In the intimacy of the Blackbox, a small crowd gathered under the shadows of Limelight Theater for Atlanta’s annual DocuFest, which has a long history of highlighting the work of independent filmmakers. At its 20th reprise, the two-day festival premiered both short and feature films that captured the rawness of documentary filmography.
The first leg of the festival, on Saturday, March 22, was filled with back-to-back features and shorts, followed by a Q&A with the films’ directors. The insights into production unearthed the personal stories of filmmakers, creating a poignant atmosphere in the small theater.
Among the standout films is “The Kids Are Not Alright,” a feature detailing the trauma of the troubled teen industry. The film’s director, Mikaela Shwer, has been working on the documentary for over nine years, and she hopes to use the film to educate and raise awareness about the industry’s unethical practices.
“Ride in Paradise,” the winner of the Best Local Documentary, follows Brad Behle, who, spurred by grief from his loss, travels across the country to hand-deliver teddy bears to families that have recently lost a child. The film’s directors were among the families touched by this gesture, and they set out to explore grief in all its complexities. When asked about the film’s inspiration, Anna Thalman, one of the directors, stated, “The bond you have with others who share grief with you is so beautiful. This film is the thing we can do to honor our loss.”
The documentaries cover a range of voices and perspectives, shedding light on the complexities of both everyday life and global phenomena: the difficulties of a partner becoming your caretaker, the cultural mesh of a Western and traditional lifestyle, rebellion against conventional aging and the plight of the American prison system. The names of the winning films can be found at docufest.com.
DocuFest successfully showcased the talented filmmaking and hard work of Atlanta’s independent documentary filmmakers. As Thalman stated, “That’s what’s so beautiful about this story: that it’s just such a little thing … that’s the beautiful thing about documentary too, the story unfolds as you’re filming it.”