"Church's Loves Atlanta" to be Showcased at BronzeLens Film Festival

Atlanta-Based Event Celebrating Diversity in Film to also be Sponsored by Church's Chicken®

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Aug 23, 2017, 19:59 ET

ATLANTA, Aug. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing mission to spotlight the connection between Church's Chicken® and the communities it has been serving for more than 65 years, the worldwide fried chicken brand announced it will be sponsoring and participating in Atlanta's BronzeLens Film Festival for 2017. The film festival will showcase the fourth installment in Church's^® ongoing "Church's Loves" series – "Church's Loves Atlanta" – which recently debuted globally on Nowness.com.

"The story behind 'Church's Loves Atlanta' was the exact right fit for BronzeLens," said Laura Reese, Senior Director of Media and Public Relations for Church's Chicken. Reese and her team worked closely with BFG Atlanta as videographers for the film, which traces the rich cultural history of Atlanta from its early roots to its modern-day status as a capitol city for people of color. "We at Church's Chicken have been in this community for decades and we believe the narrative here continues to unfold. So, we commissioned our own documentary to help tell the story of the people who live here day in and day out."

Set against a backdrop of Atlanta's many sides – from downtown to the suburbs and beyond – Church's Loves Atlanta features real voices of the community and the ever-evolving culture of the urban experience. A history of music, education, civil rights, and, of course, food are all highlighted in the short film, with meaningful commentary from long-time residents and city leaders.

"We are proud to support the eighth annual BronzeLens event," Reese added. "Church's is excited to showcase the people, places, and stories that make Atlanta a city of hope and triumph. This film is our gift to the city."

The 8^th Annual BronzeLens Film Festival begins Wednesday, August 23^rd and continues through Sunday, August 27^th. A full schedule of events and screenings, as well as links to purchase event passes can be found online at the festival's website – www.bronzelens.com. Guests are invited to share their own festival experiences by tagging photos, videos, and comments with #BLFF2017.

About Church's Chicken^®

Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church, Church's Chicken^® is one of the largest quick service restaurant chicken chains in the world. Church's^® specializes in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips^®, sandwiches, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Church's^® (along with its sister brand Texas Chicken^® outside the Americas) has more than 1,600 locations in 27 countries and international territories and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information, visit www.churchs.com. Follow Church's^® on Facebook at www.facebook.com/churchschicken and Twitter at www.twitter.com/churchschicken.

About BronzeLens Film Festival

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved BronzeLens as a qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards category. The short film that receives the BronzeLens Best Short Award may now be eligible to enter the Academy's Short Subject competition for the concurrent season. BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, Georgia, is a non-profit organization, founded in 2009, that is dedicated to bringing national and worldwide attention to Atlanta as a center for film and film production for people of color. Its mission is two-fold: to promote Atlanta as the new film mecca for people of color; and to showcase films and provide networking opportunities that will develop the next generation of filmmakers. Since its inception BronzeLens has provided a platform to showcase the work of some the world's most talented independent filmmakers. Ava DuVernay (Queen Sugar, I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere, SELMA), Abderrahmane Sissako (TIMBUKTU), Issa Rae (Insecure, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl), Deborah Riley Draper, (Olympic Pride American Prejudice, Versailles'73), Nefertiti Nguvu (In The Morning), Russ Parr (Ringside, 35 and Ticking, Hear No Evil), S. Epatha Merkerson and Rockell Metcalf (The Contradictions of Fair Hope), Chris Eska (The Retrieval), Mahmet-Saleh Haroun( Bye Bye Africa, Grisgris, Screaming Man), are among distinguished BLFF alumni. For more information regarding the BronzeLens Film Festival, please visit www.bronzelens.com.