See & Do - Film: Atlanta Film Festival April 18 2007

With film festivals popping up like weeds after a spring rain, Atlanta is lucky to have an enduring fest pushing into its fourth decade. The 31st ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL, which continues Wed., APRIL 25, and runs through April 28, features an eclectic mix of below-the-radar programming, art-house previews, some buzz-worthy films from this year’s Sundance, as well as a smattering of local talent. One of American independent film’s treasures, Charles Burnett’s 1977 Killer of Sheep, a lyrical portrait of daily life in an African-American Los Angeles neighborhood, is shown along with his feature My Brother’s Wedding and three of the cult director’s shorts. Other films you won’t want to miss include La Vie En Rose, a sublime bio-picture of French chanteuse Edith Piaf and Soldiers of Conscience, an eye-opening documentary look at not just the physical sacrifices asked of our troops in Iraq, but the moral sacrifices as well. A small-scale but satisfying character study, Great World of Sound tracks two salesmen, one black and one white, engaged in a sleazy business enterprise. For curiosity seekers, the Sundance buzz film Zoo examines a weird Pacific Northwest cult of guys who love horses (literally) in an examination of society’s bestial fringe that would make a good match-up with Flesh & Blood (pictured), a supremely gruesome look at a pushing-the-envelope body-modification artist in Phoenix who walks a fine line between tattoo artist and surgeon. For more on the Atlanta Film Festival, click here. $6-$8.50. Dates and times vary. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive. 678-495-1424. www.atlantafilmfestival.com.