Georgia is the original home of The Walking Dead, and this year, actors from the series will appear or be featured at the Macon Film Festival in Macon, Georgia, held August 21-24.
The Macon Film Festival is celebrating 20 years in 2025 with the four-day event and a special community event on August 20. The event screens indie films from around the world in the city's historic theaters located in downtown Macon. Attendees will experience daily film screenings, surprise guests, special screenings, and workshops throughout the event.
The Walking Dead's Khary Payton (King Ezekiel) has directed a documentary, The Faith of the Dreamer: One Woman’s Story of Racial Trauma & Healing, that is near and dear to his heart as it is about the racial trauma and enduring spirit of his mother, Gwendolyn Payton. The film is the 2025 Official Selection - Documentary Feature for this year's event and is entered in the competition phase of the festival. Payton and his mother will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
Payton has chronicled his mother's 50-year struggle to receive the second degree of her double major at Macon's Mercer University. In 1968, Gwendolyn Middleton Payton became one of 55 African American Students to attend the university. She planned to double major in biology and art, but she was told by Dr. Marshall Daugherty, head of the art department, that African Americans weren't smart enough to earn a degree in his department. Although he didn't use the term "African Americans," he instead chose an extremely derogatory term.
G. Payton was denied her double major because her art was considered "too controversial" and was excluded from the senior exhibit, a requirement for the Art degree. The questionable art is featured in the Tweet below by K. Payton. In 2019, her persistence paid off when she was finally able to exhibit her work to fulfill the senior exhibit requirement, and she received her hard-earned degree.
My mother, Gwen Payton, was a double major in biology and art when she painted this nearly 50 years ago. She was denied her BA in art because her work was considered “too controversial” by the head of the department. So she graduated with her degree in biology... pic.twitter.com/Gsdvh3lJrq
— Khary Payton (@kharypayton) September 24, 2020
The screening of the Georgia Made documentary, The Faith of the Dreamer, will take place on Sunday, August 24, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. at the Theatre Macon located at 438 Cherry St, Macon, GA 31201. Tickets for the screening can be obtained at the festival website.
Walking Dead's Jayson Warner Smith's (Gavin) new project, American Deadbolt, has been selected for the festival as a Georgia-made narrative feature. The movie is directed by Bryan Redding and will screen on Sunday, August 24, from 10:30 am to 12:15 p.m. at the Douglass Theater located at 355 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Macon, GA 31201. Tickets are available on the festival site.
American Deadbolt is the first indie film from Athena Studios in Athens, Georgia. Led by actor Jeff Fahey, the movie also stars Smith, Clifton Duncan, Jade Fernandez, and Laura Slade Wiggins. Redding has stated that his inspiration for the film stemmed from the events of January 6, "The idea arose from the aftermath of Jan. 6 and seeing how divided the country is. I was kind of pouring out my frustrations with that.”
The official synopsis for American Deadbolt reads, "In the aftermath of a horrific 4th of July attack, a group of five desperate people find themselves trapped in the back room of a restaurant. But as they fight to keep alive they soon discover that their greatest threat may actually be locked in the room with them."
Additionally, Carrie Genzel, who portrayed Walking Dead's Commonwealth auditor, Clark, will be a jurist for this year's event. She is a resident of Macon and is very involved in the community. Last year, she joined forces with Visit Macon and Macon Beyond to bring unique supernatural experiences to the area. She recently posted on Instagram that news about the 2025 events with the Macon Beyond team will be "creeping in soon."
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