ATL EXP – Atlanta Experimental Fest

ATL EXP is a live celebration of experimental cinema, underground performance, and creative risk taking.

Held at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood, the festival brings together filmmakers, artists, musicians, performers, and audiences looking for work that feels unexpected, challenging, strange, emotional, funny, hypnotic, or impossible to categorize.

Some films tell stories in unconventional ways. Others break structure completely. We welcome experimental narrative, avant garde cinema, abstract work, underground media, hybrid documentary, analog experimentation, animation, AI-assisted projects, live visual work, and films that exist somewhere between genres.

But ATL EXP is not just a screening event.

We’re building an immersive live experience where film collides with performance art, sound, movement, live visuals, experimental drag, underground comedy, audience interaction, and creative chaos. One moment you may be watching a deeply personal avant garde short. The next, a live performer may take the stage between film blocks. We want the night to feel alive, communal, and unpredictable.

ATL EXP is part film festival, part underground happening, and part creative gathering for artists pushing beyond traditional filmmaking rules.

Selected films screen live at 7 Stages Theatre as part of the Atlanta Film Series, which has supported independent film and underground culture for nearly 25 years.

If your work takes risks, experiments with form, bends genres, or creates an experience audiences won’t forget, ATL EXP is built for you.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS & PRIZES – ATLANTA EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

ATL EXP honors films and creators who break structure, twist form, and push new ideas. These awards recognize the best of experimental cinema across every style.

Best Director
Awarded for outstanding direction and creative vision.

Best Experimental Film
Presented to the overall standout film of the festival.

Experimental Vision Award
For a filmmaker with a unique artistic voice.

Innovation Award
For work that pushes technique, process, or form.

Best Experimental Narrative
For narrative work that takes creative risks.

Best Experimental Documentary
For nonfiction filmmaking with an experimental approach.

Best Animated / Motion Art Film
For animated or visually driven experimental work.

The Mindbender Award
For the most strange, hypnotic, or unforgettable film.

Disruptor Award
For a film that breaks convention in unexpected ways.

Audience Choice Award
Voted on by the live audience.

Each winner receives a custom crystal trophy. A reminder that your wild, rule-breaking film found its people.

Rules & Terms

RULES & TERMS – ATLANTA EXPERIMENTAL

Submission Format:
We accept short films up to 20 minutes in length. All genres and styles are welcome. Projects must be experimental in nature - this includes AI generated or AI assisted work, as well as traditional experimental, abstract, or hybrid formats.

AI Usage (if applicable):
If your film involves AI, please include a short note on which tools you used and how they were integrated (for example: Runway for visuals, ChatGPT for script, ElevenLabs for voiceover). This helps us understand and properly contextualize your work.

Premiere Status:
Premieres are not required. Previously screened work is welcome as long as it is eligible for public exhibition.

Language:
If your film is not in English, it must include English subtitles.

Exhibition Format:
Selected films must be delivered in high-resolution digital format (MP4 preferred) and ready for live projection.

Rights & Permissions:
By submitting, you confirm that you hold all necessary rights to the content in your film, including music, visuals, and AI-generated assets. You grant ATL EXP the right to exhibit your work during the 2026 event and to promote it across our channels.

Festival Participation:
Filmmakers with selected work are encouraged to attend the live event in Atlanta in 2026. It's going to be a wild weekend!
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Aaron Sean Umanoff

    Honored to have my project Custom Made - The Royal Council selected for Atlanta Immersion. Great communication from event staff. Very professional!

    May 2025
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  • Athanasios Ntavlouros

    The experience was amazing. Our trip from thousands of miles away totally worth it, just because of the festival alone. Cozy, so American-ish atmosphere we had never experienced before and of course the discussion on stage was the best. An eternity could cover the length of a full discussion :)
    Thank you.

    May 2025
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  • Hyun Cheol PARK

    It was such a joy to have The Christmas Operation screened at the Atlanta Immersion: AI Film & Media Festival.
    Though I couldn’t be there in person, my heart was definitely there with you all.
    Thank you so much for the invitation! :)

    May 2025
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  • Jesse Torres

    The inaugural Atlanta Immersion film festival was a thrill to attend. There were so many great diverse projects and unique perspectives. The films being shown in some ways transcended traditional film and felt as though we were sharing dreams. In no other time have projects of this unique nature been able to be shared and it really is starting to reveal what is possible with these new technologies. Atlanta Immersion was an experience I will never forget.

    May 2025
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  • james jones

    Well run DIY event, good venue, friendly staff, good questions from the audience during the panel discussion, and met some great creatives. An honor to have my work screened and to see the audience reaction.

    May 2025
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