“Coffee Shop,” a romantic comedy shot in Old Town Helena and on the Alabama Gulf Coast shores of Fairhope, will be shown for the first time tonight, Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, at the Carmike Summit 16 in Birmingham and the Patton Creek 15 in Hoover. A red carpet premier will also take place the following night, Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Summit 16.

Alabama-based filmmakers Jon and Andy Erwin are holding the special premiere as a thank you to the State of Alabama, which has been so supportive of their efforts to make films such as “October Baby” and this year’s “Mom’s Night Out” in their home state.

“Coffee Shop” stars Laura Vandervoort (“V”), Kevin Sorbo (“God’s Not Dead”), Jon Lovitz (“Saturday Night Live”) and Rachel Hendrix (“October Baby”), and was directed by Dave Johnson (“Sue Thomas: FBI”).

The film is about Donavan Turner (Vandervoort), a young, intelligent woman who once had everything — a successful coffee shop in a beach town and the “perfect boyfriend” — and was looking squarely at a happily-ever-after existence. Then things begin to fall apart when she lost the boyfriend and possibly the coffee shop, until someone new comes into her life and teaches her a valuable life lesson.

The special premiere will kick off a week-long showing in theaters, continuing at the Carmike Summit 16 and the Carmike Patton Creek 15 in Hoover.

Check out Yellowhammer’s interview with director Dave Johnson and actress Rachel Hendrix in the video above, and support Alabama’s budding movie industry and the local “Coffee Shop” crew by watching the movie in theaters this weekend.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims