Mobile’s make-your-own-short-film competition is back. The Mobile Bay Film Scramble, now marking its tenth filmmaking challenge, is bringing another batch of locally produced shorts to two downtown screens, and the event remains open to everyone from first-time filmmakers to seasoned professionals.
The first screening lands Friday, January 23 at 11 p.m. at the Crescent Theater, 208 Dauphin Street, with tickets priced at $10 and already on sale ahead of the show. A second matinee follows Saturday, January 24 at 2 p.m. at the Ben May Main Library, 701 Government Street, where admission drops to $5. Tickets for both screenings are available at the door.
Support for the challenge comes from a cross-section of the downtown arts community: the Crescent Theater, the Blind Mule Bar & Restaurant, the Mobile Arts Council, and the Mobile Public Library all serve as sponsors.
A proving ground for Gulf Coast filmmakers
The Film Scramble format gives local creators a deadline, a challenge, and an audience — a combination that has made it one of the area’s most reliable incubators for new film talent. Each challenge produces a fresh slate of shorts conceived, shot, and cut in a matter of days or weeks, then premiered before a hometown crowd.
For film fans, this week’s doubleheader offers a low-cost look at what Mobile’s creative scene is producing right now. For anyone who has ever toyed with making a movie, it is also a preview of what a first effort can look like on a real theater screen.