As Goes The South Screening at Montgomery’s Capri Spurs Civic Conversation

Filmmakers behind the civic documentary As Goes The South brought their film to Montgomery’s historic Capri Theatre on January 13, 2026, for a community screening and a facilitated talkback aimed at sparking local conversation about regional progress. The screening, hosted in partnership with 21 Dreams Arts & Culture, drew an engaged audience and centered the film as a practical tool for civic engagement rather than just a viewing event.

After the screening, a post-screening panel and talkback allowed audience members to respond directly to themes in the film and to discuss tangible challenges and opportunities facing the region. The format focused on dialogue over debate: organizers prioritized questions from the floor and short responses from the filmmakers and community facilitators, encouraging participants to identify local priorities that could be advanced through collective action.

For filmmakers and community organizers across Alabama, the Montgomery event illustrated a clear outreach playbook. Partnering with an arts and culture organization like 21 Dreams Arts & Culture helped bridge the film’s content to neighborhood concerns, while choosing the Capri Theatre - a downtown, historic venue - provided a civic-minded setting that invited cross-sector attendance. The combination of screening and structured conversation made the film itself a jumping-off point for local planning, rather than an isolated cultural moment.

Audience impact was evident in the tenor of the talkback. Rather than treating the screening as entertainment, attendees treated it as an organizing tool: they traded local anecdotes, raised specific policy and development questions, and exchanged contact information for follow-up. That kind of immediate civic engagement is precisely the sort of outcome documentary outreach teams aim for when tailoring screenings to local contexts.

The Capri event also signals how documentary makers can adapt strategy to Alabama communities. A short program that pairs a focused film with a moderated panel, a local arts partner, and an invitation for public response makes it easier for residents to move from reflection to action. For municipalities, cultural institutions, and grassroots groups, the format offers a low-barrier method to surface community priorities and generate working lists of next steps.

What this screening means for Montgomery and other Alabama towns is practical: film can be a catalyst for civic conversation when paired with the right partners and a clear call to engage. Expect future community screenings to follow this model, using local venues and facilitated talkbacks to turn audience members into participants in regional progress.