Mobile, Alabama, is not typically the first place that comes to mind when people think of independent filmmaking. But a local production outfit called Fighting Owl Films is working to change that, betting that South Alabama can support a scrappy, homegrown film scene the same way cities like Austin and Atlanta have.
The group has grown frustrated with the steady stream of sequels and remakes coming out of Hollywood in recent years and says it wants to bring back some of the atmosphere and craftsmanship of early-1980s horror filmmaking, an era known for practical effects and character-driven scares rather than franchise recycling.
Building an Indie Film Company From Scratch
Fighting Owl Films has been developing projects out of Mobile, positioning itself as one of a small but growing number of independent production companies trying to build a sustainable film business on the Gulf Coast rather than relying on outside studios to bring work to the region.
The company has been promoting information about its work, including its in-development horror feature, through its own website as it builds an audience ahead of any wider release.
Independent film ventures like Fighting Owl Films add to a small but persistent wave of homegrown entertainment businesses in the Mobile area, part of a broader push by local creative entrepreneurs to prove the city can be more than a stopover for productions filming elsewhere in the South.