Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
Pensacola Connection Nov 2026
IN-FOCUS:“THE PENSACOLA CONNECTION" For November 2026:
This month: A BIG storm cleanup, 2 Gulf Coast area film festivals, and some trivia about an iconic UFO house in South Alabama…
FIRST: Well, I guess you’ve heard by now… Hurricane Isaias paid a surprise visit by dropping in like an uninvited beach party guest to Pensacola on Friday night, October 9th, 2026. While it was a Category 3 storm off-shore, it dropped down to a Category 2 by landfall. Still, it packed winds up to 102 miles per hour, and cut a path of tree and flood devastation, as far west as Orange Beach, Alabama, to as far east as Destin, Florida. Up to 4 deaths reported, all related to falling trees. On Pensacola Beach, a hotel got its roof ripped off as though the Hand of God reached down and opened it like the Holy Bible, and started turning pages. But while tornadoes were expected, none were reported in Florida, though plenty managed to touch down in Georgia and South Carolina.
About 2 weeks later, utility trucks were seen and emergency vehicle sirens were heard, on every roadway up and down Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Tiger Point, Milton, Pace, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Mountains of downed trees and the roar of chainsaws dominated the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. Stores like Dollar General and Dollar Tree had emptied out their grocer’s freezers, as power loss made for spoiled frozen foods. (Surprisingly enough, no gas pump crises.) Dairy Queens and Tom Thumb convenience stores looked like smashed or crushed popsicle stick models. Up to $20 billion has been reported, in structural and property damage from high winds. Needless to say, recovery is expected all through November and December. (News video link: CBS News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu9jXKVZte4 )
NEXT: In the midst of hurricane cleanup, Pensacola’s Stamped Film Festival is set for November 12th - 15th, each night at 5pm Central, at the downtown Pensacola Little Theatre on Zaragoza & Jefferson Streets, at Plaza Ferdinand. This is the City of Five Flags’ premiere LGBTQ+ film festival, with compelling mixed-gender dramas, comedies & more, from numerous international filmmakers. Founded in 2012 by Sara Latshaw, the festival was inspired by efforts in the local LGBTQ+community, to highlight the impact of their social group’s tourism dollars. After local business owners complained during one Memorial Day Weekend, visitors began stamping their cash with the words “Gay Money” or the symbol of a pink triangle, proving their financial worth to the city. The money was summed up to an estimate of $25 million annually. Door admission is free, but donations of up to $100 in advance, are encouraged. For more information, please visit their website at: https://www.stampedfilmfest.com/join-the-academy.
UP NEXT: Speaking of film fests, we now turn to our South Alabama neighbor, just southeast of the city of Mobile. The 14th Annual Fairhope Film Festival is also set for November 12 – 15th, in numerous downtown venues, including Centennial Hall, Coastal Alabama Community College, The Venue, and various other locations. Run by CEO Stephen Savage, the festival hosts up to 25 different films, both shorts and features. Admission is $25 for a weekend pass, $60 for an all-movie pass, or $150 for an all-access pass. For more information, check out this Fox-10 News clip: https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/10/15/fairhope-film-festival-returning-novewmber/, or check out their website, at: www.fairhopefilmfestival.org.
AND FINALLY: Some related cinematic trivia: Fairhope is also a famous Hollywood film location, for the big 1977 Steven Spielberg Columbia Pictures UFO film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” (You think you're looking at Muncie, Indiana? Surprise! All the scenes for Muncie were actually filmed in Fairhope, Alabama.) In fact, the farmhouse where the nervous young mother Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) lived with her fearless little son Barry (Carey Guffey) is still located at 22148 Highway 81, although its fate is currently undecided, as it is being currently surrounded by “commercial development.” For more info, see: https://www.al.com/news/2025/2025/11/whats-happening-to-the-close-encounters-farmhouse-in-fairhope.html.
Okay, that’s all the leftover turkey bones for November.
Until Season’s Greetings in December… Later, Gators!
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Sincerely yours, KENNETH L. MANNING Your Pensacola Connection
49 Murphy Lane, Pensacola, FL 32505 Phone: 1-850-287-2581
Email: [email protected]
