2025 Atlanta Documentary Film Festival

Of The Heart

Director Alex Salsberg

Documentary Short - USA - 12 min. 

An animated documentary featuring conversations between four pairs of intergenerational friends. These friends talk about everything: walks, smells, hope, regret, loss, dementia, the medical system, with plenty to laugh about too.

The Return

Director Jeremy S. Levine

Documentary Short - USA - 25 min. 

After being apprehended at the US border and separated from his father for six months, 12-year-old Geovanny returns home to Guatemala. But he’s not the same. Formerly a star student, Geovanny drops out of school. Meanwhile his father finds himself in massive debt from the journey to the US and fears he may lose his land—the source of his livelihood—and maybe even his life. But an unexpected call from the U.S. holds the promise to change everything. Filmed over six years, The Return is an intimate portrait of boyhood interrupted, an exploration of the bonds of family across borders, and a celebration of the resilience of a father and son who dream of returning home.

Rice & Grits : A Vietnamese American Culinary Odyssey of the American South

Director Hieu Gray

Documentary Short, Made in Georgia - USA - 9 min. 

Filmmaker Hieu Gray embarks on a personal culinary exploration of her childhood hometown of Waycross, Georgia, as she navigates

the intersection of Vietnamese and Southern cuisine, while shedding light on an untold chapter of Vietnamese American history in the South.

 Living UNDONE

Director Amanda Kasmira CryerDocumentary Short, Made in Georgia, USA - 27 min. 

A powerful short film that transcends political divides, witness the stories of individuals and their families reveals the harsh realities of a criminal justice system that stigmatizes rather than rehabilitates, urging society to confront its complicity and advocate for a future where healing, understanding, and second chances are possible for all.