When Allison Hayhurst, a Grissom High and University of Alabama graduate, walked on stage at the Southern Fried Film Festival on June 6, it wasn’t just to celebrate her first feature film, it was also a homecoming. Her award-winning dark comedy “And Through The Portal We Go” made its long-awaited Alabama premiere at The Theatre at Lowe Mill, closing a creative loop that began right here in Huntsville’s thriving arts community.

“The Alabama premiere was great!” Hayhurst said. “We had an amazing audience, an excellent introduction by Kelley Reischauer [co-founder of the Southern Fried Film Festival], and wonderful conversations with friends and family after the screening. It’s an honor to bring the film home and be part of such an exciting line-up of indie films.”

A genre-bending blend of time loops, cults, and dry wit, “And Through The Portal We Go” has been turning heads on the U.S. and international festival circuit. Since its debut at the 2024 Gig Harbor Film Festival, where it earned nominations for Best Feature and Best Director, and won Best Actor, it has taken home accolades including Best Narrative Feature (Fisheye Film Festival, UK), Best Fantasy Feature (Another Hole in the Head, San Francisco), and Best Acting Ensemble (Black Bear Film Festival).

Though the film has been well-received across multiple states and even the UK, screening it in Huntsville carried special weight.

“Being part of the Southern Fried Film Festival was personally exciting,” Hayhurst said. “This community helped me discover my love of storytelling. Making the leap from shorts to our first feature is a big step and sharing that with a supportive hometown audience was just incredible.”

Hayhurst, now based in New York City, produced the film alongside her husband, Mike Hayhurst, who also wrote, directed, and edited the project. Featuring standout performances by Sarah Goeke, Joseph Lymous, and Taylor Dalton Curtis, the film follows the last three members of a cult who pass through a mysterious portal only to find themselves in an endless time loop of spiritual confusion and comical dysfunction.

While it’s undoubtedly a creative passion project, “Portal” is also an example of resourceful independent filmmaking. “We’re a nine-person cast and crew who filmed for nine days and created a feature film,” Hayhurst said. “It’s tough, with limited budgets and tight timelines. But I brought a lot of my startup experience from my tech career to the role of producer—keeping us on time, on budget, and collaborating effectively.”

That entrepreneurial edge may soon benefit Huntsville even further. Hayhurst shared that she and her team are already laying the groundwork for their next feature and they hope to film it right here in the Rocket City.

“We’re currently speaking with investors,” she noted. “We’d love to shoot our next film in Huntsville. If anyone in the community is interested in joining the team, we’d love to talk.”

For those who missed the premiere, the film is still traveling the festival circuit. You can follow updates on Instagram via @eveningsquire or @andthroughtheportalwego.

With local talent like Hayhurst making waves on the national stage and eyeing a return to film in North Alabama, the future of Huntsville’s creative economy looks bright and maybe just a little bit weird in the best way.