The Renegade Film Festival, held at the Strand Theatre in Marietta, celebrated the diversity and creativity that sparks current indie cinema on Feb. 21 and 22. Established in 2017, Renegade has highlighted underrepresented filmmakers for years, amplifying their voices in the scene. The two-day festival showed a variety of films from a melting pot of genres — horror, action, comedy, thriller, drama and animation.
To get the festivities kicked off, Renegade hosted a “meet and mingle” Thursday night at The Pub of the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel and Conference Center, the host hotel of the event. Attending this event was a great chance to meet talented filmmakers and organizers behind the spectacular event.
At 10:30 a.m. on Friday, ticket holders trickled in through the doors of the Strand Theatre to witness the state, national and world premiers of various films throughout the day. Filmmakers either played their feature films or chose to play a series of short films hoping at a chance to win the brand new REEL Renegade Award and one of the iconic Lizzie awards given at the end of the festival: Best Short Film, Best Director Feature Film, Renegade Award, Best Director Short Film and Best Feature Film.
To celebrate the end of the successful first day, ticket holders were invited upstairs at the Strand in the Lumiere Lounge, named after the famous Lumière brothers. The rich history and design of the Strand Theatre have captured the hearts of movie lovers since the 1930s. The soul of the theatre has withstood fires and location changes, throughout its existence, but its perseverance speaks to the resilience of the community that adores it.
Day two of the festival consisted of similar festivities, showcasing more feature films and short films from other creators. However, the artists were not just here to win awards. They were seen laughing, learning and inspiring others. That was the beauty of the competition created by Renegade. It was a place to build others up and celebrate artistic work that required countless days and nights of dedication.
Once 9 o’clock struck, the award ceremony began. The following is a list of some of the winners of the competition: Horror Icon Award, Barbara Crampton; Audience Choice Award, “Betty” directed by Letty Mode; Best Feature Director, Izzy Lee for “House of Ashes”; Best Feature Film, “The Rebrand”; Best Performance, Fayna Sanchez; Best Short Film Director, Gina Powers Hendry for “Gaslighter”; Best Short Film, “Spermicide” directed by Scott Nuñez-Peterman; and Best Writing, “Good Girls Get Fed” written by Kelly Lou Dennis, Kayla Klein and Sarah Rebottaro. A list of all award winners can be found on the official website of the Renegade Film Festival.
This year’s festival sets a high bar for the future, with fantastic turnout and a diverse and unique catalog of films. The names of all the feature films and short films played at Renegade Film Festival can be found at renegadefilmfest.com, and the organization posts regularly on their Instagram page, @renegadefilmfest.