2023 Atlanta Film Festival Announces Creative Conference Programming for 47th Annual Event

Today, the 47th annual Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) announced its lineup of Creative Conference panels, workshops, and conversations that will take place from April 25 – April 28, 2023, from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm each day. This will be the 13th year that ATLFF has curated a robust lineup of educational programming, known as the Creative Conference, as part of the annual film festival. This year, the Creative Conference will offer more than 25 in-person panel discussions, as well as 8 virtual panels and in-depth conversations with industry experts from Atlanta to Los Angeles.

The Creative Conference serves to educate, entertain, engage, and enlighten festival-goers by pulling back the curtain on film and television production, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look at how projects get made. While covering a wide range of topics, this year’s programming will focus on community, craft, and the future of filmmaking.

“We are so excited to bring the Creative Conference 100% back in person after 3 years primarily on Zoom,”  said Linda Burns, a 30-year industry veteran and Creative Conference Director.  “Although we loved the intimacy of Zoom conversations on the craft of filmmaking, we’ve really missed the connections made in person between our panelists and audience, and between audience members. We look forward to continuing to build community and craft, offer networking and educational events, and push forward the future of filmmaking together with our amazing panelists, filmmakers, and film lovers.”

Panels will feature revealing conversations with some of the most admired and sought-after artists in their respective fields. Most notably, two-time Emmy® winning, Oscar® nominated producer Lydia Dean Pilcher joins producer Suzanne Satterfield (“Mega Dens”) in an in person conversation focused on global culture and multicultural storytelling. Pilcher has produced over 40 feature films for auteur directors including “Queen of Katwe,” “Cutie & The Boxer,” and “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Highlights for the virtual panels include a discussion between Emmy® nominated director, writer, and producer Craig Zobel (“Mare of Easttown,” “The Hunt”) and cinematographer Darran Tiernan (“The Hunt,” “Perry Mason”) on the working relationship between director and cinematographer, how they met and built trust, and their current collaboration on HBO’s “The Penguin,” starring Colin Farrell. Additionally, President and CEO of BobbCat Films and former EVP of Tyler Perry Studios Roger Bobb joins director Rob Hardy for a 1-on-1 conversation about his career in producing and directing that spans nearly two decades.

As with the lineup of 155 selected works and Marquee screenings, the 2023 Creative Conference programming will highlight underrepresented filmmakers and stories. Panel topics that will explore Development and Pitching, Building an Audience and a Community, Screenwriting, Directing, Cinematography, Producing Using AI, Shooting in Virtual Worlds, Improv for Creatives, The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion, Tips & Resources for Emerging Filmmakers, Post-Production, Crowdfunding, and Roundtable Discussions with Georgia Filmmakers and Screenwriters in Competition.

TV and Film credits for additional Creative Conference speakers include: “Atlanta,” “A Jazzman’s Blues,” “Naomi,” “The Underground Railroad,” “Pitch Perfect 3,” “The Devil to Pay,” “Archer,” “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “The Walking Dead,” “Stranger Things,” “Black Lightning,” “Greenleaf,” “Hightown,” “Inside Man,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Father of the Bride,” “Ozark,” “Boss Level,” “Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War,” “Baby Driver,” “Stargirl,” “Doom Patrol,” “Power,” “The Leftovers,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Star Trek: Picard and Discovery,” “Blindspotting,” “Teenage Bounty Hunters,” “For Colored Girls,” “Mythic Quest,” “Why Did I Get Married II,” “The Blacklist,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire,” “Valor,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Queen Sugar,” “MacGyver,” “Solace,” “I,Tonya,” “Coming 2 America,” “Cobra Kai,” “Legacies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “The Right Stuff,” “P-Valley,” “Rise,” “Gotham Knights,” and “This is Us,” among others.

All Creative Conference content, other than in-person panels, will be available for streaming worldwide during the entire 10 days of the festival. In-person panels will not be offered virtually. Festival badges are on sale now at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com. Creative Conference individual virtual and in-person event tickets are currently $12-$15 or $85 for unlimited virtual access. Badge prices will increase on April 18, 2023.

The full list of programming for this year’s Creative Conference can be found on the festival’s website.