocks and through celebrity guest appearances and Q&As, filmmaker workshops, special screenings, and fulldome immersive content.
And again, an added highlight of the festival is Macon’s walkable, shop-able, restaurant and nightlife-filled downtown, providing opportunities galore for filmmakers and attendees to mix, mingle, and talk film while getting from one film to another or for scheduled or happenstance meetups.
“Macon’s central location in Georgia not only makes it an ideal host for the festival as a platform where diverse stories converge and resonate with audiences from all corners of the state and beyond but also ensures accessibility for all to enjoy the festivities,” said festival president Justin Andrews.
Tickets are on sale now. The 2024 Macon Film Festival will grant awards and showcase films in block categories including narrative features and shorts; documentary features and shorts; fulldome, Georgia-made films; LGBTQIA+ films; plus student shorts.
In addition, there will be a special evening featuring the Fire Starters Indigenous Festival, which began last year as a way for Macon to honor our roots, as a city founded on stolen Muscogee territory. The short ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek), directed by Loren Walters (Cherokee/Kiowa) will be followed by the international premiere of the feature-length documentary Red Fever from Catherine Bainbridge and Neil Diamond (Cree) and will accompany an art exhibit focused on the contemporary Muscogee experience at McEachern Art Center.
Nearly 100 films will be shown in venues including The Douglass Theatre, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Theatre Macon, and the Museum of Arts & Sciences.
As for the fulldome side of the festival, Susan Welsh, executive director at the Museum of Arts & Sciences, said 38 films will show on the Mark Smith Planetarium’s dome ceiling Aug. 16–17 using new, energy-efficient LED projection technology that provides brighter, clearer imaging.
She said a highlight will be a reception and curated night of art immersive films featuring two film blocks showing the best of fulldome and extreme fulldome works on the evening of Aug. 16.
There is something for everyone during the fulldome fest, she enthused. “Saturdays are always very family friendly featuring things kids love and great education-science type films. It’s Fridays that we feature the more artful, sometimes edgier works and, of course, the night of art immersive films.”
As a mainstay of Macon’s arts and culture calendar for 19 years, the film fest is a must-attend for locals and visitors alike. “The creative culture of Macon shines through its time-honored yet burgeoning culinary and music scenes, making it an ideal backdrop for a film festival where the vibrant flavors and soulful melodies intertwine to inspire cinematic magic,” said Andrews. See you at the popcorn stand, Macon.
For ticketing, schedules, and more on the Macon Film Festival, visit maconfilmfestival.com.
