Screening:
Friday, April 28, 8:15 PM, Charles 2

A Southern Gothic Noir, The Initiate, is a twisted tale of small-town corruption set in the rural south. Deputy Sheriff Jack Collins returns to town having just completed alcohol rehab-only to discover that his best friend Harlan has died in a work-related accident. At the morgue he discovers markings that suggest Harlin's affiliation with the fraternity of Masonry and The Golden Dawn. Troubled by these revelations, Jack enlists the help of his old flame Susan to investigate the occult organizations-and he is soon plagued by the suspicions that Harlan's death was more than an accident. Enter Harlan's wife, Sara: lonely, grieving widow, or femme fatale? Beautifully shot by Jim Hunter, the film glows with stylish, moody atmosphere..

Tidbit:
"In 1898, Aleister Crowley joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the most influential societies that ever existed... The Golden Dawn was organized into a Masonic system of degrees and inner circles complete with elaborate rituals with colorful robes, incense, and dramatic oaths. A friendly alliance existed between Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society and the Golden Dawn, and they shared the doctrine that Lucifer is the light-bearing god, not the devil of conventional Christianity." -Bill Landis, Anger

Bios:
After years of touring a recording with his band East Orange, Chad Etchison segued from music to film. He plans to use his musical background in films when appropriate, although he believes that original, honest story ideas and a strnog respect for the camera are the key to gaining an audience's respect. Chad recently moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles to develop more projects.

Jim Hunter is an Atlanta-based DP (not like the kind in Enter) who has lensed numerous independent short and feature films (includng 1998 MicroCineFest's The Red Room). Jim has long been active in the Atlanta Indie scene as a board member of IMAGE Film & Video Center.