Features

Kelly Murphy, Director of Client and Production Services at Universal Production Services, joins Jezlan Moyet, President of Georgia Entertainment, to discuss what makes Assembly Studios a destination for filmmakers of every kind.

Indie Spotlight began as a Georgia Entertainment interview series spotlighting independent filmmakers across the state. The Sept. 23 event brings that work off the page, celebrating the creativity, resourcefulness and impact of local filmmakers who are contributing to the state's growing film ecosystem.

The private sector needs an environment where companies, entrepreneurs and investors can thrive. The public sector benefits when that activity creates employment, investment, corporate growth and a broader tax base capable of supporting the communities where that growth occurs.

SCAD now offers the first Bachelor of Design in Applied AI, along with a minor available to students across every discipline, from fashion design to filmmaking. The university is betting that the future of AI will be shaped not just by engineers in Silicon Valley but by artists, designers and storytellers who understand what makes technology feel human.

Writer-director Matthew Simpson sits down with Georgia Entertainment to discuss "Before Me," a feature that explores retroactive jealousy, the obsessive fixation on a partner's past. Made in Carrollton with a fully Georgia cast, crew and post-production team, the film is a portrait of what local artists can build on a small budget.

As technology lowers barriers to creation, the market begins placing greater value on qualities that cannot be downloaded or automated. Taste. Judgment. Authenticity. Creative problem-solving. Empathy. Trust. The need to belong. Those have always been human advantages. They are becoming economic advantages.

Georgia's film industry received encouraging news this week as the Georgia Film Office announced that productions generated $2 billion in direct spending during Fiscal Year 2026 across 280 productions, even as the global entertainment industry continues to navigate reduced budgets, increased competition and a rapidly evolving marketplace. The state also saw a 14 percent increase in total projects, including an 83 percent surge in independent productions.

Multihyphenate Georgia native Danny McBride is set for a hero’s welcome when he attends the state’s Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) in November. The festival, based in Floyd County’s biggest city, will present The Righteous Gemstones writer and actor with its 2026 Flannery O’Connor Award during the festival’s 23rd edition running from November 5 to 8.

The festival runs Sept. 10 through Sept. 20. TIFF is still announcing sections, which means the Georgia count is a moving target. Here is what is confirmed so far.

I know dozens of innovators, entrepreneurs and creators across Georgia who continue to stand out despite rapid advances in artificial intelligence, changing consumer behavior and an increasingly crowded marketplace. Many have become trusted mentors over the years, and one trait consistently sets them apart: they embrace change without losing sight of what makes them uniquely valuable.