Best Local Filmmaker Video Artist

Ask any of the hundreds of people who have hocked their children’s organs to pay for one more transfer, independent filmmaking is not a get-rich-quick profession. But while a homemade movie might take its makers years to bring to harvest, it can also bring them years of rewards. Leitman’s striking 1997 documentary Alma, a veritable textbook on indie mania and methodology, exemplifies the enduring significance of self-starter cinema and has remained a strong presence in the festival scene since its premiere at the prestigious South-by-Southwest festival. A dynamic member of the local film community, Leitman continues to teach and ply her trade in Atlanta. less...

Zoinks! The mediascape is changing so rapidly these days that we may have to change all our categories before you know it. In fact, for all I know, the Cartoon Network loons behind The Scooby-Doo Project didn’t shoot so much as a foot of actual film, but their razor-sharp parody of last year’s no-budget Blair Witch buzz-buster, finished at Atlanta animation studio Primal Screen, is about the funniest featurette to come out of the Big Peach so far this millennium. less...