Fairhope Film Festival returns for its ninth year this weekend

The Fairhope Film Festival is back for its ninth year, with screenings beginning Friday and safety precautions in place for attendees.

The festival focuses on national and international competition finalists from the past year, including notable foreign and feature films as well as documentaries and shorts. Organizers are offering in-person screenings along with a virtual component for those who prefer to watch online.

Most venues are within walking distance of each other in scenic downtown Fairhope, near Mobile Bay, making it easy to spend a day or a weekend enjoying films and the area’s shops and restaurants.

This year’s event includes special guests from the film industry, with representatives from a major production studio and a talent agency scheduled to attend and discuss the craft of filmmaking.

The festival blends a Southern style with close attention to the art of cinema, drawing film lovers from across the Gulf Coast.

Fairhope sits on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County. The city was founded in 1894 as a single-tax colony.