Atlanta Film Festival offers a wide-ranging variety

Nearly 150 films will be showcased during the whirlwind 10-day event (March 28-April 6), and the entries come from every corner of the world — some from right here in Georgia, of course, but others from countries as far away as China, Nigeria, Iceland and Indonesia.

They also cover a full spectrum of subjects and cinematic styles — narrative features, full-length documentaries, live-action and animated short subjects.

A few of the bigger-budgeted ones feature well-known movie stars. Consider the opening- and closing-night premieres: respectively, the gritty crime drama "Joe," starring Nicolas Cage as a hardened ex-con and unlikely father figure; and the offbeat romantic comedy "The Double," with Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska.

Elsewhere, Jude Law plays an ex-con in the British "Dom Hemingway." Wayne Brady and Ruby Dee appear in the urban Philadelphia drama "1982." And the ensemble of the high-tech Hollywood satire "The Congress" includes Robin Wright, Jon Hamm, Paul Giamatti and Harvey Keitel.

But the vast majority of the films are admittedly smaller in scale, if not in their determination or creativity.

Of particular local interest is Atlanta director Bret Wood's Southern Gothic mystery "The Unwanted." Among other made-in-Georgia projects in the festival are Chris Lowell's drama "Beside Still Water," Alex Orr's comedy "A is for Alex" and Ti West's thriller "The Sacrament."

Many of the films on tap are categorized by genre. The Pink Peach series, for example, highlights a large number of LGBT-related features ("The Foxy Merkins," a comedy involving two lesbian hookers) and documentaries ("Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year at the Gay Rodeo").

The Reel Law program focuses on stories about legal issues ("Workers," about Mexican laborers). Sports is a common theme in the Scoreboard series ("Little Ballers," about inner-city youth basketball). Other specialized slates spotlight music ("Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker") and trends in the food industry ("Farmland").

The Passport series speaks for itself, representing films from more than 100 countries. Iceland's "Metalhead" is a coming-of-age romance about a poor farmer's daughter (and aspiring rock star). The Chinese documentary "The Road to Fame" chronicles the casting and staging of a Beijing production of the Broadway musical "Fame."

South Africa's documentary "2 Men and a Wedding" confronts the controversial issue of gay marriage. In Portugal's domestic drama "Bobo," a privileged socialite and her humble housekeeper join forces to fight against the traditional practice of genital mutilation.

Similarly, entries in the Shorts program have been grouped by type (comedy, drama, documentary, animation, puppetry, experimental and a New Mavericks category devoted to the work of female directors).

Three select groups of films will compete for Grand Jury prizes: eight narrative features, nine documentaries, and seven entries from the Pink Peach series.

In addition to "The Foxy Merkins," "Queens & Cowboys" and "2 Men and a Wedding," the other Pink Peach finalists include "One: A Story of Love and Equality," which also deals with the issue of gay marriage (this time set in North Carolina).

The narrative finalists include "Bobo," "Metalhead" and "1982," along with "45 RPM," about a Memphis artist searching for a rare copy of her late father's only jazz record; "I Believe in Unicorns," a love story involving two troubled teens with overactive imaginations; and the drama "The Sublime and Beautiful," about a family man trying to cope with a tragic loss.

Among the documentaries in the running: "Above All Else," which chronicles the conflict between environmentalists and the oil companies; "Brothers Hypnotic," about eight young members of a Chicago jazz band; "Mayan Blue," about the discovery and investigation of the lost Central American city of Samabaj; "Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People"; "Web," about the introduction of the Internet to the residents of a remote Peruvian village; and "The Winding Stream," which charts the history of the Carter Family singers during the early years of the country music scene.

With so many films scheduled over so relatively few days, screenings will take place at two venues: the Plaza Theatre and 7 Stages Theatre.