ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, June 20, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Downtown Atlanta’s historic Plaza Theatre provided the perfect place to kick off a nationwide celebration of independent filmmaking as well as a competition to spotlight top creators around the country.
The community’s longest continuously open independent theater hosted the first night of the expanded Indie Night Film Festival, which for 11 years, has screened five short films each Saturday in downtown Hollywood.

Now, founder/CEO Dave Brown is holding regional festivals around the country, starting with Atlanta. Independent filmmakers can submit their material for possible screening in front of local audiences as well as the chance for their project to be seen at a future Hollywood festival. He compares it to the “American Idol” regional audition process, but with a film focus.

Brown and his show biz colleagues from around the country gathered June 11 for the sold-out red-carpet gala in Atlanta. The venue was packed and the line went out the door. Notable figures from film and music who attended included “Fast and Furious” actor Roberto Sanchez, as well as actors Jill Marie Jones, Terri Vaughn, Clifton Powell, Ed Gordon, Veronica Nichols, J Young MDK, DJ Drama, Briana Hampton, and others.

The evening was hosted by Morris Chestnut, star of “Higher Learning” and “The Brothers.” He shared his admiration of Dave Brown’s efforts to grow this festival over the years. He said Brown’s eagerness to give the next generation a leg up on the competition “is what being creative is all about.”

Brown began the festival partly as a networking effort 11 years ago. He wanted to create opportunities for filmmakers, writers, actors, directors, and others trying to break into entertainment, so invited the whole film community to come together regularly and enjoy each other’s company and creative efforts. Although there are other film festivals, his was the only one that took place every week.

Initially, people warned him that no one would come or there wouldn’t be enough material to watch each week. He proved both these predictions wrong, since every festival attracts a full slate of films as well as an impressive guest list of newcomers as well as Oscar-winning actors, directors, producers, composers and more.

The Atlanta event also attracted plenty of media attention, including coverage from Getty Images, Sheen, Blavity, Access Atlanta, Rolling Out, Shadow & Act were also provided access to cover the event
Indie Night festivals will now be held monthly in Atlanta as well as Miami, Houston, New York, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. More cities will be added in future years.

Brown also plans to visit area colleges in each community to talk to film/theater students about the industry. He’ll also invite them to attend or even consider submitting a project for their local event.

To learn more about the Indie Night Film Festival, including upcoming dates, locations, and film submission info, follow Dave Brown on social media @davebrownusa or @indienightff.

Photo credit :David Dway Crutcher

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