20 years of the Macon Film Festival: What to expect in 6 takes

It began with local businessman Tony Long, young filmmaker Tabitha Walker and Mercer University art professor Craig Coleman sitting in a sandwich shop, batting around the idea of starting a film festival.

Long was doing the pitching.

Aside from being a patron of the arts, Long was part of a group that had just restored and was reopening the Capitol Theatre after it had been abandoned for decades, just like most of downtown. He liked the idea of a film festival – they were becoming increasingly popular in communities around the country and he told Walker and Coleman a festival could spark interest in downtown, add to the community’s cultural life and, of course, bring people to the Capitol where festival films would be shown.

Long had the idea and could get some backing. Walker knew film and the workings of a festival. Coleman knew, among other things, art and media and how to judge things. They all had contacts here and there.

After bouncing the idea around, the endless pros and cons, the Macon Film Festival came to life in 2005.

Walker readily admits today that, besides the appeal of getting to bring independent films to town, she was looking for a cheap place to live. With his various real estate holdings, Long was able to provide one as part of her saying yes to getting involved. She also admits she knew a lot less about film festival operations than she let on.

But that was then. Now, 20 years later, she has much nicer digs and probably knows more than she ever wanted to about programming and running a festival. She’s not only helped make the Macon Film Festival a success but also succeeded in creating Macon’s premier film production company, Big Hair Productions.

Beginning Thursday and running through Sunday, Aug. 21-24, the Macon Film Festival will bring nearly 100 of the top independent films from local filmmakers and filmmakers from around the world to audiences in multiple venues downtown and at the Museum of Arts and Sciences.

But there’s more: The festival is sponsoring a free community screening on Wednesday, before the festival’s official start. More on that below.

Twenty years of growth in film

From the early handful of films shown in one theater to more films than any one person can possibly see in a varying number of venues, the festival has gained a reputation as one that respects filmmakers, rewards their work and does so in a friendly atmosphere and charming, walkable downtown setting. As more filmmakers began coming to Macon along with their films, Q&A sessions grew after screenings as did official afterparties, and chance encounters for discussions between filmmakers and their audiences on sidewalks and in local eateries.

From “a bunch of independently produced movies,” its categories now include:

• Narrative Features & Shorts: dramas, comedies, thrillers in both feature-length and short formats
• Documentary Features & Shorts: non-fiction films of personal stories, social issues, cultural movements and more
• Georgia-Made Films: films produced in Georgia or by Georgia filmmakers featuring local and regional stories and talent
• Student Shorts: short films by high school and college students showcasing talented voices now and for the future
• LGBTQIA+: films exploring LGBTQIA+ identities, experiences and communities, often highlighting underrepresented narratives
• Music Documentaries: works focusing on musicians, musical genres and the cultural impact of music, especially the music and personalities relevant to Macon’s musical heritage
• Fulldome Immersive Films: travel, educational and experimental films projected on the Museum of Arts & Sciences’ Mark Smith Planetarium, enabling a fully immersive visual experience

“There’s not really a theme for the festival this year, but there’s a strong selection of music documentaries and Georgia-based films, which seems appropriate for our 20th year,” Walker told me. “There are a handful with Macon ties that also stand out.”

Follow your interest and plan your weekend festival viewing using the schedule at the festival’s website, where you can also download a festival app. 

People make the festival

Locals started the festival and locals keep it going, though audiences come from near and far. From the original group of three, there’s now a board of more than a dozen members plus multiplied committees from movie selection to volunteerism. It takes a lot of volunteers to make it work and, even now, you can still volunteer – with perks. Go to the website for information.

In the 20-year stream of locals making the whole thing happen is this year’s festival board president, Hannah Hartman. Raised in Forsyth, Hartman got associate’s degrees from Middle Georgia State University in modern language and in art and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on new media communications.

She made films while in school but focused on photography since. Besides her Hannah Hartman & Co. photography business, she is the fine art director for the 567 Center for Renewal Gallery and manages marketing and communications with the Ocmulgee Mounds Association.

How did she get involved with the festival?

“Several years ago, when (the late) Stephen Fulbright was festival board president, I was working with him at Visit Macon,” she said. “He came in my office one day and said, ‘I’m nominating you for the film festival board.’

“I was like, ‘Wait – what?’ He told me there was a spot on the board and I was the one he was choosing to fill it. He told me, ‘You’re going to be a good fit and you’re going to do great.’ Since then, I’ve become so passionate about it. I still feel like Stephen is such a part of it for me.”

A special screening

Local filmmaker Tim Hall is back this year with a film shot in Macon called “The Pastor’s Daughter.” It’s among the Georgia-Made Films along with such works as “Motown South” and “The Faith of the Dreamer,” which highlight Georgia’s musical and spiritual heritage.

The LGBTQIA+ Films category includes themes of “Love, Loss & Acceptance,” while among the music documentaries there is “Roots & Blues” which features the Muddy Waters MOJO Museum, “Hwy 29 – An Athens Music Doc,” and “The Opener” which explore Southern music legacies and contemporary sounds.

Also, among the music documentaries is a documentary on Macon’s Newt Collier. It shows Friday at Theatre Macon at 6 p.m. along with “Roots & Blues.”

Dramatic and documentary features and shorts always offer rewarding viewing, as do the student films, always a favorite category of mine.

On Wednesday at the Douglass Theatre at 6:15 p.m., there will be a free showing of the 2020 film “Crip Camp,” a film that helped spark a revolution toward playground accessibility. The evening is an exploration of playground accessibility needs and areas for improvement in Bibb County. It will feature a Q&A on playground accessibility and updates on advancements in playground accessibility in Macon.

Indigenous filmmakers highlighted

This is the third year for the FireStarters Film Festival, part of the Macon Film Festival showcasing Indigenous filmmakers and stories. This year, FireStarters presents screenings on Thursday of the short documentary “Tiger” and the documentary feature “Remaining Native.”

Both are at the Douglass Theatre at 7:15 p.m. 

“Tiger” is the portrait of acclaimed Indigenous artist and elder Dana Tiger, her family and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger T-shirt company. Tiger is expected to be at the showing. “Remaining Native” is the story of Ku Stevens, 17, a solo runner at his high school with no coach, whose great-grandfather, Frank Quinn, ran 50 miles across a desert as a boy of eight to escape an Indian boarding school. Delmar Stevens, Ku’s father, is expected to attend.

The screenings will be followed by an afterparty at the McEachern Art Center with a soft opening of the “Ocmulgee to Okmulgee” exhibit featuring Indigenous artists Dan Beaver (Muscogee/Alabama), Carly Treece (Muscogee/Cherokee) and Amanda Rutland (Muscogee/Seminole). The exhibit will have its grand opening in September in conjunction with the Ocmulgee Mounds Indigenous Celebration. An all-access pass is required to attend and afterparty guests must be 21 or over.

Fulldome films at the Museum

The Museum of Arts and Sciences has become a world leader in fostering fulldome filmmaking and the showcase for it is at their Fulldome Festival, part of the Macon Film Festival. Immersive fulldome works will be shown in the museum’s Mark Smith Planetarium on Friday and Saturday as usual, with films geared toward education and kids’ entertainment featured earlier in the day.

The Fulldome Immersive Showcase, which leans toward more experimental, sometimes avant-garde works, is on Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m.

New this year at the museum is a special session on Friday bringing in almost 100 high school students to learn about both traditional and fulldome-immersive filmmaking.

“This is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is just for the kids who are part of the program, not for the public,” Walker said. “One of our board members has been working all year to organize a high school education workshop at the museum to have all these kids from around the region come watch and learn about traditional and immersive content. They’ll get to meet filmmakers to learn about filmmaking and they’ll get to experience immersive art in the museum’s Wonderspaces exhibit. It’s a student filmmaking day extravaganza.”

For ticketing, schedules and screenings, visit the festival website, maconfilmfestival.com.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.