Morning, y’all! Welcome back from the weekend. Expect sunny skies and temps around 80 today.
We’ll get you ready for the start of early voting, catch you up on the latest protests at Emory University and revel in the Braves’ latest walk-off win.
But first: a look at Atlanta’s bid to lure an iconic film festival to town.
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GOING DANCING?
Credit: Arthur Mola/AP
Credit: Arthur Mola/AP
Atlanta: future home of the Sundance Film Festival?
News of the city’s budding bid for the prestigious gathering — held in Park City, Utah, for the last four decades — bubbled up over the weekend. Christopher Escobar, owner of the Plaza and Tara cinemas and producer of the Atlanta Film Festival, seems to think we’ve got a real shot.
- “We have the hotel rooms,” Escobar told the AJC. “We’re home to the Civil Rights movement. We have the world’s busiest airport. We have the busiest theater in North America for its size in the Fox Theatre. We have huge private sector companies like Coke, Home Depot and Delta. If Atlanta wants it enough and makes this happen, I think we have an incredibly good shot.”
Not to mention a bustling film industry. The leader of Atlanta-based Gray Television, which owns Assembly Studios in Doraville, said he would “do all I can to bring Sundance to my home.”
City officials haven’t weighed in yet.
The backstory: Sundance, bolstered by actor Robert Redford’s institute of the same name, is generally considered the United States’ most prestigious film festival. This year’s event featured 91 films and drew 100,000 people.
With its longtime contract with Park City ending in 2026, festival leaders put out the call to gauge other cities’ interest in hosting. The period to formally express such interest ends Wednesday. Escobar said Atlanta will know if it makes the initial cut of potential cities by May 6.
Plot twist: Other cities publicly expressing interest thus far include San Francisco, Minneapolis — and Savannah, according to Georgia Entertainment News’ Randy Davidson.
- “Savannah would be similar to the current festival in the sense that the geographic layout could be contained to the historic district. The walkable and connected facet of Savannah will be the most attractive angle for Sundance officials with condensed high quality lodging options.”
The festival could also choose to remain in Utah, of course. But you never know.
To quote the Sundance Kid himself: “People may travel hundreds of miles just to get to this spot where we’re standing now.”
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
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TIME TO VOTE
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
Today’s the start of early voting in Georgia’s May 21 primary, which includes a ton of Congressional, state and local races. Several referendums, too. It’s kind of a lot to keep up with, but:
- The AJC and Atlanta Civic Circle teamed up to create “Georgia Decides,” an online voter guide with info on the more than 700 candidates seeking office.
- Simply type in your address (which we will not save!) and the site will populate with all the races you can weigh in on. Then click “read more” to find out about each candidate.
Bonus: Here are the early voting hours and locations for Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» A representative from the Biden administration is expected to announce new funding for maternal health programs during a visit to Atlanta today. Vice President Kamala Harris is in town, too.
» Sneaky: That’s how the AJC editorial board describes College Park’s recent actions involving a massive battery storage facility opposed by residents.
» Officials from electric vehicle maker Rivian said again they’re “not abandoning Georgia” and their plans for a massive plant south of Atlanta.
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CAMPUS ‘DISCORD’
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Pro-Palestinian protests at Atlanta’s Emory University remained peaceful throughout the weekend, though President Greg Fenves issued a new statement decrying instances of vandalism and graffiti. Six non-students received criminal trespass warnings.
“Emory is navigating a divide between individuals who wish to express themselves peacefully and those who seek to use our campus as a platform to promote discord,” Fenves said.
- The White House says President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, reiterating his opposition to the planned invasion of southern Gaza city of Rafah.
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CARTER CONNECTION?
Donald Trump, meanwhile, increasingly uses campaign stops to compare Biden to former President Jimmy Carter, a 99-year-old humanitarian who left office more than four decades ago.
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WALK-OFF WIN
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
Credit: Mike Stewart/AP
The Braves tied it in the eighth before Austin Riley’s 10th-inning single gave them a 4-3 win over the Guardians. They’re now a baseball-best 19-7 on the season.
More sports highlights:
- The Falcons ended their NFL draft with a flurry of defensive picks (including Zion Logue, the eighth former Georgia player drafted). The AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter gives them an A-minus overall.
- Collins Hill High School grad Maya Moore headlines the new class of Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees.
- Birthday boy Stephen Ames won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Gwinnett.
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RESTAURANT ROUND-UP
Our weekly collection of dining news includes the latest on Ray Schoenbaum — the founder of Ray’s on the River and sister restaurants — retiring and selling off. “Nothing is going to change” under the new owners, Schoenbaum said.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» $100K raised for grip injured on Georgia set of Eddie Murphy movie
» Opinion: Books don’t endanger Cobb students. Politics do
» Downtown Decatur Waffle House closing
» PHOTOS: 2024 White House correspondents’ dinner
» Internal probe: DeKalb school resource officer falsified time sheets
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ON THIS DATE
April 29, 2003
The outbreak of SARS, an acute respiratory illness with pneumonia-like symptoms, quickly spread through China and across several other continents. Businesses and everyday people wrestled with questions about large gatherings and travel.
Sound familiar?
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC contributor Jason Allen captured former NFL quarterback Tom Brady joining Delta employees pulling a plane during the airline’s annual “jet drag” event at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The event raises money for the American Cancer Society. More photos here.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go: Check out this story about the Aviation Career Enrichment flight school, which provides low-cost instruction to kids from underserved communities.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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