Locally produced spy documentary showing Saturday

Two weeks ago, Mobile filmmakers were given 48 hours to create five-minute short films inspired by the original sounds of local musicians including El Cantador, Port Wine Stain and Hibachi Stranglers. Friday evening, beginning at 6 p.m., the eight submitted shorts will be screened and judged, with winners announced at evening’s end.

Beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, local filmmakers will screen all or part of their projects currently in production. Feather Head Productions, filmmaker Margaret Broach, and Fighting Owls Productions will be on hand to show their films, answer questions and speak about the art of filmmaking and film festival experience from around the country.

Sunday’s events also begin at 2 p.m., and will feature a bonus screening of Friday’s scramble shorts as well as a question and answer session with Chris Cash, associate producer of the award-winning, and locally produced, film “Residue.” Finally, local filmmaker Carson Kennedy will discuss his upcoming projects, as well as the films being shown Sunday night as part of the Geronimo! film expo held at the Alabama Music Box on Dauphin Street. Kennedy programmed Sunday night’s schedule, as well as the Geronimo! schedule at the event held in January.

This weekend of films and filmmakers is made possible by Arts Alive!, the Mobile Arts Council and the new South Alabama Film Festival. Born from the South Alabama Film Group, SoAL Film Fest was created to showcase the growing regional independent film community, helping local filmmakers get their films shown in support of all things cinema. Various celebrations of cinema will be scheduled throughout 2009, culminating with the three-day festival this fall.

November 6-8, film fans from across the country will unite in Mobile for feature films and shorts at these local venues: the Crescent Theater, the Gulf Coast Exploreum, 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center and Bernheim Hall at the Ben May Main Library. SoAL Film Fest is sponsored by the Mobile Arts Council, Crescent Theater, Gulf Coast Exploreum, Look & Listen Home Theater, Wine Loft, BNI Copy Shop and the Mobile Public Library. Look & Listen is providing all audio and video equipment for the film programming during Arts Alive! weekend.

Join SoAL Film Fest on May 11 at the Wine Loft for the Mobile Arts Council film scramble DVD release party, featuring the best of the scramble shorts from the last two years.

For more information about SoAL Film Fest, the Mobile Arts Council and Arts Alive! weekend, visit southalabamafilmfestival.org, mobilearts.org or artsalivemobile.com, or call 251.490.4356.