Macon Film Festival

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Macon Film Festival

Celebrating 21 years of indie and immersive film in Macon, Georgia - August 20th - 23rd 🎬

Surrounded by a rich musical and southern culture the Macon Film Festival celebrates independent films while promoting filmmaking for entertainment, inspiration education and economic development.

08/23/2026

🔥 Hot Set! 🔥

🎬 Join us for the final Special Screening of the 2026 Macon Film Festival as we close out our festival season with Four Rational People directed by Tristan Cook! 🎬

Doors will open at 6:30pm!

A moderated Q&A will follow the film led by Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet.

“Goethe once said that a string quartet is like ‘a conversation between four rational people,’ and for the members of the Emerson String Quartet, that conversation is coming to a bittersweet ending as they embark on their final season of a fifty-year history that includes 9 GRAMMY Awards and thousands of concerts. Interweaving vivid memories of the Emerson Quartet’s past with delicate observations of life on the road in the weeks and days before disbanding, Four Rational People explores the group’s difficult decision to walk away from the things that they cherish most in life: the music they play and the friends they hold dear. At once a frank examination of the tyranny of aging and a cri de cœur to pass the torch to a new generation of artists, Four Rational People culminates with one final Emerson Quartet performance for the ages, leaving all to ponder what happens to us after the final curtain.“

08/23/2026

🔥 Hot Set 🔥

Volunteer for this year’s festival? Today’s the day to come by HQ before 6pm to get a free festival t-shirt!

08/23/2026

🔥 Hot Set 🔥

HQ is open until 6pm today!
Stop in for snacks, merch, tips on local spots, drinks, and more!

📍 Georgia Sports Hall of Fame - 301 Cherry St

08/23/2026

2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Narrative Shorts - Here for the Twist

Sunday, August 23
2:15-3:45pm
The Douglass Theatre

🎬

Hide 

Directed by Brenden Hubbard

"From the Academy Award winning team behind "Curfew." Still reeling from an incredible loss, a father (Shakey Graves) and daughter cling to a bedtime routine keeping them safe in a town where an unfathomable horror visits its inhabitants night after night."

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Between Dog and Man

Directed by Fabian Martin

"A man traveling along an empty road at night hits a dog. What ensues is a testimony to the centuries old bond between man and dog."

🎬

Nurture

Directed by Nick Snyder

"On a remote Oregon farm, a couple grieving from a miscarriage finds hope in a mysterious flower. But as it heals her, the flower takes root in him. Nurture is a dialogue-free folk-horror fable about love, grief, and the consequences of taking too much from nature."

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Prick

Directed by Natalie De Diego

"After learning her husband has been in a life-threatening car crash, Ana must make a difficult decision."

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Shaken

Directed by Millie Rose Evans

"When a young waitress is assaulted by her manager, she delves into a world of revenge, plotting to poison him with a tainted milkshake."

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Trad

Directed by Dave Bekerman

"A struggling influencer reluctantly pivots to tradwife content to dig her husband out of a financial hole and soon becomes trapped by the increasingly disturbing demands of her viral persona."

🎬

Aita

Directed by Ibon Landa 

"Beñat, an ex-convict, is still reeling from the recent death of his wife while trying to raise his daughter Malen alone. Things get complicated when Sara, the girl’s grandmother, files for full custody to protect her from a father she believes to be violent. Caught between grief, guilt, and a desperate need for redemption, Beñat faces a past full of secrets, half-truths, and hidden crimes."

08/23/2026

2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION - LGBTQ+ Shorts - Love, Loss, and Acceptance

🗓️ Sunday, August 23
⏰ 12:15pm-2:00pm
📍 The Douglass Theatre

🎬

Amid the Noise and the Haste

Directed by Julie Goldstone

"A trans woman seeks her true voice through vocal training while bracing to meet her boyfriend’s parents."

🎬

Gallina

Directed by Olivia Roberts

"In rural Spain, ten-year-old Pablo loves spending time at his granny’s countryside home, playing with his younger sister Alba and his best friend Martín. But everything changes when Martín pressures him to betray his family, leaving Pablo to question where he truly belongs."

🎬

Fireflies in the Dusk

Directed by Jonathan Hammond

"A fantastical romance across time and space."

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HIM+ 

Directed by Creed Smith

"HIM+ follows the journey of Chris, a young Black man whose life takes a drastic turn when he learns he is HIV positive. Struggling with fear, stigma, and uncertainty, Chris is forced to confront himself and the world around him in a new way. Through the support of his faith, friends, and mentor, he begins to discover strength and resilience he didn’t know he had."

🎬

Nova

Directed by Olivia Roberts

"Miriam and JoJo, exes living in the same building, reconnect with only 27 hours left before the end of the world. Accompanied by their neighbor's dog, they decide to search for an abandoned military base, all while navigating their complicated feelings about their relationship and the looming apocalypse."

08/23/2026

2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Documentary Shorts - Short Stories Collection

🗓 Sunday, August 23
⏰ 12:15-2:00pm
Theatre Macon

Athens by Kaleidoscope
Directed by Christopher Flippo
"An ode to Athens, Georgia in 3 parts."

I Wanted to Hear Your Voice
Directed by James Pellerito
"After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving."

Thank You for Listening
Directed by Gene Gallerano and Bob Ray 

"Joshua Ray Walker faces the fragility of life as he confronts a life-altering cancer diagnosis. As he prepares to return to the Grand Ole Opry, the film captures an intimate portrait of an artist grappling with mortality while confronting the legacy he will leave behind. Blending lyrical visuals, performance, and moments of quiet reflection, the film explores how music sustains, redeems, and endures. It is a meditation on resilience, legacy, and the human drive to create meaning even in the face of life’s limits."

In the Garden
Directed by Ivey Redding 
"'In the Garden' is a three-generational reflection piece set in rural Georgia, where the director’s mother reflects on the life of her own aging mother. Blending documentary and narrative forms, the film tells the story of the grandmother’s life through a lyrical, long-form poem. What began as an effort to preserve the director's childhood memories—deeply tied to her grandmother and the Southern landscape—evolved into a meditation on aging and solitude. It’s an exploration of memory, family, and the inescapable pull of home.

Willie and His Pigs
Directed by Emily Cooper
"Every 9 months, rural Kentucky-based regenerative farmer Willie Houston brings home a small group of piglets. This subtle portrait challenges assumptions of masculinity in farming and explores who bears the emotional weight of ethically raising animals."

Born Secret
Directed by Riley Fitchpatrick
"A filmmaker returns to his hometown that built the atomic bomb."

Full synopsis of films on our schedule at the link in our bio!

08/23/2026

2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Documentary Feature: Sunday Mornings at the Beach/Pinball

🗓️ Sunday, August 23
⏰ 10:30-12:00pm
📍 The Douglass Theatre

🎬

Sunday Mornings at the Beach Directed by Tim Reid and Aaron Hose (accent on e) 

"When heading to the oceanside, one might expect to see surfers, joggers, and sunbathers—but not this. Each Sunday, a quiet yet powerful ritual unfolds as worshippers in Tijuana and San Diego gather on opposite sides of the border wall. Through song, prayer, and fellowship shared across rusty steel bars, an unexpected act of unity, faith, and resistance comes to life.

🎬

Pinball
Directed by Naveen Chaubal

"At first glance, Yosef is a typical 19-year old American teenager. He hates school and lives for his social life. However, he was born in Baghdad and fled with his family to Egypt soon after the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. He was four years old. Of all places, they received asylum in Louisville, Kentucky. Set in present-day, Pinball follows the many cultural, social and political influences that push Yosef to find his way in a world that grows increasingly more difficult to navigate as he and his younger sister Azraa share their last years of adolescence."

📸 : Stephen Cook

08/23/2026

🔥 HOT SET 🔥

After the Donnie Darko screening and Q&A with Mary McDonnell (aka *Rose* Darko) tonight (Saturday, August 22nd) at The Douglass Theatre, we’ll see all of your beautiful faces with All Access Passes at 🌹 The Rose Room 🌹 from 9:45-11:30pm!

21+ All Access Pass holders only!
Arrive by 10:45pm to secure your experience.

Enjoy drinks, vinyl, and vibes with us to close out our Saturday of the 21st !

🍸🔥🎬🪩

Address

Macon, GA
31202

Telephone

+14782273840

Website

http://www.maconfilmfestival.com/, https://linktr.ee/maconfilmfest

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