Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS.
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale is an English actress. The recipient of various accolades, including a Saturn Award, two MTV Movie Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two National Film Awards UK, she is known for her roles in period, romance and action films. The only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe, Kate Beckinsale made her acting debut when she was only a year old, as an extra on the British daytime drama Couples (1975), on which her parents also appeared. In 1991, she had a small voice role in an episode of the miniseries adaptation of P. D. James' Devices and Desires and a supporting role in the television film One Against the Wind starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill. In 1992, she starred in the Blade Runner-inspired short film "Rachel's Dream" with Christopher Eccleston and debuted onstage in a production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever.
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. In a career spanning 50 years, Roberts has amassed more than 700 credits and appeared in blockbusters, independent films, television series, animation, short films, student films, and music videos. As of 2024, he is one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time.
Bill Plympton is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short Your Face and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting with 2004's Guard Dog.
"Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American pop singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, from his seventh studio album, Bad (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics describe a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal".
Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund is a Swedish filmmaker and musician who is best known for his work in music videos. Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. He has directed well-known videos for artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Blink-182, Blondie, Duran Duran, Lady Gaga, David Guetta, Jamiroquai, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Metallica, Moby, Ozzy Osbourne, P!nk, the Prodigy, the Smashing Pumpkins, Rammstein, Britney Spears, the Rolling Stones, U2, Robbie Williams and Ghost.
Ginny Mule Pictures was an independent film production company created by actors, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Blount and Walton Goggins. Ginny Mule was involved with producing four independent films, each featuring McKinnon and Goggins onscreen. Blount appeared in Ginny Mule's first three films, but died in 2010.
Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. is an American actor. He has starred in various television series, including The Shield (2002–2008), Justified (2010–2015), Vice Principals (2016–2017), The Righteous Gemstones (2019–present), Invincible (2021–present), and Fallout (2024–present). He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Justified, and then later for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Fallout.
Lisa Suzanne Blount was an American actress and film producer. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for her performance in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and later won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for producing The Accountant (2001).
Casey McKinnon is a Canadian actress and producer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is known for her work on web series Galacticast, A Comicbook Orange and Kitkast.
Kaitlin Willow Olson McElhenney is an American actress. She began her career in the Sunday Company at the Groundlings, an improvisational theatre and school in Los Angeles. She had minor roles in several television series before being cast as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present).
Raymond Wilkes McKinnon is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. He appeared in television series and films, including Apollo 13 (1995), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), the Oscar-winning short The Accountant (2001), Deadwood (2004), Sons of Anarchy (2011), and Mayans M.C. (2018–2023).
Randy and the Mob is a 2007 American crime comedy film written, directed by and starring Ray McKinnon. It also stars Lisa Blount, Walton Goggins and Bill Nunn, with a cameo by Burt Reynolds.
American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009) debuted on the professional music scene at age five as a member of the American family music group The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still part of the group. Jackson promoted seven of his solo albums with music videos or, as he would refer to them, "short films". Some of them drew criticism for their violent and sexual elements while others were lauded by critics and awarded Guinness World Records for their length, success, and cost.
Kate McKinnon Berthold is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022, where she became known for her character work and celebrity impressions. For her work on the series, she was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and nine for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2016 and 2017.
Anna Cooke Kendrick is an American actress. Her first starring role was in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society, for which she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She made her film debut in the musical comedy Camp (2003) and had a supporting role in The Twilight Saga (2008–2011). She achieved wider recognition for the comedy-drama film Up in the Air (2009), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and for her starring role in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017).
The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is an international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia and operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, with special attention paid to women-directed films, LGBTQ films, Latin American films, Black films and films from the American Southeast. ATLFF is one of only a handful of festivals that are Academy Award-qualifying in all three short film categories.
David Goggins is an American retired United States Navy SEAL. He is also an ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker, author of two memoirs, and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in sport. Goggins was also awarded the VFW Americanism award in 2018 for his service in the United States Armed Forces. Goggins also published a New York Times Best Seller book titled Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.
China Anne McClain is an American actress and singer. McClain's career began when she was seven years old, portraying Alexis in the film The Gospel (2005), and then China James in Daddy's Little Girls (2007). She then received recognition for starring as Jazmine Payne in the television series Tyler Perry's House of Payne and as Charlotte McKenzie in the film Grown Ups (2010); and became internationally known for starring as Chyna Parks in the Disney Channel television series A.N.T. Farm (2011–2014), and as Uma in the Disney Channel films Descendants 2 (2017), Descendants 3 (2019), and Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024). She also voiced Freddy in Descendants: Wicked World. In 2018, McClain began starring in The CW superhero series Black Lightning (2018–2021) as Jennifer Pierce / Lightning. She also reprised her character Jazmine Payne on OWN's revival of The Paynes (2018).
That Evening Sun is a 2009 American drama film based on a 2002 short story "I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down" by William Gay. The movie, produced by Dogwood Entertainment, stars Hal Holbrook as Abner Meecham and is directed by Scott Teems who also wrote the screenplay. That Evening Sun premiered in March 2009 at South By Southwest, where it received the Audience Award for Narrative Feature and a special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast. Joe Leydon of Variety hailed it as "an exceptionally fine example of regional indie filmmaking," and praised Holbrook's performance as a "career-highlight star turn as an irascible octogenarian farmer who will not go gentle into that good night." That Evening Sun also was screened at the 2009 Nashville Film Festival, where Holbrook was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Award, and the film itself received another Audience Award.
