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Flashback/Flashforward In remembering the unfortunate events which devastated the city of New Orleans during the summer of 2005, I was offering my sympathies to a friend who hails from the area. During the course of our conversation, we realized a very important fact, one which we had failed to even think about throughout the whole ordeal. Along with the loss of lives, families, homes, and complete existences, the potential loss of the culture that is unique to New Orleans ignited a thought of the unique culture that exists in Atlanta, and the importance of the culture's documentation by the community of filmmakers who have an interest in the growth of Atlanta's film industry. Atlanta's culture, borne out of a history that includes Civil War and Civil Rights, has been documented well by its home-grown music industry. It is an industry that has carved out a niche and distinguished itself from other musical cities and regions. So much so, that it may not be a bad idea to take a page out of that book and create our very own "Dirty South" out of the solid but still developing industry that exists here. With legislative support such as the tax incentive, which the governor says is designed to "grow the states film and video industry, as well as level the playing field with its competitors," and DeKalb County's CEO partnering with Hollywood veteran Robert Townsend to develop and operate a studio right in the metro area, the ground is truly fertile for the industry to grow and bear fruit. Atlanta filmmakers are in an interesting situation. We know that projects will come here for a number of reasons, ranging from the opportunity to save money to the period specific locations, and those things are great for the immediate future and the economy. But for the future of our industry the local film community has to take the chance to go beyond the obvious of The World of Coca-Cola, and Underground Atlanta and get the real stories behind the face of Atlanta. The stories that take place off of Peachtree, Ponce de Leon, and Auburn, are just as marketable as the ones on Mulholland, Santa Monica, and Melrose. So let us take up the challenge to develop stories and films that promote this culture that is uniquely Atlanta. Stories and films that portray the positive images put forth by our working and professional class families as well as the hard core truth that all is not so beautiful in this culture. In this there are stories worth telling that the rest of the world will enjoy. Yes, Peaches and Peachtree, those are the stories I want us to tell. Shun Jester is a local filmmaker and producer. He is the managing director of cinemATL. |
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