Opening Night hit like a herd of stampeding freight trains. It included all the standard fanfare of a red carpet event, except its Moonshine Post’s 8th year as the opening night movie sponsor at the Plaza Theatre, and our entire team, better known as the MoonCrew, shows up fully committed. It’s like bringing a nuclear bomb to a knife fight, and the energy is pervasive, exciting, and border-line fire marshal adverse. It was a kick-ass opening film and what feels like the entire film-making community gathered at the after-party to catchup, kick off and throw their hands up for storytelling – I had to buckle down, because this event lasts 10 days.
Saturday morning (if you weren’t an amateur at Opening Night) showcased an awesome lineup of shorts and feature screenings. The MoonCrew shared their personal favorites and hot takes on social media, and afterwards we eagerly attended our infamous sponsored Filmmaker Happy Hour. The event was all about connecting with this year’s featured filmmakers and talking about movies – and giving out our righteous swag.
Saturday night brought us to the prime-time event and the premiere of NIGHT OF THE COOTERS, directed by Vincent D’Onofrio, produced by George R.R. Martin, and edited by our very own Patrick Perry with color by John Petersen. I had the honor of giving the opening speech to the film’s audience, reflecting on Moonshine’s 10-year anniversary and the full-circle moment we were experiencing. L.C. Crowley of Trioscope, founder of the company who produced “COOTERS” and long time collaborator, was coincidentally the same man who professionally discovered me in the indie community, took a chance and gave me the confidence to establish Moonshine Post (among others) and gave Moonshine Post its first Television Series to post in GA. It’s that pay-it-forward mentality and strong community support that Moonshine was founded on. And reminiscent of how I met my business partner, John Petersen, who fought the management of his old company to color the short films of snot-nosed bratty film students, one of which he would start a company with years later called Moonshine Post.
On Sunday the 23rd, I put my tux on and attended a star-studded gala where I found myself seated just a few feet away from film legend Francis Ford Coppola, also known as Film God. I was humbled in all its grandeur, with past governors speaking and film legends honoring industry giants and past presidents. The night culminated in Tom Luse, executive producer of The Walking Dead, honoring Trioscope. Oh yeah and George was there too 😉
From there, Moonshine’s professional participation in the festival continued into the next week with our very own Kristina Kromer, Travis Preston, and Patrick Perry sharing their insights on the Atlanta Film Society (IMAGE Film & Video) Creative Conference Panels curated by Linda Burns, another hero among the ATL film pantheon who helped championed the indies and grow this incredible community. She also coincidentally produced the segment of V/H/S “Amateur Hour” that took me and many other burgeoning filmmakers to Sundance Film Festival Sundance Institute as well as to all new heights in our careers. (That deserves its own story.) Finally, we ended the festival at an awards brunch, where Moonshine honored a short film filmmaker and feature filmmaker with complete color finishing grants on their next endeavors. Got to pay forward and continue supporting the community (are you noticing a theme here?)
So back again to that Braves game on Monday the 24th, as I sat with George R.R. Martin, I leaned over and had a good laugh with Atlanta Film Festival executive Director Christopher Escobar – we were both GSU students from the same year who came up together, sharing ideas and arguing in class. “How did we get here?” I asked with a laugh. I told him how incredible this years festival was. I thanked him with a hug.
The Atlanta Film Festival is always a time of storyteller celebration and humbling reflection for us at Moonshine Post. We’re proud of our journey and the relationships we’ve built along the way. Here’s to more storytelling, collaboration, and paying it forward. Cheers, Atlanta!
