In 2009, two college students who didn't know one another began work on separate documentary films about the Georgia Theatre, their favorite place to see live music in Athens. With the help of a local attorney and the venue owner, they agreed to tackle the project together before the whole thing went up in flames — literally.
"Athens Burning," a 2-hour documentary film released in 2011, was originally created as part of a collective effort from the Athens community to rebuild the theatre after a fire that broke out the morning of June 19, 2009 destroyed the property. A decade later, the film stands as a love letter to the downtown music scene and a definitive chronicle of the historic building.