Macon Film Festival kicks off today with ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,’ runs through weekend

It’s here. The 2023 Macon Film Festival is underway and there’s a free screening of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” at 9 p.m. today at the Museum of Arts & Sciences’ amphitheater.

Of course, the event honors Paul Reuben who died July 30 and his iconic, cult character Pee-wee Herman. It’s just one of the multitude of films the festival has brought to town to show in five venues otherwise clustered downtown.

“Our first film was Thursday evening’s ‘Chasing, Chasing Amy’ and there’s a great weekend of films ahead,” said Justin Andrews of the Otis Redding Foundation who serves as the festival’s board president. “There are special screenings each night and narrative features, short film blocks, documentaries and all sorts of films during the day.

“It’s quite a weekend with our volunteers, local filmgoers and people traveling here to see films plus the filmmakers and other industry professionals who are coming to town. We’ve had great festivals since COVID but we all have the feeling that we’re really back to normal this year. Completely back.”

Scheduling, ticketing and other festival information are at maconfilmfestival.com.

Tickets can still be bought for the weekend, for individual days and for individual screenings and film blocks. Added to seeing great films is the opportunity to mix and mingle with other film lovers and filmmakers formally and informally. It’s a weekend of motion picture magic at a bargain price.

Saturday’s special feature at The Grand Opera House is a screening of Dallas Austin’s classic “Drumline” with Austin being presented the inaugural Macon Film Festival Georgia Film Impact Award. But first, he’ll judge a Battle of the High School Bands in front of The Grand at 5 p.m.

Aside from being a multi-hit, Grammy award-winning music producer/songwriter who guided hits for the likes of Boyz II Men, TLC and Madonna, the Columbus native gained fame for “Drumline” and other films like “ATL. The award comes for his work — much of it done in Georgia — and for his key role in making the state an international film and television production center, like helping the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act become a reality.

In 2022 alone, $4.4 billion was spent in Georgia by such productions.

Sunday evening’s special feature is at The Douglass Theatre and is the new documentary “It’s Only Life After All.” It’s about the iconic folk-rock band the Indigo Girls comprised of Georgia’s Amy Ray and Emily Saliers and highlights their 40 years as leading songwriters, musicians and performers as well as their dedication as activists to important causes.

As noted by festival co-founder and Macon filmmaker Tabitha Walker, there’s a Georgia-connection theme that emerged in this year’s fare that’s only furthered by other films playing and especially those in film blocks like Georgia Made and another block featuring local, Middle Georgia creators.

Other film blocks include narrative features, narrative short films, documentary features, short documentaries, music documentaries, LGBTQ short films and student films.

The Student Film Block is a way to glimpse the filmic vision of possible future household-name filmmakers.

As the festival is in full swing, realize it’s not only a remarkable chance to see so many films but, as filmmakers and their cohorts are in town, it’s a chance for them to exchange ideas and take in what Macon has to offer. They’ll learn there are a lot of reasons for them to come back to Macon and do work.

And to tell their friends and colleagues about it, too?

Of those big film dollars spent in Georgia, Aaron Buzza said between $4.5 million and $6 million were spent right here in Macon in pre-pandemic 2018 and 2019. While we’re talking dollars, throw in that early estimates indicate this festival weekend alone will bring something like $350,000 to town.

Buzza, is Visit Macon’s senior vice president/chief operating officer and also leads the Macon Film Commission. At the festival, he’s presenting a filmmakers-only workshop to introduce the town, share Macon’s film history and provide filmmakers an opportunity to say what would be most helpful to them as they look to make films. He said they’ll get a tour highlighting past locations used in the city and future possibilities while he extolls Macon-Bibb’s cooperative, “let’s see how we can make this happen,” attitude toward making movies here.

“There are things you don’t typically think about,” Buzza told me, “but I had one person in film production call the stretch of Eisenhower Parkway east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard a ‘goldmine.’ It can so easily be closed and dressed to appear to be anywhere. Like in the second “Zombieland” when, story-wise, it was outside of Washington, D.C., but in reality, right there.”

You’ve likely encountered some of these locations yourself, like Luther Williams Field and downtown spots that have momentarily been turned into scenes from different eras. If you’re jealous of filmmakers getting to take such a tour you’re in luck: on Wednesday, Visit Macon launched a new Film Macon collection for its Tour Macon mobile app as a self-guided tour companion so anyone can discover 25-plus locations 40 productions filmed here. The Film Macon collection is free in the Tour Macon app in Apple or GooglePlay app stores.

And speaking of apps, if you haven’t done so, a festival app is available and an invaluable tool for figuring out what you want to see and when and where it’s playing. It’s available through the festival’s website or the above app stores. The app is called Sched.

If you’ve used it in years past, you may need to go to your My Account page, scroll down to Change Events, then search for and select Macon Film Festival 2023 to bring it up to 2023’s films. It worked that way for me and then I could sort and save films by blocks, types, venues and whatnot to build my own schedule. You can even be sent reminders.

You may notice no fulldome films in this year’s schedule. Unfortunately, an unavoidable technical problem arose with the Museum of Arts and Sciences’ planetarium projector where immersive films are shown. But there’s a very silver lining: the fulldome festival has been re-set for Oct. 12-13 when 34 fulldome art, educational and other selections from 18 countries will be presented on a new, state-of-the-art, 4K projector.

So enjoy the show, Macon. And guests and filmmakers, y’all come back.

Still, if that’s not enough, here are more goings on in town:

— Macon Pops begins its 11th concert season today with a soulful, Motown-themed show at Mercer’s Hawkins Arena at 7:30 p.m. See maconpops.com for ticketing and more. General admission tickets available though table reservations are sold out.

— Macon Arts Alliance opens a show by folk artist Roy H. Scott with a reception from 3-7 p.m. at its Mill Hill Community Arts Center, 213 Clinton St. Preview Scott’s whimsical folk art, fine art and sculptures at folkartbyroy.wixsite.com/folkartbyroy then meet him at the reception. The show is free and open Fridays 3-7 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 6 p.m. through Sept. 16. Arrange a private showing by emailing folkartbyroy@live.com.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.