- The Madlab Post

Did you know that you could have watched Slumdog Millionaire way before it was released in theaters? It played at a few film festivals around the country, which gave movie lovers like you a chance to get their own preview of this Oscar-winning movie. If you missed the $2,000 Couchfest Wrapup and meeting celebrities at the Festivus Film Festival, now is the time to check out some really cool films before it's too late.

There are lots of independent films playing at a number of film festivals starting this week in Atlanta, Muskogee and more. The photo above is a still from the movie Chicken of God playing at the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival. Check out the movie schedules for the following film festivals, as you'll find something to do and new people to meet this week:

Now Playing this Week:

1. The Atlanta Film Festival (Starts tomorrow!) runs from Thursday April 16, 2009 to Saturday April 25, 2009.
Guests for the opening night gala of the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival include Eddie Vedder, Josh Brolin, Howard Zinn, and Jasmine Guy. Films include The Way We Get By, 500 Days of Summer, Get Brunette (Pictured Above), Alexander the Last, Deadland and more.

2. The Calgary Underground Film Festival already started on April 14th but is still showing films. Calgary Underground Film Festival events for this year close on Sunday April 19, 2009. This is one of the international film festivals so unless you can take a quick vacation, hit up your international friends on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook and tell them to support if you're not able.

3. (Starts Tomorrow!) Screening at the Historic ROXY THEATRE in Oklahoma, the 2009 Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival starts on the same day as the Atlanta Film Festival but in another state. The 2009 Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival runs from Thursday April 16, 2009 to Sunday April 26, 2009. I have not been to the April film festival but have attended other Bare Bones Film Festivals and they are filled with fun films and great movie loving people. Films playing at this Film Festival include the dark comedy The Stevie Wondershow (Pictured Above) and a Humorous short film, Election 2008.

Although the event does not start until next week, passes are now available for the Kansas City Film Festival. Events for the 2009 Kansas City Film Festival begin on Wednesday April 22, 2009.

List your favorite film festivals or favorite movies that you saw at a film festival in the comments section below!

This post marks the latest entry to the Film Festival Wednesdays series.

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