From 'Building Bombs' to 'Capriccio,' filmmakers reflect on the Atlanta Film Festival at 50

Caption

Alexis Louder (left) and writer Israel Vaughan star in the short film, "Capriccio," showing at the Atlanta Film Festival on April 25, 2026.

Credit: Courtesy of Kiah Alexandria Clingman

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Atlanta Film Festival, a public celebration of local and international filmmakers, marquee events and premieres.

Based at the historic Plaza and Tara theaters in Atlanta, the Atlanta Film Festival is a story of traditions and numbers. From April 23 to May 3, the fest will screen 154 films chosen from more than 5,500 submissions, plus a creative conference and immersive experiences. 

Christopher Escobar is the executive director of the festival and a leader in the revival of Atlanta's arthouse theaters. 

"I like to think of the Atlanta Film Festival like one of those music clubs or comedy clubs where people who became greats first proved themselves and cut their teeth," he said. "We have a really long history going back nearly all 50 years, of being either one of, or in many cases, the first to play the work from people like Spike Lee, Joel Cohen, Robert Rodriguez, David Gordon Green, Ray McKinnon, James Ponsoldt, Walton Goggins, Julie Dash,  Mark Mori — and that's an important history we're really proud of."

Mori has a unique relationship with the Atlanta Film Festival. In 1989, he co-produced and presented Building Bombs, a documentary about nuclear weapons production at the Savannah River Plant near Augusta. That film was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 and returns to the Atlanta Film Festival, now restored in 4K, for a special retro showing on April 28 at the Tara.

"That's why I make films," Mori said of his efforts over the decades to uncover problems and inspire solutions. "It's not just to make a film; it's to actually cause people to take action and improve what's going on."

He remembers getting the call when Building Bombs received an Oscar nomination. 

"I dropped the phone," he laughed. "I was so shocked that it was nominated."

Mori is the only director with two films in the festival this year. His latest entry is Baristas Versus Billionaires, a Susan Sarandon-narrated documentary about the struggles of Starbucks workers in their efforts to unionize.

"I was a union member in Atlanta," he said. "Back before I made this film, I worked at Atlantic Steel over on 14th Street. That's all gone now. I was very politically active and the company fired me and the union got my job back. And so, you know, that experience is what really informed me in being able to make this film."

The festival features marquee screenings of films from leading distributors including Rose of Nevada, Obsession and Power Ballad, from Irish creator John Carney, featuring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas as dueling songwriters. 

Festival-goers will see work from heavy hitters and up-and-comers including Kiah Alexandria Clingman, an actor, director, and producer who shot the short film Capriccio in an Atlanta bookstore. 

"As Black filmmakers, sometimes we feel like we have to have a message or a strong cause or like a mission-driven story," Clingman said. "But for this one, we get to just escape for 10 minutes and watch this couple transform and have a really beautiful meet-cute. It's fun. It's colors, it's dance, it is music. It is all of the things that we love about film."

Despite shifts in the industry over the past few years, Clingman said Atlanta is still a welcoming place to thrive.

"The biggest blessing of being in Atlanta is getting to see the rise of independent filmmaking here in the city," she said. "Always, I am trying to amplify voices of the unheard and tell stories that other people are afraid to tell."

For Escobar, the Atlanta Film Festival is the commitment of a lifetime. 

"The short of it is it's because the Atlanta community comes together — from people who volunteer to people who sponsor, donate, the staff, the board, the members of the media who help us spread the word, it is very much a group effort," Escobar said. "And like Mayor [Andre] Dickens says, it is a 'group project.' And what he says with Atlanta, it's also true with the Atlanta Film Festival."

The Atlanta Film Festival runs from April 23 to May 3. For more information on badges and tickets, visit atlantaflimfestival.com.