The 79th Cannes Film Festival will have a noteworthy Georgia presence. From Atlanta-based genre filmmakers bringing a folk horror project to the world’s largest film market, to an independent fantasy shot on the streets of Augusta and on a SCAD-Atlanta soundstage, to some of the state’s most accomplished producers making deals on the Croisette, Georgia’s creative class will leave its mark at Cannes.
GEORGIA AT CANNES 2026
Pat Mitchell and Laura Turner Seydel. Atlanta-based producer and Sundance Institute board chair Pat Mitchell and Atlanta-based environmental advocate Laura Turner Seydel will attend Cannes as co-executive producers of “Groundswell,” a feature documentary with a special screening scheduled for May 13. The third film in the “Kiss the Ground” trilogy, “Groundswell,” is directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell and focuses on regenerative agriculture and soil health as a global climate solution.
Seydel, a co-founder of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and chair emeritus of the Captain Planet Foundation, also served as executive producer on “Common Ground,” the trilogy’s second film. Mitchell, a University of Georgia graduate, spent three decades as an award-winning journalist and producer before becoming the first woman president and chief executive of PBS and the president of CNN Productions.
“Macheteros,” Atlanta-based filmmakers Daniel Emilio Oramas and Angelica Perez bring “Macheteros” to the Marché du Film, where the project has been selected for the Fantastic Round Robin. Oramas, who serves as director, DP, editor and producer, and Perez, a DP and Steadicam operator, have spent 12 years building their careers in Atlanta, starting as production assistants and developing an international slate of horror projects alongside commercial, corporate and film and television work.
“Macheteros” draws from Dominican folk tales Oramas heard growing up visiting family in Santo Domingo. The project earned runner-up honors at the AFM Pitch Conference in 2024 and was selected for Fantastic Lab 2026 Costa Rica before arriving at the Marché this May with Atlanta as its creative home base.
“Asherah: A Love Odyssey,” Written and directed by Gary Mazeffa of Q2 Films, “Asherah: A Love Odyssey” is a romantic fantasy following a woman’s awakening across three visual realms: a desanctified cathedral, a life review told through movement and memory and a shoreline monolith. The film carries a substantial Georgia footprint.
Production shot over approximately 11 days in Augusta in March 2025, making use of Sacred Heart Cultural Center, a former Catholic cathedral in the heart of downtown Augusta, as well as the Augusta Canal Aqueduct, the John C. Calhoun Expressway and IndieGrip Studios. More than 20 local crew members staffed the Augusta shoot, which generated an estimated $80,000 in direct local spending. Production then moved to SCAD-Atlanta, where the team built three sets against the school’s Volume Wall and brought on SCAD graduate students and seniors to construct the film’s central visual environments. Atlanta-based Michael Woodruff served as production manager. Line producer Russ Gladden is an Augusta native. Riviera screenings will be held May 15 and 17.
Josh Harris. Atlanta-based producer and film financier Josh Harris, president and managing partner of Peachtree Media Partners and a founder and partner at Gramercy Park Media, will be in Cannes for a private screening during the festival. Harris currently serves as board chair of the Atlanta Film Society and has been a central figure in Georgia’s film finance community for more than two decades.
JOIN US IN CANNES
Georgia Entertainment’s “From Story to Scale” programming runs May 14-17 during the 79th Cannes Film Festival. These events will feature the industry leaders and experts that fuel the state’s creative economy. Presented by Georgia Insider, alongside partners at The City of Atlanta, the Mayor’s Offices of Technology and Innovation, Film, Entertainment & Nightlife and Cultural Affairs, Fanbase, Georgia Power, Braveheart, Fulton Films, Discover Atlanta, Savannah Regional Film Commission, Revolution Entertainment Services, Discover DeKalb, Trilith Foundation, Georgia StoryLab, FiGA, Explore Gwinnett, the City of Jackson and PS.
Learn more here or partner with us.
