Our county is quickly becoming a hotbed for movies, and a passion for motion pictures is catching among students and alums of Fayette County Public Schools. Hosted by The Strand Theatre in Marietta, the Renegade Film Festival had a distinctly Fayette flair, featuring the work of several local faces. 

Among the filmmakers was Thomas Hindy, Starr’s Mill class of 2020, who screened his film “The Foretelling.” Hindy, who attends Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, previously won Best Indie Film at the 2020 edition of the festival. 

The cast and crew are filled with former and current students and faculty, including lead actor Kade Smith, James Hindy, Scotty Hindy, Sam Golden, Lucy Little, Thomas Holliday, Anna Beardsley, Jake Brackett, Kolby Smith, Lou Conti, Casey Dearman, and Todd Little. 

The three-day festival also offered a unique opportunity for journalists as The Prowler, Starr’s Mill’s student-run online newspaper, sent a team of reporters to cover the festivities. Mary Davis, Addie Ellison, and Joslyn Weber were among a number of media outlets interviewing the creative forces behind the films. 

The festival itself is the brainchild of Vanessa Wright, a local filmmaker and mother to both a Starr’s Mill and a Rising Starr student. 

Formerly The Women in Horror Film Festival, The Renegade is an international film festival self described as “Built on elevating marginalized voices, fostering a sense of community, and empowering one another to create” and “proud to showcase diverse content and promote inclusion & visibility in order to bring a sense of balance and equality to independent cinema.”