Filmmaking fans are getting ready for the latest rendition of the popular local film festival at The Holly Theater in Dahlonega.
The January 24 event, known as “A Night at the Movies” will feature another unique collection of short films curated by the local team that makes up Sozo Bear Films.
The local video production company, founded by Co-Owners/Directors (and UNG graduates) Luke Pilgrim and Brad Kennedy, has been bringing the festival to local audiences for many years.
The current lineup of Sozo Bear teammates includes Pilgrim and Kennedy, along with Visual Effects Artist Ellis Treece.
They hand pick a variety of short films that cover a wide range of genres for the local audience to enjoy.
This year’s selections will show how strong the short film industry is, according to Kennedy.
He said they looked at over 50 short films to narrow down to the final list of short films (including two originals of their own) that will be showcased.
“If anything, it proves that independent short films are still alive and well, and in many cases, thriving.”
Kennedy said that social media and other online outlets like YouTube and TikTok give filmmakers many avenues to showcase their work.
However, there is nothing like the big screen experience, he added.
“I think there is still the allure to having your movie playing in a theater with a crowd, and that is something that all filmmakers desire,” Kennedy said. “I think that’s why film festivals in general are continuing to thrive even when there is so much competition for viewers' attention. There is something about the movie-going experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”
Pilgrim pointed out the importance for filmmakers to have their work shown at festivals.
“Having the film festival laurels on your movie poster helps legitimize your work. It’s like having a stamp of approval from people in the film community every time your movie plays in a festival,” he said. “So it’s a great way to network, get to see your movie on the big screen with an audience to see how it plays, and also legitimize your work in the eyes of other people in the film community.”
In addition, Pilgrim said it’s a great way for young filmmakers to build momentum.
“When we started our company, film festivals were a huge way that we grew our brand. We met other filmmakers which led to us meeting more actors and more composers and eventually other crew members or employees,” he added. “But even if you don’t want to go down the same road as us, participating in a film festival like this is still great for all those reasons.”
INDUSTRY CHANGES
Kennedy said that the trend toward short content for online consumption hasn’t necessarily affected film festivals the same way.
“You would assume with the rise of short form social media content that the films submitted and shown would be shorter, but this might be one of our longest lineups to date,” he said. “I think that comes as a pushback against the social media trends. Yes, the filmmakers could produce these shorts and have them be extremely [brief] and digestible for online, but they know the stories they’re trying to tell deserve a fuller runtime and to be seen by an audience, not just on a phone.”
Regarding the films that were sent in for consideration, Kennedy said that they receive films in almost every genre. But this year’s submissions had more robots and science fiction than in previous years.
“Maybe that’s because we like playing around in the sci-fi realm and people with similar interests are attracted to us, or maybe it’s some weird type of kismet,” he said. “I think some of it too is just the almost sci-fi world we’re inhabiting now and filmmakers are reacting to it by making movies that reflect on humanity’s place in an ever-changing world.”
Kennedy observed that artificial intelligence has affected almost every industry in some way and this is only the beginning.
“So, it’s logical that many people are thinking about these topics and creating movies about them. That’s somewhat of the story behind Brainstorm. We tried to utilize A.I. to help us create a movie about why humanity is important, he added.”
Pilgrim said Brainstorm, is one of their two new short films that are premiering at the festival.
Both were produced by the Sozo Bear team along with help from Megan Trammel and Wyatt Goad.
It is what they refer to as a “micro-short” that they wrote in a couple of hours and shot in one day.
“Brad plays the main character, which is a man with a cloud for a head,” Pilgrim said. “We had to rig up this fabric with double-sided tape all the way around his head and then covered it in cotton to look like a cloud.”
He said the story is about how the man with a cloud for a head yearns to be among the clouds.
“After going on an adventure in the sky he realizes he was never meant to be a cloud, he was always right where he was meant to be,” Pilgrim said. “It’s almost like a parable about being content and also about our search for identity. He was ultimately on a journey back to himself.”
Their other new original film is about five minutes long.
“It Came From The Dirty Clothes is sort of a funny commentary on procrastination as told through the lens of a comedy/horror about a man who creates his own monster by putting off his laundry for too long,” Pilgrim added.
NEW LINEUP
As for the films that will be featured at this year’s festival, Kennedy said one of his favorite things is that they have a lot of Georgia filmmakers represented in the lineup and the films are all so diverse.
“Sakazuki is a fun, over-the-top samurai movie. Project Penelope is a dark, deep science fiction piece, and The Reclaimers is an edge of your seat horror survival film,” he said. “With all of these movies we were extremely glued to the screen when watching them for the selection process and we think they’re all going to have their big fans at the show.”
In addition to those, there will be two animated movies as well: Bulbank and LUKi and the Lights.
“They’re both extremely creative works that will make you laugh, smile, and maybe even cry,” Kennedy added.
The festival will also include its first-ever Student Spotlight: High School Filmmaker Competition.
“We had several recent graduates and high school filmmakers submit and we will be announcing the winner live on stage,” Kennedy said. “We think it’ll be a fun new fixture to the festival and a cool way to engage with younger filmmakers and give them an opportunity to spotlight their awesome work alongside professionals and veteran filmmakers.”
The full lineup of films is as follows:
• Brainstorm (fantasy) — directed by Luke Pilgrim and Brad Kennedy. A man with a cloud for a head, weary of the monotony of earthly life, escapes to the endless sky, only to discover that true happiness is found in embracing life below.
• Bulbank (animation) — directed by Mengyuan (Cherry) Guo, Naicheng Liu and Vicky Zi Wang. Carl, the star employee at an idea-generating company, is determined to save his career when a new state-of-the-art robot begins to outshine him with its efficiency.
• Project Penelope (sci-fi) — directed by Felipe Castilla and Alex D. Lugo. Grieving the tragic loss of their young daughter Penelope, scientists Jonas and Elizabeth delve into the world of artificial intelligence to recreate their beloved child.
• Sakazuki (action) — directed by Walker Whited. Two agency assassins cross blades in an empty bar when they find they're on the same gig.
• LUKi and the Lights (animation) — directed by Toby Cochran. LUKi, a charming and upbeat robot known for living life to the fullest, confronts a life-altering ALS diagnosis. The film paints a vivid portrait of what it means to truly live, even as the sands of time slip through his grasp.
• The Reclaimers (horror) — directed by Jason Sheedy. After her grandparents are killed by invisible creatures, a determined young woman seeks to avenge them with the help of her canine companion, the only one who can see the mysterious invaders.
• It Came From The Dirty Clothes (comedy/horror) — directed by Luke Pilgrim and Brad Kennedy. Overwhelmed by procrastination and a monstrously overgrown laundry pile, Liam confides in his skeptical therapist that his dirty clothes might not just be a mess, they might be alive.
The film festival takes place Friday, January 24 at The Holly Theater. Tickets are $20 on filmfreeway.com. Click “Browse Festivals.” Doors open and red carpet photo-op at 6 p.m. Showtime is 7 p.m. As always, there will be live Q&As with actors and filmmakers.
Kennedy said his favorite part of A Night At The Movies is talking with attendees after the show and finding out which short film was their favorite.
“What makes me feel like we did a good job curating the festival is when I hear almost every one of the films selected as someone’s favorite,” he said.
This isn’t to say that the hosts don’t want any of the films to be standouts.
“It’s that all of the movies found their perfect audience member who will continue to tell their friends and family about their favorite movie from the festival,” Kennedy added.