VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) -- A new South Georgia film festival brings Burt Reynolds to Valdosta for the weekend. Burt Reynolds told the crowd Georgia is his lucky state at the opening RKDS Film Fest event on Thursday.
Reynolds was honored with a key to the city of Valdosta and a proclamation deeming July 12th as Burt Reynolds Day. The director of the festival says, Georgia is the top filming location in the country. However, south of Macon and Savannah that's not the case.
Roy Kirkland is the RKDS Film Fest Director. He said, "I wanted to come up with something to change that and I thought the only way to do it is highlight the area, the filmmaking in the area, and what better way of doing it than bringing a mega star like Burt Reynolds."
Reynolds has starred in 9 movies filmed in Georgia. He said, he wants to inspire local college students to pursue their dreams in their hometown. Roy Kirkland says, the goal is to expand the local film industry and attract filmmakers to the southern part of the state.
Organizers are expecting nearly a thousand people at the RKDS Film Festival. They say it's the first time South Georgia films have truly been in the spotlight. 11 films will be shown at the 3 day festival, all of which have ties to South Georgia. On Thursday night, hundreds came out to enjoy Smokey and the Bandit, Celeste and Sixteen. Festival directors say, the second annual RKDS Film Fest will be back next year.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - You are invited to a film festival highlighting none other than the film industry in South Georgia.
RKDS Film Fest is happening July 12 through the 14 in Valdosta.
Frankie Gay joined us to talk about the festival and the iconic star that will be in attendance: Burt Reynolds.
Reynolds is not only a mega star, but a Florida State graduate as well.
The three-day festival will feature 10 films with ties to South Georgia. Gay, the producer of the documentary '11 Days and a Wake-Up,' will premiere his film for the first time at the RKDS Film Fest.
It's all going down at the Mathis City Auditorium. You can find out more information about the film fest here.
