Slamdance brings its ‘On the Road’ program to Atlanta

Audiences get the chance to see lesser-known independent titles, and filmmakers get to demonstrate to distributors that there’s a market for their work. This helps support the acquisition process, said Peter Baxter, the co-founder of Slamdance.

“You’re seeing unfiltered, independent filmmaking we think is at its finest,” Baxter said. “We’re always very excited to present these films in theaters to new audiences.”

Founded in 1995 by Baxter and his colleagues, Slamdance is the no-frills, even more independent alternative to Sundance. It’s held every February in Los Angeles. The festival has showcased the earlier work of critically acclaimed directors Christopher Nolan, Sean Baker, Bong Joon Ho and the Safdie Brothers, among dozens of others.

The On the Road tour, typically held in the summer, features titles from the festival, including Grand Jury Prize winners, Audience Award winners and honorable mentions. Some of the films are selected from Slamdance’s “Unstoppable” program, which highlights stories made by filmmakers with visible and nonvisible disabilities.

Filmmakers, whose travel is supplemented by Slamdance, make appearances at each stop. Slamdance also provides box office revenue to participating filmmakers.

Feature films on the Atlanta slate include “You Look Fine,” a documentary following comedian J. Snow’s battle with sickle cell disease, as well as “BRB,” a film set in the dial-up era that watches two sisters embark on a road trip to meet one of their chat room crushes. Short films “Super High” and “Contours” will also screen.

The Atlanta stop is in partnership with Reel Friends, a collective of Atlanta-based independent filmmakers and creatives.

Aside from just purely selling tickets, these traveling screenings provide a different exhibition experience for filmmakers than just showcasing their films in major cities. They can connect with new audiences and play a part in cultivating local audiences for independent cinema. Showing titles featuring disability-centric stories also allows audiences to see more diversity reflected on the big screen.

“We are not dictated by commercial forces where we have to always make money from our screenings,” Baxter said. “Our mission has more to do with creative capital rather than just capital with dollar signs. When you present filmmakers and films like this, you provide an opportunity for something new, something that hasn’t been seen before.”