Renegade Film Festival returns to Marietta's Strand Theatre

MARIETTA, Ga. - With a cast including Sean Gunn, Alyssa Milano, and Oscar-nominee Virginia Madsen, Natasha Halevi's anthology film "Give Me an A" is lending some high-wattage star power to this weekend’s Renegade Film Festival in Marietta.

The festival — formerly known as the Women in Horror Film Festival — was founded by Atlanta-based filmmaker Vanessa Ionta Wright, who says the goal of the event is to elevate marginalized voices by showcasing and awarding short and feature-length films. The festival will take over Marietta’s Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre Friday and Saturday, with programming beginning at 10 a.m. each day. 

"Give Me an A" — which is made up of more than a dozen short films, all made in response to overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 — will make its Georgia premiere at 8 p.m. Friday night. Other feature films screening during the festival include "Retro Freaks" (directed by Michael Goldermann & David James Ryan), "Stag" (directed by Alexandra Spieth), and a double feature of "The Once and Future Smash" (directed by Sophia Cacciola & Michael J. Epstein) and "End Zone 2" (directed by August Kane).

This year’s Lizzie Awards ceremony will be held Saturday night at 9:30 p.m., judged by the festival impressive guest jury including director and writer Adam Marcus ("Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday") and actress Heather Langenkamp ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"). 

For more information on tickets and to look at the full schedule of screenings, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning at The Strand, getting a sneak preview of this year’s Renegade Film Festival.