🍿 Atlanta Film Fest
Draft day Thursday
April 24 — The Atlanta Film Festival starts today! View the lineup, get tickets here, and don’t miss Sammie’s interview with opening night filmmaker David Fortune below.
🌩️ Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 77°
🏈 The NFL Draft starts tonight at 8 p.m., and ESPN projects 13 Georgia Bulldogs will be selected, with Mykel Williams, Malaki Starks, and Jalon Walker seen as first-round picks. The Falcons have the 15th pick.
💨 Metro Atlanta suffers the third-worst levels of smog in the Southeast, according to a study released by the American Lung Association.
🗿 On April 22, Dunwoody officials unveiled the latest addition to the city’s public art program, a sculpture called “Reflections.”
🔐 Nina & Rafi has closed after nearly seven years on the Eastside Beltline. The space will become a fourth location of tapas bar Eclipse di Luna.
🗳️ The Brookhaven City Council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of Corporate Square, with plans to convert the massive office park to residential, retail, restaurant, and recreation spaces.
🚧 Rockefeller Group announced that construction on 1072 West Peachtree has now exceeded the 20th floor. It’s the tallest building to be built in Atlanta in over 33 years.
ELSEWHERE
🇺🇦🇷🇺 Russia launched missile and drone strikes across Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 70 in Kyiv in one of the deadliest attacks on the capital since the war began.
🌎 Yesterday, the Trump administration pressured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace proposal that would freeze territorial gains by Russia and ban NATO membership for Ukraine.
💻 Bloomberg reported that Intel plans to lay off more than 20% of its workforce.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta tree ordinance update
• David Fortune on ‘Color Book’
• The Inactive Company wants to help you sleep
• Wholesome Wave Georgia
AND
• Quick Bites
🏃 Join Move For Grady on April 26! With three cycling distances and two run/walk options, there’s something for everyone. Then celebrate your accomplishment – and support for Grady – with a fun finish line celebration at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. City council committee to discuss changes to tree protection ordinance
🌳 An Atlanta City Council committee will be deliberating changes to the current tree protection ordinance amidst efforts to revitalize the city’s tree coverage.
The Community Development and Human Services Committee is set to hold a work session to discuss the tree protection ordinance on May 1. The current draft of the ordinance raises the recompense cost for trees destroyed and not replanted during development and removes the price cap of $5,000 per acre.
Trees Atlanta Executive Director Greg Levine told Rough Draft that the proposed hike – up immediately from $75 to $117.50, then rising yearly to $260 by 2030 – is still only a fraction of the actual cost of buying, planting, and cultivating a tree, which is anywhere from $750 to $1,000.
🍃 Learn more about the upcoming meeting here.
Stunning estate with barn and greenhouse on 50± acres
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Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty is Metro Atlanta’s No. 1 residential real estate company and No. 1 in luxury home sales above $1 million.
👉🏼 Check out our current listings here.
2. Filmmaker David Fortune talks bringing ‘Color Book’ home to Atlanta
⚾ How hard can it be to get to a baseball game? In David Fortune’s “Color Book,” the answer is: very.
“Color Book” tells the story of Lucky (Will Catlett), a single father dealing with the recent death of his wife and trying to raise his son, Mason (Jeremiah Daniels), who has Down syndrome. When Lucky decides to take Mason to his first Atlanta Braves game, their simple trip to the ballpark turns into an expansive trek across the city, hoping to make it to the game on time.
“Color Book” is the opening night film of this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, finally making its way back to its home city after almost a year on the road. Ahead of the screening on April 24, Sammie Purcell spoke with Fortune about the making of the film.
🎈 Check out that interview here.
3. These ATL founders want to help you sleep better
😴 Like working parents everywhere, Lori Oliver and Jill MacRae struggled to find enough time to sleep while building their careers at the Atlanta-based shapewear and clothing giant Spanx.
After a tenure at Spanx in the mid 2010s, Oliver started advising and investing in other consumer product startups. That’s where she learned about the sleep mask market, which she realized hadn’t been innovated in over a century.
Oliver and MacRae teamed up and started prototyping out a re-engineered sleep mask, which ultimately led to the launch of The Inactive Company.
⏰ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
❤️🩹 Addiction isn’t confined to stereotypes — it’s a complex, silent epidemic affecting all walks of life. At Southern Live Oak Wellness, we are committed to meeting people where they are. Learn more about us and our programs here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Fresh foods for all Georgians with WWG
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WHOLESOME WAVE GEORGIA
🤝 Wholesome Wave Georgia (WWG) partners with farmers markets like Grant Park, Peachtree Road, and Freedom Farmers Market to make healthy, locally grown produce affordable for all Georgians.
WWG matches food stamp spending on local produce, making healthy food 50% off for families in need, while increasing revenue for Georgia farmers.
➞ Together, we can grow a healthier Georgia. Learn more and get involved here.
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER| SUBSCRIBE HERE
😋 For this week’s Quick Bites, Rough Draft dining reporter Beth McKibben has updated details on the sudden departure of NFA Burger from the new food hall at Truist Park and news of an opening and a closure of food stalls at Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Plus, more dining news to know.
➡️ Here’s the full roundup of this week’s dining news from Beth.
🏃 Join Move For Grady on April 26! With three cycling distances and two run/walk options, there’s something for everyone. Then celebrate your accomplishment – and support for Grady – with a fun finish line celebration at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game – Presented by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta’s premier undergraduate learning experience.
🦋 Connect with us on Bluesky.