Photograph courtesy of Color Book
The Atlanta Film Festival has always highlighted the best of the peach state, but local films are at the core of the 49th year of the festival. From April 24 to May 4, the festival screens 132 films—from documentaries to animated shorts to features—including 40 films with Georgia connections. Atlanta magazine spoke to the directors of two of these films to learn more about each feature and its local ties.
Color Book
Opening the festival, Color Book is a moving drama about a father (Will Catlett) and his son (Jeremiah Daniels) with Downs syndrome trying to escape the grief of his mother’s death by traveling across town for a Braves game. Directed by DeKalb native David Fortune, Color Book is a love letter to its city as much as fathers and sons. The black-and-white drama thoughtfully captures parts of Atlanta that rarely make it on film, like the MARTA stations and buses that criss-cross the metro.
What made you want to tell this story?
I just really wanted to see a Black father/son story. I just wasn’t seeing it through cinema; I see it everyday in real life. I’m a big proponent of if there’s something you want to see, it’s up to you as an artist to go make it. I began that journey after the pandemic, and it really didn’t take form until I started speaking to parents of children who had Downs syndrome—hearing their joys, their struggles, their ups, their downs. It’s just not one experience raising a child who has a disability. It’s not one size fits all; it’s multiple shoe sizes, and I just wanted to capture that as authentically as I possibly could.
How did you settle on day-in-the-life format?
This started off as a short film called Us, which is about a father trying to teach his son who has Downs syndrome how to play baseball. But after I completed that short, I felt incomplete. I wondered, “How do they wake up? How do they go to sleep? What are their day-to-day lives?” I wanted to see more. That became a film where they journey through Atlanta to see their first ever baseball game, and through that journey we see the intimate moments and the intimate connection between a father and son. That was a story I wanted to see and it was up to me to be courageous to go in and make it.
The film really captures the spirit of actually living in Atlanta. How did you go about filming that?
There are so many productions that shoot in our city, but it’s never about our city. I wanted to make sure that if I’m shooting in our hometown, I honor it. I wanted to honor the characters, the spaces we walk through, the trains that we ride, and those experiences . . . I didn’t want to show big landmarks and big visuals that say “Atlanta;” I just wanted to normalize the city. This is Atlanta, this is our community, it’s where we grew up, and it’s no big deal.
From an artistic perspective, a lot of my visual references come from photography and photojournalism. I was studying people like Carrie Mae Weems, Gordon Parks, Saul Leiter, Chester Higgins. But when you put that into production, you gotta move and push. I just made sure to honor the story and honor the moment regardless.
What’s it like to kick-off ATLFF?
It’s such an honor. My first volunteer opportunity in the film world was at ATLFF 10 years ago. To be coming back a decade later to premiere my feature film in the city of Atlanta, it’s a full-circle moment. To be the opening-night screening is important because this film is a reflection of the city. It’s a tribute to what our full experience in this community is. I’ve had screenings overseas, other states, at other major festivals, but for me to bring this film back home and showcase our city, our community, our people, that’s the award.
Screenings: April 24, 7:00 p.m. Plaza Theatre; May 4, 5:30 p.m. Tara Theatre
Photograph courtesy of Come See Me In the Good Light
Come See Me In the Good Light
When poet Andrea Gibson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, they found an unexpected lightness. In this affecting documentary, Gibson and their partner, fellow poet Megan Falley, navigate cancer treatments and Gibson’s return to performing spoken word poetry despite the health risks. Atlanta native Ryan White, known for documentaries on Pamela Anderson and Dr. Ruth, directed the film, which has already been picked up by Apple.
What made you want to tell this story?
I’ve known the comedian Tig Notaro for many years. We’ve always been saying to Tig, “Bring us a funny idea for a documentary.” So we weren’t expecting it when Tig brought us an idea about cancer and poetry, which doesn’t sound funny at all. But once we dove into Andrea Gibson’s work, we realized how Andrea was confronting mortality with such wisdom and humor. We thought it would be a refreshing way to subvert the proverbial “terminal illness” genre of film.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
The film is a love story. The biggest reaction we’ve been getting from people after screenings has been some version of: “I came out of the theater and I immediately called my wife/husband/child/mother/etc.” It sounds cheesy, but I hope it reminds folks that life is short and to cherish the ones they love.
What does it mean to you to have it play at the ATLFFl? It’s a homecoming! My producer (Jessica Hargrave) and I both grew up in Atlanta and have been best friends since we were 10 years old. Jess and I have lived in LA for 20 years now, so getting to come to the Atlanta Film Festival means all of our friends and family can come see a screening with us, which is like an Atlanta reunion.
Screening: April 27, 5:30 p.m. Tara Theatre
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