Now celebrating its 18th year, the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival is humble and down-home, with an emphasis on films, not filmmakers. This is one of the perhaps paradoxical reasons the festival attracts so much talent from across the country. Last year’s winners came from Salt Lake City and L.A., not to mention exotic Kilgore, Texas. Yearly categories include features, documentaries, comedies and dramas, so there’s something for just about anyone. The festival also honors local and national actors with annual lifetime achievement awards. Notable past winners have included Jon Lovitz, Erin Gray and Jasmine Guy.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2016.