Sold-Out Brooksville Premiere and Q&A for The Python Hunt Draws Local Hunters

Brooksville’s Beacon Theater hosted a sold-out local premiere of the documentary The Python Hunt on Feb. 28, followed by a question-and-answer session featuring producer/director Xander Robin and hunters who appear in the documentary, including local hunter and Hernando Sun contri

The screening was held at the Beacon Theater, 12961 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, and began at 6 p.m. Hernando Sun announced the showing as “one time only at 6 p.m.” and described it as “a pre-release showing of the movie and there are only 100 tickets available.” According to the published event text, ticket purchases were routed through a QR code or the Hernando Sun events calendar; the printed instructions end abruptly with “or go to ” and did not include a working URL in the copy provided.

Director and producer Xander Robin appeared on stage with local hunter Toby Benoit after the film. Hernando Sun characterizes Benoit as “a central character in the movie” and notes that “Toby is a local guide and hunter who writes about his adventures in the Hernando Sun and has published several books.” The event pairing brought a national-backed production team together with a figure familiar to Hernando County readers.

The documentary follows Benoit and his team “as part of Florida’s annual python hunt as they search for these invasive creatures during the 10-day event.” Hernando Sun’s event copy underscores the film’s field challenge: “The pythons are normally difficult to find and as the hunt has grown, so has the challenge of finding pythons that are not spooked by the hordes of hunters.” Attendees were offered a direct opportunity to hear from the filmmaker and at least one on-screen hunter during the post-screening conversation.

Production backing for the film reached beyond local contributors. Hernando Sun reported that “the documentary’s production was backed by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s company, Artists Equity.” The connection places the Brooksville screening in the context of a film with national-level production support while keeping local hunters and guides at the center of the story.

Public materials confirm the screening was presented as a pre-release event; Hernando Sun warned that “If you miss it, you will have to wait until it is released in theaters.” Several items remain to be confirmed for the record: the final attendance count relative to the stated 100-ticket limit, the full list of hunters and team members who participated in the on-stage Q&A, any verbatim remarks from Xander Robin or Toby Benoit at the post-screening session, and the complete ticket-purchase link referenced in the event copy. Those details will determine whether the sold-out showing represented a full house of 100 or a different final tally.