Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Tutte le strade portano a Roma. Translation: All roads lead to Rome.
As Georgia poises for the film industry avalanche of business that’s on the horizon with the eventual, inevitable conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP strike, the Georgia Unscripted roadshow is hitting a crescendo of its own and closing in on its final three information packed film and creative arts events of the year.
This one is in Rome – a mountainside mecca for Georgia’s creatives.
Stranger Things, Remember the Titans, Black Widow, Identity Thief, The Mule, Need for Speed, and an extensive list of additional TV series, films, documentaries and shorts have all made the city of nearly 40,000 — located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains just 1.5 hours from downtown Atlanta — a distinctive and sought-after film location.
As Roma has seven hills east of the Tiber River, its Southern sister rests on seven of its own and is home to the world’s largest contiguous college campus (27,000 acres) at location-rich Berry College. Rome is also the home of the state’s largest district of Victorian homes; an international speedway; and a 20-year-old world-caliber film festival, Rome International Film Festival, that’s a creative magnet for the work of filmmakers around the globe.
Coinciding with the opening of Rome’s film festival, which takes place November 2-5, 2023, the Rome stop of Unscripted roadshow takes place on November 2, 2023, at the DeSoto Theatre downtown on Broad Street (RSVP).
Rome’s DeSoto itself is worthy of a look—both architecturally and for its film industry and cultural significance.
Called “The Jewel of Broad Street,” the DeSoto opened in 1929 and was the first venue in the South to show films with sound. Even today, the Georgian-styled movie house is among Georgia’s top 10 film-viewing venues.
The DeSoto was the brainchild of the owner of Lam Amusement Co, O.C. Lam, and it was modeled after New York’s Roxy Theatre. At the time of construction, the DeSoto cost more than $100,000, and it was fashioned with the most modern fittings and finishes of any theatre across the country.
Let this really sink in: a film theatre of this significance was constructed in Rome, Georgia. And it’s a venue ready-made for Georgia’s film industry and the boom of the state’s Creative Economy nearly a century later – an astounding place to discuss the creative economy and the future of Georgia film.
In other architectural and cinematic moves combined, the DeSoto gained an Art Deco marquee in 1947, as well as an Art Deco concessions lounge. After shifts in its usage over time, the DeSoto underwent restoration back to its original function, through a historic renovation effort started in 2008 by the Historic DeSoto Theatre Foundation. Then, a year later, the foundation began working in tandem with the Fox Theatre Institute to further preserve its integrity, and it chosen by the institute as one of Georgia’s first theatres to receive this vital renovation and revitalization aid, according to the desoto.org’s timeline.
In line with the DeSoto’s commitment to the filmic arts, local academic institutions around Rome are doing their parts to bring up Georgia’s next fleet of filmmakers.
Berry College, for instance, offers degrees in communication with an emphasis on digital storytelling and cinematic arts. Music and musical theatre are also part of the scene at Berry, and the college is home turf to a Berry computer science alum that currently leads creative engineering at game design company Makefully.
Other education options in Rome for students pursuing careers in film and the creative arts include Georgia Highlands College (GHC), with five sites and an online campus, that offers an associate’s degree in film including hands-on training and theoretical coursework. GHC is also a member of the Georgia Film Consortium, the statewide collaboration of institutions that include film and arts-focused programs supported by the Georgia Film Academy.
Rome is breaking film industry ground in other ways too, with businesses like Latino-owned production company PAM Studios, a neighbor to the DeSoto, partnering with the Rome International Film Festival to create and curate a Latinx film category.
Rome is also home to Apply Pressure Recording Studios and scores of other businesses revolving around the creative economy.
One additional highlight at Unscripted roadshow in Rome: a DeSoto-style viewing of “Made WITH Georgia: The Rise of Georgia Post Production.” The 3:21 runtime video by roadshow supporter Drew Sawyer, managing partner and post producer at Moonshine Post-Production LLC in Atlanta, showcases the impact of Georgia’s film industry, takes a look at the statewide impact of the Georgia Film Tax Incentive, and highlights the work of post-production professionals around the state, described in Sawyer’s video as “kid-toting Braves and Bulldogs fans.”
A new roadshow partner will also be on hand in Rome – part of the team from Cofer Bros. building material supply company of Tucker, Georgia. The family owned and operated business holds a car collection of autos used in Georgia film productions and roots in Rome.
Georgia Unscripted roadshow in Rome will also bring together a sought-after collection of creative visionaries, business executives, talent, educators, government officials and elected leaders who will enlighten attendees on Georgia’s creative economy and its continued opportunities and growth strategies – all from the unique vantage point of Rome and its historic DeSoto Theatre.
