Arts Agenda: independent films, fests and special screenings

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one discipline or venue type in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. Every week, we’ll present a different art form. 

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July 10

Off the Wall @ 725 Ponce is best known for its series of experimental film and video art projected onto five stories on the face of the Eastside Trail’s 725 Ponce building on the Beltline. It’s doing something a little different this weekend. At 9 p.m. on Friday, July 10, it will be screening the 2006 documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, which tells the story of one of the greatest footballers of all time, France’s Zinedine Zidane.

The second annual Atlanta Experimental Fest returns July 10 at 7 Stages Theatre for a one-day dive into experimental film, art and performances. It’s weird, unpredictable and nothing about it plays by the rules.

July 11

7 Stages plays host to the Atlanta Micro Short Film Festival. The Festival highlights films that are six minutes or shorter. On July 11, the Festival will screen more than 100 short films. In a single afternoon and evening, you’ll experience comedy, horror, animation, documentaries, experimental work and films unlike anything you’ve seen before. If one film isn’t your thing, another begins a few minutes later. You can also meet filmmakers from around the world, connect with Atlanta’s creative community at the Festival’s networking mixers and stick around for the late-night after-party at Elmyr.

July 12

In Spike Lee’s classic Do the Right Thing, a local becomes upset when he sees that a pizzeria in his Black neighborhood exhibits only Italian actors on its Wall of Fame. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and tensions rise. See it at 4 p.m. on July 12 at the Plaza Theatre.

July 15

Centered around the enduring friendship of Ambassador Andrew Young and 1996 Olympic CEO William Porter “Billy” Payne, The Games in Black & White presents the comprehensive story of the Atlanta Olympic Games, from the bid through the Games to the legacy and the transformation of the city that followed. It screens at 1:30 p.m. on July 15 at the Tara Theatre.

Broadway Across America presents a screening of Monty Python and The Holy Grail at the Tara, as it prepares to host the musical Spamalot at the Fox Theatre. The best costume of the night takes home two tickets to Spamalot. Catch it at 7 p.m. on July 15.

Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel is a 1979 Soviet-era Estonian science fiction horror film^, and will screen as part of Videodrome’s continuing series of staff-picked classic and cult films at the Plaza. The police get a call-out to a lonely hotel in the Alps. When an officer gets to the hotel, everything seems to be all right. Suddenly, an avalanche cuts them off from the rest of the world, and strange things start happening. See it at 9 p.m. on July 15.

July 20

A young Belgian car nut and hairdresser’s apprentice attempts to get a Porsche for his debut race in Le Départ, Jerzy Skolimowski’s 1967 Belgian comedy starring Jean-Pierre Léaud. It screens at 8 p.m. on July 20 at the Plaza.

August 6-9

The 23rd Atlanta Underground Film Festival runs August 6 through August 9 at 7 Stages Theatre. It’s a weekend packed with strange, fearless independent films that don’t fit the mainstream.

August 8-9

Oscilloscope Laboratories presents CatVideoFest 2026, a compilation of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos and classic internet powerhouses. A portion of ticket proceeds from every show goes directly to local cats in need. Catch it at noon on August 8 and August 9 at the Plaza.

August 14 and 15

Off the Wall @ 725 Ponce, in conjunction with the Plaza Theatre, will project Pee Wee’s Big Adventure onto five stories on the face of the Eastside Trail’s 725 Ponce building on the Beltline at 8:30 p.m. on August 14 and August 15.

August 15

In Riverbend, Steve James (I’m Gonna Git You Sucka) stars as one of three Black Vietnam soldiers who join forces with a determined local woman, played by Oscar-nominated actress Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), to organize a small Southern town against a violent, racist sheriff. After a brief theatrical run and VHS release in 1990, Riverbend disappeared for decades. The recovery of its original 35mm elements made a painstaking, director-approved restoration possible. Now, more than 35 years later, this Georgia-set film will make its Atlanta debut. Presented in partnership with Black Eye Film Club, Reelblack Renaissance and the BronzeLens Film Festival, the evening includes a post-screening conversation and Blu-ray signing with members of the cast and creative team. The evening begins at 6 p.m. on August 15 at the Plaza.

August 15-20

Wet Hot American Summer turns 25 this year, and the Plaza will mark the occasion with screenings on August 15, August 18 and August 20.

August 21-30

The BronzeLens Film Festival expands to two weekends this year, celebrating work created by and for people of color and featuring premieres, workshops, panel discussions, master classes, special appearances and more. The Festival takes place August 21 through August 23 and August 27 through August 30.

September 1

In Safe in Hell, Gilda flees the authorities in New Orleans and hides on a Caribbean island, where the worst criminals can ask for asylum. Besieged by the scum of the Earth, Gilda will soon find out that she has found refuge in hell. Variety called this 1931 pre-Code drama “hardboiled and sordid.” Catch it at 7:30 p.m. on September 1 at the Tara.

September 18-19

Off the Wall @ 725 Ponce presents the  Atlanta premiere of Mickey Duzyj’s new documentary Smooth World at 8 p.m. on September 18 and September 19.

September 24-October 4

The mission of Out on Film is to inform, entertain, educate and enrich the LGBTQ culture by showcasing films by, for and about the LGBTQ community and its allies. In 2020, it became an Oscar-qualifying film festival. This year, screenings begin on September 24 and continue through October 4.