The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Festival screens hip-hop feature
AJC documentary chronicles city’s rise to cultural epicenter.
The AJC’s first feature film is getting some hometown love.
“The South Got Something to Say,” a documentary chronicling Atlanta’s rise from hip-hop afterthought to cultural epicenter, will screen today at the 48th annual Atlanta Film Festival. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. in the LeFont Auditorium at Plaza Theatre.
Entering its fourth decade, ATLFF is one of only two dozen Academy Award qualifying festivals in the country. Nearly 30,000 attendees will attend the fest, which features representation from 118 countries. More than 8,000 submissions came in for this year’s edition. The festival opened Thursday and continues through Sunday.
“Submitting your movie, whether it’s a short or feature, is always a vulnerable time,” says documentary co-director Ryon Horne, who worked with his creative partner and brother, Tyson Horne. “Our film is our love letter to Atlanta because of the influence the city has had on us, this region, the country and the world. So to be selected to the Atlanta Film Festival, one of the largest festivals in the world, is truly an honor, especially because the festival is in our hometown.”
The screening comes at a time when Atlanta’s cultural history is being spotlighted on the silver screen. In the past month, Hulu released “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told,” and “Art, Beats + Lyrics,” two documentaries that take deep dives into critical moments in the city’s Black history. “The South Got Something to Say” is also a celebration of moments in time that are uniquely Atlanta.
“I have watched the film with a lot of diverse audiences, but there has been absolutely nothing more moving and emotionally charged than watching it with a crowd full of ATLiens, who lived and breathed the essence of what we tried to create,” says AJC reporter Ernie Suggs, who along with reporter DeAsia Paige wrote and produced the film.
What makes “The South Got
Something to Say” special is the chance to hear stories from voices directly involved in Atlanta’s hip-hop ascension, including Lil’ Jon, Jermaine Dupri, Arrested Development and past mayors. One of those is the late music pioneer Rico Wade. Wade and his Organized Noize production partners, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown, share stories about the inception of Dungeon Family, the collective that gave rise to artists such as Outkast, Goodie Mob and Future.
Wade died April 13 at the age of 52. In the days since, locals and dignitaries outside Atlanta have expressed their condolences.
“Since the death of Rico Wade, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of giving our legends their flowers while they’re here,” Paige says. “I’m glad we were able to explore his legacy and what he meant to Atlanta while he was still with us.”
For folks not able to grab a seat at the Plaza for the screening, ATLFF will make the film available to stream on Monday.
For the AJC, films such as “The South Got Something to Say” and “The Dancer” are examples of a commitment to telling Atlanta’s story, says editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman. Chapman and Andrew Morse, the AJC’s president and publisher, served as executive producers.
“While this expression of art was born in New York, this film documents how it has matured in Atlanta,” Chapman says. “Today, the world produces and consumes hip-hop through an Atlanta-influenced lens.”