Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival Comes to Peachtree Corners for Its Highly Anticipated Return

The 2023 Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival (ASCIFFF), presented by The City of Peachtree Corners, has announced its highly anticipated return and lineup of events. This cinematic adventure will take place at CMX CinèBistro from October 6 to 8, setting the stage for an epic three-day journey in the heart of Peachtree Corners Town Center.

While enjoying the festival’s lineup in CMX CineBistro, and live entertainment on the Town Green’s outdoor stage, attendees can explore Peachtree Corners Town Center, the city’s downtown area with more than 15 restaurants and a variety of shops. 

“We are thrilled to launch the return of the Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival in Peachtree Corners Town Center,” said festival founder and director Amanda Ray. “It’s the perfect location for our festival, offering a unique compact venue layout allowing attendees to navigate the festival easily and quickly on foot, minimizing the need for transportation. It’s a diverse, vibrant, innovative town, and as the nation’s #1 Smart City, it complements the festival’s futuristic and technology themes. It’s a great partnership with the City of Peachtree Corners and we can’t wait to welcome the community, sci-fi enthusiasts, filmmakers and industry professionals to this exciting event!”

The festival showcases an array of established and emerging visionary artists from diverse backgrounds. This year’s festival will feature the best sci-fi films created by Georgia’s very own talented filmmakers as well as artists from all over the world. Sci-fi creatives will go head-to-head competing for cash and prizes in the following categories: General Live Action, Animated Sci-fi and Afrofuturism.

Festival programs

There will be several fun and interesting programs held at the festival.

48-Hour Sci-Tech Film Challenge: Sit front and center as the festival unveils the finalists from its first 48-Hour Sci-Tech Film Challenge, where filmmakers, armed with just 48 hours, race against time to craft short films the weekend of August 25 to 27. In a thrilling twist, artificial intelligence remains off-limits, unleashing the raw power of human ingenuity. Sponsored by OVHcloud, a Global Cloud Infrastructure Provider, this unique 48-hour film competition allows filmmakers to integrate current and new innovative technology as a required element into an original short sci-fi film and compete for $5,000 in cash and title of “Best 48-Hour Sci-Tech Film of the Year”! To participate in the Challenge, visit atlantascififilmfestival.com/48-hr-sci-tech.

The Space Race: This year’s feature program is an exclusive advance screening of National Geographic’s captivating documentary, “The Space Race.” This inspiring film explores the experiences of the first Black astronauts combining decades of archive film and interviews in a reflective illumination on the burden of breaking barriers. The film was directed by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Lisa Cortés and produced by Keero Birla. It stars Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight Jr., Charles Bolden and Leland Melvin.

Encore Screenings of 2021 Winners: As a result of remaining COVID concerns, films from the 2021 festival were virtual. Due to overwhelming demand, there will be an encore presentation of the 2021 winning films: “Heartland” by Jahmil Eady; “The Gazer” by Spencer Drees and Eleni Rivera; and “Kaiju Decode” by Tetsuya Yamada.

Panel Discussion — The World of Movie Poster Design: Panelists include Brian Farris with Gravillis Inc, Blake Armstrong and Mary Cox with BLT Communications. As three of the most talented art directors in the industry, they will lead an in-depth discussion on movie poster design. They will share their process of creating eye-catching key artwork, discuss how technology is having an impact on the industry and give tips on how indie filmmakers can create stunning key artwork for their films. 

Panel Discussion — A.I. – A Tool for Us, or Instead of Us!: An interesting and necessary discussion on the future impact of A.I. is currently taking place, not just in the film industry, but the entire arts and entertainment industry. Panelists will include Darion D’Anjou, Film Writer, Director and VFX Artist; and Keith Kaseman, designer, advanced production strategist and architectural educator.

Outdoor Components: Taking place on the Town Green outdoor stage will be a combination of family-friendly films and live music performances.

More festival info 

The Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival, presented by the Multicultural Sci-Fi Organization (MSCFO), provides screens for the finest independent science fiction films locally and internationally, increases cultural diversity in the genre and inspires the local sci-fi community by cultivating engaging art. Creating independent sci-fi films is becoming easier with today’s rapid-paced technological development. 

ASCIFFF nurtures new talent and supports concepts that are not often presented in mainstream media or studio films. The festival was founded in 2015 with the goal of fostering rich science-fiction storytelling and challenging perceptions of the intersection between technology and art. The 2023 Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival is presented by The City of Peachtree Corners and with the support of partners CMX CineBistro, OVHcloud and Explore Gwinnett.

Through screenings, valuable panel discussions and networking opportunities, the Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival seeks to propel the future of science fiction filmmaking. 

To stay updated on the latest news and announcements regarding the Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival, follow their website, ASCIFFF.com, or follow them on their social media channels on Facebook @ASCIFFF and Instagram @atlantasci_fifilmfestival.