Q: Who attends film fests like Redfish?
A: Anyone who likes documentaries and cool downtowns. When you Netflix and Chill, do you watch docs? Do you also like wandering around quaint, pretty, historic downtowns? If so, you’ll probably like Redfish.
If you generally like laid-back, creative events in cool downtown areas, Redfish for you. Think of it as a community watching documentaries together in their favorite neighborhood buildings downtown, getting coffee or food in between, and hanging out with friends.
We want Panama City and Northwest Florida locals to come, but also welcome filmmakers, film students, film industry professionals, and folks from major networks like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.
Q: I’ve never been to a film festival before. What should I expect?
A: Film festivals, including Redfish, are very casual. You don’t have to be a fancy pants to enjoy this film fest.
First is films. Films will be playing all day on Friday and Saturday, and part of the say Sunday, at each of our five main venues:
- Panama City Center for the Arts
- Downtown Boxing Club
- Mosey’s
- Gallery of Art on Beach Drive
- Bay County Historical Museum
We’ll publish a schedule that will show all the films, their screening times, and which venue they’ll be in. You choose the films, panel discussions, and Q&As you want to go to, and what you do in between. You can get breakfast, then watch a film or two, go to lunch, take a walk, watch another film and catch the panel discussion after, then go to one of our side events that evening. Or make a completely different schedule based on your tastes.
Redfish is like a choose-your-own-adventure book. Or if you’ve ever been to Disney World, it’s like that. We’ll give you lots to do, you pick what you want and make your own schedule.
P.S. – Don’t know what a panel discussion is? No worries, read below. 🙂
Q: Will you have panels and question/answer sessions between the films?
A: Yes! We have filmmakers and film industry professionals coming to talk about their films and filmmaking. They will answer your questions after the screening of their film. We’ll also have panels – a group of film industry people, usually 3 or 4, who talk about a certain topic in filmmaking.
Q: I’ve heard Redfish is documentaries only. Is that true?
A: Yep! We’re one of the few film fests in the country that only does documentaries.
Q: How many documentaries do you have?
A: More than 50 so far.
Q: How long are the documentaries?
A: Our shortest are about seven minutes (shorts), our longest about 1.5 hours (feature length) and everything in between. Documentaries are super flexible.
Q: Do I have to buy individual tickets to all the films I want to see?
A: We are working on several types of tickets so you can pick and choose the films you want to see. We’ll have an All Weekend Film Pass that will let you see any film in any venue, depending on capacity. We’ll also have tickets for a single day and likely to see separate films so you don’t have to commit to the whole weekend of films.
Q: How do I get tickets?
Q: What will the hours be to watch films?
A: We’re finishing the details, but likely 10 am to 7 pm at each of our venues.
Q: If I’m watching a film and don’t like it, can I leave without getting in trouble or being embarrassed?
A: Sure! You are free to come and go whenever you like, as long as there is room in that venue and you have a ticket. Just be quiet please. 🙂
Q: So I don’t have to watch all the films?
A: No. Redfish is super flexible. We’ll publish a schedule of films for each of our venues. You look at the schedule, pick the films you want to see, and go watch them. You only watch the films you want to see.
Q: What if there are two documentaries I want to see at the same time in different venues?
A: We will show some films twice, so you will have more than one chance to our signature ones. That way, you can build your schedule so you don’t miss anything you want to see. Or you can watch a favorite more than once!
Q: Do panels and Q&As require additional tickets?
A: Panels are free. Q&As require a film pass for that day or an All Weekend Pass.
Q: Is there an age restriction for any of the documentaries?
A: No. That said, many of the topics would likely not be interesting to children. Check the schedule when it is published. If you have questions about any particular film, contact us anytime and we’ll talk you through it. You can email us at
kevin@redfishfilmfest.com.
Q: Will there be snacks like popcorn in the film venues?
A: Maybe. We have some ideas but don’t have them final yet. We’ll let you know asap. If we choose not to have snacks, there are plenty of cool places downtown to grab a bite to eat and have a tasty beverage!
Q: What about side events?
A: We have 5 events planned –
- Thursday, April 24: Opening Night Red Carpet (Ticket Required)
- Friday, April 25: Block Party at Gateway Park
- Friday, April 25: Music concert at Mosey’s 7 pm – 9 pm
- Friday, April 25: Stand-up comedy at Mosey’s 10 pm – midnight (Ticket Required)
- Saturday, April 26: Masqu of the Red Death Masquerade (Ticket Required)
- Sunday, April 27: Champagne Brunch (Ticket Required)
Four of these events require tickets (marked in the bullet list above). The others are free and open to the public. We are still finalizing the ticket prices for the side events but will publish those asap. Keep checking our Tickets page.
Q: So we have to buy event tickets separate from the All Weekend Film Pass tickets?
A: Yes. This lets you choose if you just want to see films, just want to go to the events, or want to do a combo. It’s like a menu for you to choose from.
Q: What’s the best airport to fly in for Redfish?
A: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (
click to view website). It’s about a 40 minute drive from Redfish.
Q: What’s the easiest hotel for me to stay in for Redfish?
A: The Hotel Indigo on Panama City Marina. It’s in the heart of downtown and is a 5-7 minute walk to all of our film venues. They’ve also given us discounts for Redfish attendees.
Q: Are there restaurants, shopping, etc., near Redfish?
A: Absolutely! We have coffee shops, restaurants, brew pubs, boutiques, an old-school arcade, a bunch of stuff. You can park one time and stay downtown the whole rest of Redfish!
Q: Can I volunteer to help at Redfish?
Q: Are sponsorships available?
If you don’t see something you like, let us know and we’ll build a sponsorship that works with your goals.
Q: Who do I contact if I have other questions?
