Tag: Documentary News

Inside the Origin of Jimmy Buffett’s Legend: Occupational Hazard Documentary Spotlight

Occupational Hazard is releasing in major cities in early September timed to Jimmy Buffett Day (September 4). Photo: Michael Ochs Archive, used with permission.

Documentary Film Spotlight: Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers

Greene Street Entertainment, in association with Confluence Productions, presents Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers—a feature documentary that journeys back to the 1970s and early 1980s to tell the origin story of Jimmy Buffett’s original Coral Reefer Band. (EG-PR, 2026)

Set against the creative backdrop of Key West, the film explores the musicians, friendships, touring years, and studio sessions that helped shape Buffett’s legendary sound. It is the story upon which the “Parrot Head” empire was built, told directly by the people who laid the foundation.

The Release Schedule

  • Key West Special Screenings: Opens September 5, 2026
  • Theatrical Rollout: Select cities (including NYC and LA) to follow
  • TVOD Release: Nationwide across the US and Canada in November 2026

Behind the Magic

Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, Occupational Hazard captures the camaraderie, chaos, and magic of an era that thrived on freedom and lived without a rulebook. Through rare, never-before-seen archival footage and deeply personal interviews with founding members, tour managers, producers, and music legends, the film offers fans an intimate look at the volatile beauty of a musical moment that couldn’t last, but changed everything.

Fresh off its premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026, this festival favorite has picked up accolades across the country and stands as a candid, heartfelt tribute to Buffett and his original crew.

Film Fast Facts

  • Title: Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers
  • Runtime: 92 minutes
  • Country: USA | Year: 2026
  • Director: John H. Cunningham
  • Producers: John H. Cunningham, Ted E. Haynes
  • Narrator: Jeff Bridges
  • Featured Appearances: Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, Keith Sykes, and members of The Coral Reefer Band

About the Subjects & Filmmakers

Jimmy Buffett (1946–2023)

Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett regaled audiences for over five decades with songs about the faces and places he encountered along the road less traveled. Combining Hemingway’s eye for detail with Mark Twain’s mischievous humor, Buffett’s music celebrated the hustlers, beach bums, and pirates of the world through timeless themes of escapism, wanderlust, and unbridled curiosity.

John H. Cunningham (Director & Producer)

John H. Cunningham is a filmmaker and USA TODAY bestselling author of the 12-book Buck Reilly adventure series and The Last Raft. Before transitioning to fiction and film, Cunningham spent 35 years in commercial real estate, serving as Executive Vice President at Alexandria Real Estate Equities in NYC. Splitting his time between Virginia and Key West, he combines deep business acumen with a passion for compelling storytelling.

Courtesy photo

Award-Winning Documentary ‘To Use a Mountain’ Premieres at DCTV in NYC

Peace activists standing at the entry to the Nevada National Security Site. Photo: To Use a Mountain, LLC, used with permission.

New Documentary Spotlight: TO USE A MOUNTAIN

Facet, Narrow Vision Endeavors, and Correspondent Productions Present:

TO USE A MOUNTAIN

  • Director, Cinematographer, Editor: Casey Carter
  • Producers: Colleen Cassingham, Jonna McKone
  • Executive Producers: Brett Story, Maida Lynn, Ryan Krivoshey
  • Format: Feature Documentary | USA, 2025 | 99 Minutes

Release & Screening Information

  • Theatrical Release: Opens theatrically at DCTV in New York on Friday, August 21, with a regional theatrical expansion to follow.
  • VOD Release: Coming in 2027 via Grasshopper Film.
  • Community Screenings: TO USE A MOUNTAIN is currently screening with frontline communities across the country confronting issues of nuclear waste, nuclear weapons production, and next-generation nuclear projects initiated in response to the energy demands of the AI data center boom.

Festival Accolades

  • Visions du Réel (Switzerland) — World Premiere | Special Jury Award, International Competition
  • Dallas IFF (Dallas, Texas) — Documentary Feature Competition
  • DOXA (Vancouver) — Best Feature Honorable Mention, ParaDOXA Forum
  • IDFA (Amsterdam) — Best of Fest
  • Big Sky (Missoula, Montana) — Official Selection
  • And many more…

Synopsis

In 1982, six rural communities across the United States were notified that all of the nation’s nuclear waste might be buried beneath them forever. (EG PR, 2026)

Faced with a mandate to isolate the waste for 10,000 years, the Department of Energy mapped, analyzed, and assembled its assessments, while the unsuspecting stewards of sacrificial territory found themselves fighting for their homes, health, history, and dignity.

In the end, one site was chosen: a desert ridge in Nevada called Yucca Mountain, on the unceded lands of the Western Shoshone. After decades of controversy, construction at Yucca Mountain was halted, and to this day, no permanent solution has been devised for America’s 90,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste.

Against the impassive logic of government analysis and archives, TO USE A MOUNTAIN assembles a people’s history of resistance and stewardship through a visceral journey across the landscapes, ecologies, and personal histories of the candidate sites. Farmers, miners, citizen scientists, Native American leaders, and activists—each with a story bound to this enduring threat—stand in stark contrast to the cold, silent machinery of bureaucracy, in a meditation on resistance, memory, and the timeless struggle between power and place.

About the Filmmaker: Casey Carter

Casey Carter is a filmmaker and interdisciplinary designer whose work engages nonfiction storytelling in film and video, photography, data visualization, and cartography. His work centers around themes of governmentality, geography, environmentalism, and personal subjectivities.

Prior Work & Background

His short films—TWO BOYS AND A DREAM (2023), TWO PRISONS (2020), and THE RIGHTS OF NATURE (2019)—have screened at festivals including Revolutions Per Minute, SF Shorts, Salem, Ashland Independent, and Hong Kong Film Art.

He holds a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Photography from Middle Tennessee State University, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Grants & Recognition

His work has been supported through grants and fellowships from institutions including:

  • Sundance Documentary Film Program
  • International Documentary Association (IDA)
  • UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art
  • New York Foundation for the Arts
  • The Marble House Project
  • Monson Arts
  • The Redford Center
  • SFFILM
  • Flies Collective
Photo: To Use A Mountain, LLC