Atlanta Production Pulse: Festivals, Workshops & Shoots
Atlanta video production is set to surge over the next two weeks thanks to a trio of headline-grabbing events—spanning festival premieres, industry training and on-location television shoots.
Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival (Sept 23 – 27)
The 7th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival returns to Atlanta’s historic HBCU campus with an expanded five-day slate of narrative and documentary titles focused on social-justice themes. Screenings, panels and filmmaker Q&As will occupy multiple venues each day, offering crews fresh networking and volunteer options before the official awards ceremony on Sept 27. Expect sold-out evening blocks—festival press released ticketing alerts after announcing this year’s nominees on Sept 4.
Hands-On Training at Trilith Institute (Sept 13 & 20)
Located 25 minutes south of downtown, Trilith Studios’ educational arm is packing September with pro-level classes:
- Sept 13 – Visual FX for Filmmakers (9 AM – 6 PM): A crash course in green-screen shooting, on-set data wrangling and real-time compositing. Only three tickets remained at press time.
- Sept 20–21 – Special FX Makeup Camp: Two-day intensive on prosthetics and blood-rig practicals, ideal for horror-season ads.
Why it matters: With union slow-downs earlier this year, Atlanta crews are hungry for up-skilling opportunities that keep Georgia’s workforce competitive when large productions ramp back up.
On-Location Shoots & Permit Alerts
“Will Trent” Season 4 resumed principal photography Aug 11 and continues through late September, making it the most visible scripted show currently shooting in the state. Production uses multiple downtown blocks for exterior crime-scene set-ups; expect intermittent lane or sidewalk closures, especially around Auburn Ave and Fairlie-Poplar according to city film-office notices distributed to businesses last week. Extras casting calls posted Sept 8 are still seeking background talent, which is a quick day-rate entry for local actors.
Quick-glance bullet points
- Crew demand: 150-plus local hires per episode for “Will Trent.”
- Traffic impact window: Sept 11–18 (predawn to 10 PM holds).
Looking Ahead
Although it falls just outside the two-week window, note that Atlanta’s 38-year-old Out On Film LGBTQ+ Festival opens Sept 25 with 11 days of screenings at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema—worth bookmarking for post-Morehouse programming and additional crewing gigs.
As the festival lights come up and skilled labor sharpens its tools, Atlanta’s film community is poised for a productive fall—proof yet again that the “Hollywood of the South” keeps its spotlight firmly on both story and craft.
