Atlanta Film Festival 2025: Meta Take One

From the venue:

In this highly stylized black and white epic shot entirely in Atlanta, a young director named John Cuffee is determined to complete the film he deems his masterpiece at any and all cost. After committing an accidental act of violence while shooting late into the night, his crew begins to lose faith in John as a director, and the project as a whole. After realizing that the police are in tow, John ignores desperate pleas from everyone around him including his own mother. Instead of turning themselves in, he insists that he and Damon, his lead actor, finish what they started. With the deadline looming over their heads, brutal chaos ensues as John and Damon run from the law through the familiar streets of Atlanta. Meta Take One is a harsh commentary on the challenges of independent filmmaking, unrealistic expectations within the industry, and the consequences of artistic obsession and apathy for one’s surrounding community.

- Kate Scofield