Culture
The 53rd Athens International Film + Video Festival returns to Athena Cinema April 13–19
By: Hannah Jamieson
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The 53rd Athens International Film + Video Festival returns to the Athena Cinema (20 South Court Street) from April 13–19, featuring 200 films from nearly 60 countries. Throughout the week, screenings will be accompanied by panels with established filmmakers. The films span multiple categories, including narrative, documentary, animation and short features.
This is the 11th year David Colagiovanni has served as festival director, and he and his team have been preparing for this year’s event, including hosting a festival practicum course at Ohio University. The course gives students the opportunity to help plan the festival and engage more directly with the film industry.
Planning the festival is a selective and detailed process. Each film is reviewed by multiple members of the festival team, analyzed on a technical level and evaluated for its story and message. Up to 3,000 films are submitted each year, creating thematic threads for viewers.
Colagiovanni said the festival’s identity is shaped by student involvement and a focus on community.
“For one, there are probably around 100 students who work on the festival every single year, and that’s pretty amazing,” he said. “Being based at the university is awesome, it means there are just people interested in so many different topics here, so we’re able to kind of serve that […] We really believe in community and building communities, especially among filmmakers.”
In addition to screenings, the festival hosts up to 75 filmmakers each year. Featured guests this year include Boots Riley, a filmmaker and activist; Amy Jenkins, a multidisciplinary artist, and her son and collaborator Adam Sieswerda; Angelo Madsen, a filmmaker and educator; and the artist duo Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle. Audiences will have the opportunity not only to watch their work, but also to engage with filmmakers through discussions throughout the week.
Among those filmmakers are Jenkins and Sieswerda, whose work offers a more intimate perspective within the festival’s broader lineup. Their film, “Adam’s Apple”, uses about 20 years of family footage to tell Sieswerda’s journey through transition and how it shapes their family dynamics. What began as casual home recordings developed into a portrait of familial strength and a response to hostility toward transgender youth.
That long-term documentation informs the film’s sense of authenticity. Jenkins said the footage reflects a blurred line between private and public life within the family.
“All of our footage reflects honesty and vulnerability,” said Jenkins. “And there isn’t a clear definition between honesty and privacy, because everything is private, everything is honest, everything is vulnerable. There isn’t a public and private in our film – it’s kind of like what we’re navigating is our family life, and the home is sort of the boundary.”
The documentary highlights changes within the family alongside Sieswerda’s transition, presenting that honesty and vulnerability on screen. Both filmmakers said they hope audiences connect not only with the challenges depicted, but also with the film’s emphasis on joy.
“For me, it’s really about highlighting joy in the story and taking the joy and love, unconditional love, for themselves,” Sieswerda said. “I think particularly now in the U.S., it’s very easy to find stories of struggle for trans people and trans teens, and you know, that is very important to talk about and highlight, [but] also everyone deserves the privilege of knowing that their personhood is not one that’s only defined by struggle and tension.”
Audiences can see Jenkins’ film in person April 13 at 7 p.m.
The festival highlights a wide range of films across genres, subjects and formats, inviting audiences to engage with a broad community of filmmakers in Athens.
More information, including tickets and a full schedule, is available at athensfilmfest.org.