By Gina Lanaux 

One of the best things about Fairhope is that it has a Film Festival. Like the Sundance Festival, Tribeca, South by Southwest, and many others, the Fairhope Film Festival, held on the second weekend in November, features forty of the best films. This year will be the thirteenth annual event, and a new Executive Director will be at the helm.

Mary Riser, started the festival in 2012, after spearheading a successful monthly film series. For the past twelve years, she and her committee have brought fabulous films and exciting special guests to Fairhope to enrich the community with cinematic culture and introduce our area as a viable location for the film industry.

Mary travels to film festivals around the country and makes contacts with distributors so that she can feature world-class, award-winning films for the festival. Mary is stepping down from Director and is ready to start making her own films, with the documentary, The Italian Colonies of Baldwin County, already in production, Mary is excited to introduce Melanie LeCroy, as the new Executive Director of the FFF. I feel like we should cue Trumpet Fanfare!

Melanie, a writer for Gulf Coast Media, interviewed Mary about the FFF for a news story, and they stayed in touch. Because things often happen for a reason, Melanie decided she was ready for a change and her connection with Mary was the answer. That summer, she jumped in head-first and became a Festival Assistant. Mary said,“ It was initiation by fire. I threw everything at her at once, and she was quick to learn.” Melanie interjects,“ It was fun, I loved it !”

How was Melanie prepared for this multitasking, high-energy, and complicated job? “ I have always worked in Customer Service; I've managed doctors' offices, worked retail, and organized other businesses. Every one of those jobs prepared me for this,” Melanie says with the joy of a kid with a new toy.

She is enthusiastically planning to focus on community outreach across the county. “ With all the new people moving here, we need to get the word out to grow the festival. I plan to talk to Chambers of Commerce, City Councils, even Rotary Clubs, and any group that invites speakers so that I can tell them all about the festival. I want to grow our audience and increase our sponsorships”.

Melanie grew up in Ohio and West Virginia and attended Kent State University. She moved to Fairhope 11 years ago, when her husband's job brought them here. “ Fairhope was our 10th move and once I got here, I told him, this is it, I'm not going anywhere.” Mr. LeCroy travels for work now, and Melanie and her two children are fully committed to being Fairhopians or Fairhopers, as they said in the old days.

Being the Director of the FFF requires many tasks; fundraising, event planning, website management, and administration. She also is in charge of ‘ Monthly Movies’ held in the 40-seat theater, at the FFF office at 122 Fairhope Avenue. From January to May, there are 2 showings of independent films each month.

The February offering was Liza, A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story. In March, they will show this year's Oscar-nominated short films, and in April, a movie titled, The Survivor, a story about Harry Haft, a boxer, who fought against his peers in concentration camps. (Haft’s son lives in Fairhope.) Movie buffs will enjoy seeing a film on a big screen in the intimate 40-seat theater. They even serve popcorn and wine! Tickets are $15 and reservations are required.

The good news is that Mary Riser will stay on as Chairman of the Board and Director of Programming, which means she will screen and pick the best films to be brought to Fairhope. With her experience and expertise, we know they will be top-notch. With Melanie’s new ideas and new energy, she will take the Fairhope Film Festival to the next level and continue the tradition of nourishing Fairhope’s arts community. They will make a great team.

If you are a cinephile, a filmophile, or just a movie buff, subscribe to the Fairhope Film Festival Newsletter, volunteer, register for monthly movies, or learn more about the festival which will be held November 13-15, by visiting the website or Facebook page. Remember the jingle? “ Let's all to the movies! … or maybe it was lobby…. Whatever, I will see you there because, to me, movies are magic.

P.S. I wrote a review of the 2022 film festival for Scenic 98 Coastal Newsletter, and you may read it here: Fairhope Film Festival Review