The Fairhope Film Festival has set the stage for this year's upcoming installment.

The festival kicks off Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:15 p.m. with the Opening Night Film screening at the University of South Alabama's Baldwin County Performance Center. The opening presentation will feature two Baldwin County documentaries, "Sallie's Ashes" and "The Noble Experiment," followed by a cocktail-style reception for filmmakers at the Balcony.

While she can't yet reveal all the titles, Executive Director Melanie LeCroy said the Fairhope Film Festival's lineup will feature a diverse mix of shorts, feature-length documentaries, narratives and even some animated short films.

"The lineup for the 13th annual Fairhope Film Festival will include over 40 feature-length and short films," LeCroy told Gulf Coast Media. "We had a tremendous response from short filmmakers this year with 85 submitted, and many by Alabama filmmakers. The film titles and schedule will be announced Oct. 23, and all tickets will be available for sale then as well."

The Red Carpet Party and Awards Ceremony is set for Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Eastern Shore Arts Center. The celebration will honor standout films, filmmakers and fans with live music and food. The event begins at 7 p.m., with the awards presentation starting at 8:45 p.m.

"International film fans should look into our partnership with the Fethiye Film Festival in Fethiye, Turkey," LeCroy said. "The Fairhope Film Festival will showcase eight short films from the 2024 Fethiye Film Festival, and they will showcase 10 of the shorts we screened last year. This is a wonderful opportunity to see films we would normally not get the chance to screen."

Ahead of the main event, the festival will host the Fairhope Filmmakers' 48-Hour Scramble, a competition that challenges participants to write, film, edit and submit a short film within 48 hours.

"Part of the mission of the Fairhope Film Festival is to support Alabama filmmakers," LeCroy said. "One of the ways we do that is through our Fairhope Filmmakers' 48-Hour Scramble (Fairhope 48). Filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers can participate in this competition. They have 48 hours to write, film, edit and submit a short film that includes some assigned components. The components could include two genres like cowboy comedy, a prop, a line of dialogue or a character. The assigned elements help eliminate the possibility of a filmmaker coming with a script or idea already in the works."

Registration is open through Nov. 1, and each entry will be shown during its own time slot at the festival.

"We have several new elements to this year's competition," LeCroy said. "This year's competition has two categories: Student, which is open to all students through college, and Open, which is open to all ages and experience levels. Another change is the timing. In years past, the competition took place during the festival. This year, the competition portion will take place Nov. 7-9, the weekend before, giving our judges time to watch and critique the films. The films will then screen during the festival. Griffin Hood, Daphne High School film and theater teacher, is heading up the Fairhope 48."

For those who can't wait, the Fairhope Film Festival will host an unofficial kickoff on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 6:45 p.m. at Fairhope Brewing Company. The screening of "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" will be part of the festival's "Fright Night" series, featuring an interactive game during the film with prizes for winners. Admission is free.

"Having a four-day film festival in a town the size of Fairhope is pretty unique, and I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy seeing a film on a big screen in our small town," LeCroy said. "There's nothing quite like watching a film with a group laughing, gasping and even crying together."

Tickets for the Opening Night Film and Party, the Red Carpet Party and the All Movie Pass are currently on sale. Individual tickets and remaining options go on sale Oct. 23 at fairhopefilmfestival.org.