Atlanta Film Festival 2025 (Day 7) Creative Conference - Hot Takes & Unpopular Opinions

From the venue:

Hot Takes & Unpopular Opinions

Get ready for a fiery and fast-paced panel where bold ideas take center stage! In "Hot Takes & Unpopular Opinions," panelists will have just 5 minutes each to present their most controversial, unconventional, or downright unpopular opinions—and try to convince the audience that they’re absolutely right. From defending the most hated characters to arguing against widely beloved films or tropes, nothing is off-limits in this fast-paced challenge. Once the panelists have made their cases, the audience gets to weigh in—agree or disagree. Whether you leave convinced or clutching your original stance even tighter, this panel is guaranteed to spark laughter, gasps, and plenty of spirited discussion. Come ready to hear some spicy takes and a whole lot of passion!

Moderator: Melissa Simpson

Melissa Simpson is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Film Impact Georgia, the Education Director at the Atlanta Film Society, and produces independent projects. She has worked for many film festivals across the state of Georgia and is heavily involved in the Atlanta film community

Performers:

Molly Coffee

Molly Coffee emerged as an award-winning filmmaker in the DIY stop-motion and puppet scene in Atlanta which segued pretty naturally into a career working in the art department on studio pictures. Molly has production-designed tv shows such as Freeform’s Single Drunk Female and Netflix’s First Kill, and feature films like the Nicolas Cage genre-horror Willy’s Wonderland. She also makes time to focus on her own films moving into story-telling with a focus on diverse and queer stories. 

Keith Brooks

Keith Brooks is an actor and filmmaker hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. You might have seen him in shows like A Man in Full, Manhunt, The Walking Dead, or films like Renfield, Lilly, or the upcoming The Naked Gun. Co owner of Bean Dip Productions he also makes mediocre to subpar films.

Mark Kendall

Mark is an Atlanta-based comedian and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of CoolCoolCool Productions where they use comedy and storytelling to encourage civic engagement and community building.

Adetinpo Thomas

Adetinpo Thomas is an actor and award winning filmmaker from Carson, California. Her projects Clean Slate (2021) & The Earth Will Not Swallow Us (2021) have shown in festivals from San Diego to Barcelona. On screen she is best known for her work in The Color Purple, Hawkeye (Disney+) & Black Lightning (CW).