Atlanta Documentary Film Festival 2026: Velvet Vision - The Story of James Bidgood (and the Making of Pink Narcissus) - (Day 3)

From the venue:

This year’s program includes powerful investigative films, personal stories, and documentaries that are funny, surprising, and deeply human. Some films will challenge you. Others may make you laugh or see something in a new way. That range of tone is part of what makes documentary filmmaking so exciting.

For the first time, the festival will also present a separate collection of films online, March 23 - April 6, giving audiences another way to discover documentaries beyond the theater.

March 21 - Velvet Vision - The Story of James Bidgood (and the Making of Pink Narcissus)
Director Bart Everly - USA - 98 min. 

Velvet Vision is the story of photographer/director James Bidgood whose 1960’s beefcake photographs were unlike any others. Depicting elaborate fantasy scenarios drenched in lush color they transcended the genre. His film Pink Narcissus was initially credited to ‘Anonymous’ on its 1971 release date, shrouding it in mystery. Falsely attributed to Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol, among others, it wasn’t until almost twenty years later that it was revealed to be Jim’s work.

Velvet Vision follows the process of Jim trying to shoot again after a forty-year hiatus while also delving into his past as window dresser, drag artist and costume designer. Jim’s struggles are a universal story; an outsider pursuing artistic endeavors to cope with their ostracization from society. His fantasy life became a mechanism to keep him tethered to reality as he traversed the fine line between genius and insanity.

Screening Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Synchronicity Theatre