This June 5th and 6th, the city of McDonough is hosting the inaugural McDonough Storytellers Film Festival (MSFF) in multiple locations in the charming and historic McDonough town square, approximately 30 miles South of Atlanta.
Created by Samantha LaCroix and David Jongebreur, this festival celebrates the art of storytelling through numerous mediums, ranging from traditional categories like feature film, screenplay, and shorts to more unique categories like advertising, audio drama, book cover, novel, and more. The festival accepts a variety of unique art forms as long as they fit into one of the various categories.
MSFF is dedicated to showcasing the talent and craft of compelling storytellers, with a particular focus on films that celebrate a positive aspect of humanity, are created by women, are directed by first-time filmmakers over 40, or meaningfully incorporate music. At the discretion of the judges and screening committee, select submissions in these categories will be recognized with special awards.
The two-day festival features a jam-packed agenda of industry panels, networking galas, seminars, workshops, hand-curated screenings, and more at select venues in the McDonough Square, with many local businesses also participating in the festivities.
Below is a preliminary schedule for the inaugural McDonough Storytellers Film Festival:
June 5th, 2026
-
9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Workshops, panels and masterclasses
-
1:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Live music, book signings, and meet-the-author
-
6:30 p.m. | Red carpet, small bites and bar
-
7:30 p.m. | Feature presentation — “Stella and the Woman in the Photo”
-
9:30 p.m. | Meet cast and crew
-
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. | Networking, small bites, bar
-
11 p.m. | Afterparty
June 6th, 2026
-
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. | Screenplay readings
-
9:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. | All-day screenings
-
9:00 -10:00 p.m. | Award ceremony
-
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. | Networking
-
11 p.m. | Afterparty
Austrian-born filmmaker, actress, and opera singer Samantha LaCroix serves as Festival Director. She co-founded the festival to spotlight McDonough’s diverse landscape, from urban cityscapes to historic squares and picturesque farmland. LaCroix is also committed to championing women and more seasoned filmmakers, encouraging them to showcase their work at MSFF.
LaCroix recently finished directing, writing, and producing “Stella and the Woman in the Photo,” which will premiere at MSFF as it enters the film festival circuit.
“I am extremely excited about this festival and can’t wait to share my film during the gala and see everyone else’s stories in the beautiful setting of McDonough,” LaCroix writes. “I am so excited to highlight all these different types of entertainment and human expression in one festival, celebrating great stories in all forms. I especially love stories that uplift, that expand our daily lives, that offer a different perspective, that heal, that examine,” she adds.
As for the Festival Organizer and co-founder, David Jongebreur is the owner of the independent bookstore “Story on the Square,” which will be used to anchor the downtown festival. Located inside a beautifully renovated 1910 historic masonic lodge, “Story on the Square” will host the festivities as a featured venue, with support from additional downtown venues offering both indoor and outdoor seating for a variety of screenings, panels, performances and workshops.
“It has always been a vision of mine to celebrate storytelling in all its many forms,” Jongebreur says. “At ‘Story on the Square’ we focus on the written stories, but there is so much more we want to celebrate, film, music, art, all have their way of telling a story and we want to celebrate as many formats of the art of storytelling and the people who tell their stories. Having a festival to share and celebrate this just made sense,” he adds.
This June, visitors can enjoy the charming shops, restaurants, and green spaces of historic McDonough Square while celebrating storytelling and the creative community at the McDonough Storytellers Film Festival.
Panelists & Judges
The panel and judging committee are composed of seasoned industry professionals working both behind and in front of the camera. More than 15 leaders in the field will participate, including Emmy winners, actors, assistant directors, directors, line producers, producers, and screenwriters. Several panelists are members of the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, making this an accomplished and distinguished group.
Submissions Now Open
Submissions for the festival are now open, urging anyone and everyone who has a story to tell to apply. There are over 25 awards to win, including categories such as Best Overall Story, Best Music Video, Best Novel, Best Short Film, Best Feature Film, Best Animation Project, Best Filmmaker Over 40, Best Artwork, and Best Audio Drama, just to name a few. With a unique and diverse landscape of awards to win, the festival encourages all creators, artists, filmmakers, and artists to submit their work. Submissions are open now via FilmFreeway: https://
