Short films aim for Oscar gold thanks to Atlanta’s Out On Film

ATLANTA - It’s one of the most prestigious film festivals of its kind in the country — and right now, top artists from around the world are in Atlanta to show their works and make their voices heard.

The 39th Annual Out On Film LGBTQ+ Film Festival is happening now through October 4th, featuring a long list of events including filmmaker conversations, workshops and panels, and screenings. Festival events are hosted by several venues in the city, but the heart of the action is Landmark’s Midtown Arts Cinema, which will screen the festival’s lineup of narrative features, documentaries, short films, and premieres. Out On Film has the distinction of being one of only six LGBTQ film festivals in the world that are Oscar-qualifying, which means the winner of the Jury Award for Best Drama Short is eligible for Academy Awards consideration.

Several of those narrative shorts will screen today at Landmark’s Midtown Arts Cinema at 3:00 p.m., including "The Upper Room" and "JJ." The directors of both are also expected to attend the screenings. Also on the festival scheduled today is a screening of the feature film "Madfabulous," a British historical drama starring Callum Scott Howells, Rupert Everett, and Ruby Stokes (8:15 p.m. at Landmark’s Midtown Arts Cinema).

For more information on the 39th Annual Out On Film LGBTQ+ Film Festival and a full schedule of events, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning at Landmark’s Midtown Arts Cinema, chatting with festival organizations and some of the featured filmmakers.