Before there was Woodstock, before there was Altamont, there was the First Atlanta International Pop Festival. Held at the Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia  over the July 4 weekend in 1969, the festival lineup featured some of the biggest names in rock and popular music, from Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker to Johnny Winter and Canned Heat. Concert producer Alex Cooley followed up with a second festival the following year. The Second Atlanta International Pop Festival had an equally stellar lineup, with the Allman Brothers, the Chambers Brothers, and Poco, among many others, taking the stage in the blistering heat.

Athenian David Lee has crafted a documentary using footage of these two festivals plus the Texas International Pop Festival, which was held in Lewisville, Texas (near Dallas) on Labor Day weekend, 1969. "Alex Cooley Presents: Time Has Come Today" provides us with an up-close, inside look at the festivals from a fan's perspective. Equally an homage to the performances taking place onstage and a you-are-there flashback into concert festival life in at its DIY infancy, the documentary is a time trip that any music fan will want to take.

Lee, executive producer of the movie, will introduce the program and lead a discussion and Q&A after the screening.

For more information, contact Mary Miller, mlmiller@uga.edu.