by The Globe’s attic upstairs swiftly filled up. Beer glasses clattered against wooden tables, candlelight flickered from the ceiling, and a silent excitement filled the room as a short film sprang to life on the projector screen. A few blocks away, filmmakers sat for interviews before a wall of flowers and flashing cameras on a red carpet that ran the length of Cin’s brick facade. The event was hosted by the exquisite Dr. Rosaria Meek of the University of North Georgia.
This was the Athens Film Festival, a four-day exhibition that combined international film with the small-town charm of a college town, managing to feel both glamorous and familiar. It provided a long-desired cultural experience for many Northeast Georgians: Atlanta-level culture without the interstate traffic.
A festival for everyone
According to the festival’s website, everyone in Athens has a right to art. We’re fostering connections between filmmakers, moviegoers, residents, and tourists—we’re not just showing movies.
When I asked the festival’s executive director, Chuck Griffin, what made Athens the ideal platform, he reiterated that concept. The audience in Athens is not like any other. As I often remark, Athens is not a football town, an arts town, or even a music town. The town has a large audience. Additionally, the audience is unlike any other in its generosity and enjoyment of art and film.On the red carpet at the Athens Film Festival on August 14, 2025, Dr. Rosaria Meek of UNG conducts an interview with a director. From NowHabersham.com/Carly McCurry
“The team sees themselves as curators of connection as much as cinema,” says festival producer Allison Griffin. Our goal is to establish ourselves as a genuine festival that respects and encourages filmmakers. Additionally, we want to be recognized by our community as a legitimate Athens event, which means we won’t become so large that only those in the film industry can attend. Without losing sight of our most valuable resource—our unparalleled local audience that is passionate about the arts—I would like to see us qualify for the Oscars.
This promise was mirrored in the programming, which included Georgia-made shorts and international features. Award-winning documentaries were shown alongside student creations. The schedule included comedy, horror films, music videos, animated and narrative films, Latin American films, and artisan classes.
The locations themselves were incorporated into the narrative. A walking tour of Athens’ creative infrastructure was organized by Cin, the Morton Theatre, The Globe, Creature Comforts, Paloma Park, Flicker, and Lightroom ATH. Every location has its own distinct personality, whether it was the ancient stage lighting of the Morton, the millennial-coded cool factor of Creature Comforts, or the Shakespearean barroom intimacy of The Globe.
Conversing with University of Georgia students and film aficionados
The mood of The Globe’s narrative shorts block was as fresh, incisive, and full of opinions as the films themselves. The scene was set by the venue itself, a well-known institution in Athens where mismatched tables bring together residents, academics, and students, and old wood floors creak underfoot. The stage is framed by heavy crimson curtains. The space was warm thanks to the candle-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling, and the sound of discussion drifted up to the exposed rafters.A Globe film student from the University of Georgia offers insightful analysis of the festival’s selections, providing perceptive viewpoints on the movies and their subjects.From NowHabersham.com/Carly McCurry
I talked to a film student at the University of Georgia who had the perfect stance for a film student, complete with corkscrew curls and a jovial smile. We looked at the nuances, themes, and gradients of a number of titles, which opened my eyes to viewpoints I hadn’t previously thought of.
The idea of the recurrent theme of masturbation throughout many shorts was introduced by another guest, a distinguished-looking gentleman wearing a very good hat. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but surfacing frequently enough to get attention. We both felt that it served more as a metaphor for the male offenders’ emotional and mental incapacity than as provocation.
Other topics also emerged and were adopted by students, filmmakers, and moviegoers. The thought of how one decision can drastically change a person’s life path kept coming up.The heartbreaking Over the Rail by Tom Vallejo chronicled the disintegration of a homeless man’s life, with each choice leading to collapse, while Calle San Agust by Francis B. ez Almendro depicted the longing pain of a lost chance for love.During the Athens Film Festival 2025, film students from the University of Georgia assemble at The Globe, contributing new voices and viewpoints to the discussion.From NowHabersham.com/Carly McCurry
The block’s feminist submissions, including F*ck That Guy, were praised by a group of young males who were seniors at UGA. They praised Calle San August’s one-shot execution and narrative, and they were impressed by what the filmmakers managed to do on a tight budget. A group of young ladies who were out for a cultural evening nearby echoed the excitement and named both movies as their favorites.
For my part, I was drawn to the short film La Finestra, which was about the last day of an Italian vacation. It had lovely voices, lovely lighting, and lovely actresses. Despite its attractive packaging, it was able to convey status, sex, and culture in just six minutes.
These discussions are interwoven with Allison Griffin’s writing about her experience working with University of Georgia students. In this way, we have encountered incredibly gifted students, not all of whom study in film. However, because we are in Athens, we draw students from a variety of universities, as there are several in Northeast Georgia! Although we are not a student-only film festival, there are many chances for students to become involved, including in sales, marketing, public relations, editing, photography, and event planning. With a big event like this, there are many of opportunities.Mikayla Morris, a recent UGA graduate and project manager with More Creative, juggled volunteering for the Athens Film Festival with her full-time job at the networking event held at Creature Comforts.From NowHabersham.com/Carly McCurry
In fact, Mikayla Morris, a recent University of Georgia graduate who works for More Creative, volunteered for the festival in addition to working her full-time job as a project manager. Other volunteers continued to have connections with teachers after graduation or were connected to the renowned Cine theater.
Northeast Georgia films
Ruth Davidson, a native of White County, saw the event as a chance to advocate for her community. The conflict between the Bavarian tourist trend and the real Appalachian culture that surrounds it was examined in her documentary Helen, GA: A Story Beyond Souvenirs.
According to Davidson, tourism functions as a sort of theatrical staging. However, it feels more genuine if you go even a mile outside of town. Sharing that heritage while preserving it is a challenge. Her movie became part of the documentary block.White County resident Ruth Davidson (far right) participates in a panel discussion with other documentary filmmakers. Her documentary, Helen: Beyond the Souvenirs, delves into the backstories of the tourist-heavy Bavarian town.From NowHabersham.com/Carly McCurry
The Matthew Perkins-directed picture Fortune was the most talked-about of the Georgia-focused films at the festival’s networking activities. Fortuneplay, which is set in rural Georgia, is a Southern Gothic drama that is as dark as McCarthy and as poignant as Faulkner.
Authenticity and suspense were both there in the movie. The audience let out a cry, gasped, and then cheered as it reached its peak. I started to hold on to my chair’s arms. This was a spontaneous, group reaction, not a courteous round of applause.
The way the movie handled location contributed to its impact. Unlike many highbrow directors, Perkins managed to capture the texture of Athens and the larger Georgia terrain without sarcasm or snobbery. The outcome was a story that was deeply ingrained in the soil it depicted, a piece of art that seemed uncannily genuine.
On the patio, connections
Filmmakers shared notes over drinks at Creature Comforts. The festival’s scope was commended by John Hill, a professor and animator from Mobile, Alabama, whose short film Next Show in 90 Minutes was screened on the occasion. Although it’s right here, it feels like what you’d expect from a larger festival.
Douglasville filmmaker Chris Kelly mirrored the idea. “It’s great to be recognized,” he stated. Such festivals are important. They put you in touch with audiences who are truly interested in the work.
