Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers to Welcome Screening Partners in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA – South Arts has announced the 24 Screening Partners participating in the 2018-19 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, and will host a convening in Atlanta May 18-19 to curate the upcoming season. Together, the Screening Partner venues will discuss which films and filmmakers to invite on tour to their communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The Screening Partners include:

• Winston-Salem, NC
• Arts Council of Central Louisiana. Alexandria, LA
• Broward College. Fort Lauderdale, FL
• City of Hapeville. Hapeville, GA
• Clayton Center for the Arts/Maryville College. Maryville, TN
• East Tennessee State University/Mary B. Martin School of the Arts. Johnson City, TN
• Fuquay-Varina Arts Center. Fuquay-Varina, NC
• Georgia Southern University. Statesboro, GA
• Global Education Center. Nashville, TN
• Jacksonville State University. Jacksonville, AL
• The Jessye Norman School of the Arts, Inc. Augusta, GA
• North Central Louisiana Arts Council. Ruston, LA
• Ocala Film Foundation. Ocala, FL
• Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford, GA
• Presbyterian College. Clinton, SC
• South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. Cutler Bay, FL
• Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center. Bowling Green, KY
• The Tennessee Valley Art Association. Tuscumbia, AL
• Tropic Cinema/Key West Film Society. Key West, FL
• Troy University. Troy, AL
• Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, GA-Athens Cultural Affairs Commission. Athens, GA
• Union College. Barbourville, KY
• Union County Community Arts Council/Wingate University. Wingate, NC
• University of Tampa. Tampa, FL

From September through April, each Screening Partner presents six films and filmmakers. Along with a screening of the film, the filmmakers are made available to the local community for workshops and discussions. The filmmakers also conduct a Q&A with audiences following the film screening to discuss the film, their subject, and their work.

“Southern Circuit is all about connections and conversations,” explained Teresa Hollingsworth, senior program director with South Arts. “Not only do we want to make sure audiences across the region have access to current and vital independent films, but we provide opportunities to dive into challenging and necessary conversations.”

At the convening, the 24 Screening Partners will discuss the slate of films and filmmakers who applied for consideration. They will explore which films would resonate most within their respective communities, and determine the 24 films and filmmakers that will be selected to tour. “The selection process is almost like a fantasy football draft,” laughed Hollingsworth.

Films under consideration include feature-length animation, documentary, experimental, and narrative works created by independent filmmakers. Recent tours have included Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise by Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack, Quest by Jonathan Olshefski, 78/52 by Alexandre O. Philippe, and Donald Cried by Kris Avedisian.

The selected films and screening dates for the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers will be announced later this summer, and can be found on each of the Screening Partner website and on our website. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part through a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

About South Arts

South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South.