Most folks along Alabama’s Coast know the story of our seafood industry. So when we get the chance to share that story beyond our state lines, we’re thrilled at that kind of opportunity.

Last month at the Charleston Food Film Festival, Alabama Gulf Seafood was featured on the silver screen when “Mobile Blues,” a four-minute short film focused on Alabama Gulf Blue Crab, was screened for hundreds of guests as part of the Edible Adventure event.

“Mobile Blues,” narrated by Chef Chris Hastings of Birmingham’s Hot and Hot Fish Club, tells the story of two Mobile crabbers as they collect their bounty along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The story follows Hastings as he helps harvest Gulf Blue Crab and then prepares them in his restaurant.

To give viewers the full Blue Crab experience, Guy Lott, sales and support for the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission, partnered up with the folks at the Charleston Crab House to pair the film with an authentic Alabama dish: Butter Poached Shrimp with West Indies Salad served on grilled crostinis.

The crowd for the screening numbered close to 250, and the reception—to both the film and the dish—was very positive.

“A lot of these people have been consuming our seafood for a long time and don’t understand where it comes from,” Lott said. “The industry is changing. People are wanting to know more about where their food comes from. Not so much just that it’s crab, but that it’s Mobile Bay Blue Crab.”

Charleston is one of the biggest out-of-state markets for Alabama Gulf Seafood, and the Food Film Festival was an excellent way for foodies from throughout the South to experience the product in a whole new way.

“The film is all about making your food tell a story, and this gives us a chance to tell that story a little bit more,” Lott said. “People really do want to know the story of the food. It’s nice for us to connect the consumers with what they’re already serving up there in their community.”

Check out “Mobile Blues” on Vimeo, then go fix one of our delicious Blue Crab recipes for yourself.