The Southeast U.S. has a new documentary film festival.
Redfish Film Fest will premiere April 11-13 in Panama City, Florida, with more than 80 docs screening across five venues in Panama City’s walkable historic arts district.
Films range from 7-minute shorts to feature documentaries by NatGeo, PBS POV, and NASA.
Headliners who will appear in person at Redfish include Emmy-winning directors like Sarah Moshman and Anthony Hemingway; Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Cori Shepherd Stern, producer of hit docuseries including LulaRich and Shiny Happy People; and Tamra Simmons, creator of the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, among others.
The Redfish founders also have high-end side events planned for each night of the fest, including an opening night red carpet party, a community block party, a closing night “casual” gala, and an Anthony Bourdain themed champagne brunch called Champagne & Bourdain.
Kevin Elliott, co-founder and director of Redfish, says he wants this festival to make a splash in year 1.
“From day one, we focused on making Redfish unique,” Elliott said. “We have all the things people love about film fests—lots of films, headliners, Q&As, panels—but also elements of surprise and delight people likely haven’t seen at other fests. We’re swinging for the fences.”
That starts with the focus – documentaries. Redfish will be one of a small handful of doc-only fests in the country, and one of only two or three in the Southeast U.S.
“We’re doing docs because that is my favorite genre,” Elliott said. “But we think it’s also a good business move. If we launched a traditional film festival, we’d be lost in the noise, one of thousands in the market. By doing docs only, we give attendees and filmmakers a clear choice, and we can build quality and brand in our niche.”
Elliott’s co-founder and Redfish programming director, Lex Benedict, said that kind of clarity also lets Redfish celebrate documentary filmmakers.
“Documentarians don’t have the budgets of narrative filmmakers, they don’t have the publicity or distribution,” Benedict said. “We are building Redfish to celebrate and elevate documentary filmmakers. If you’re a doc maker, we want Redfish to be your home.”
The Redfish location and venues are also untraditional for film festivals.
“Historic Downtown Panama City is charming in so many ways,” Elliott said, a 37-year native of the coastal town. “It is your traditional ‘Americana’ historic downtown, but literally sits on a gorgeous bay that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Imagine the quaint, walkable downtown from Gilmore Girls but on a quiet waterfront you’d pay to vacation on. It’s magical.”
Redfish programming will make the most of Historic Downtown Panama City’s revitalized buildings and scenery. The five screening venues are in historic downtown buildings, all within a 5-7 walk from each other.
“Our downtown is experiencing a renaissance,” said Benedict, who grew up in Panama City but has been a film editor and producer in L.A. for more than a decade. “Old buildings renewed with active businesses, vibrant murals everywhere, a brand new streetscape with little pavers and wide sidewalks, a gorgeous walkable hotel on the water. It’s a modern old town and it’s ready for a film festival.”
Panama City Beach and the Florida Panhandle are known for their beaches, as a Spring Break capital and a family vacation spot for the Southeast. But Elliott says the city of Panama City is different from all that and is an emerging jewel for artistic hearts.
“Most people equate Panama City and Panama City Beach,” Elliott said. “That’s understandable, but the two places could not be more different. Panama City, especially our historic arts district, is as far from a tourist town as you can imagine. It’s a village of artistically-minded people who have built an enclave for themselves on an old working waterfront. The place has a soul.”
And what about the name, Redfish? Where did that come from?
“The name serves two purposes,” Elliott said. “From a branding perspective, it checks the boxes. Easy to say and remember, no one was using it for a film festival, and it gives us a signature color. But it is also a nod to our locals. There is an actual fish we locals call redfish. It’s a big part of our culinary culture. We even have a fishing spot named Redfish Point. So that’s our way of telling our town we are thinking of them.”
In the end, Elliott and Benedict are building Redfish to tell real stories about real people.
“That’s the beauty of documentaries,” Benedict said. “People are fascinating all by themselves. Telling those stories as docs is inherently interesting. So we’re celebrating that. Redfish is a celebration of those people and those stories.”