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FEBRUARY 12–18, 2026
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LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
2026 BEAUFORT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LOLITA HUCKABY
County budget talks already target Human Services department
Mossy memories
BIFF’s 20th edition set to grace Beaufort with nostalgia, passion, applause, movie magic
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BEAUFORT ast week’s column lead with news of the annual Point in Time count of local “unsheltered” individuals, a project lead by Beaufort County’s Human Services staff and volunteers. This week, we learn that county officials, as part of the annual budget preparations, are proposing to eliminate this five-member department to save money. The proposal, which was scheduled to be presented to the Council at Monday’s meeting (Feb. 9), is a result of the Council’s vote last year directing Administrator Michael Moore to work with the finance department to reduce millage, which almost seems like a no-brainer. Elimination of the Human Services Department appears to be first on the list. The plan seems to be merging the department’s responsibilities with the Nexus Care division (formerly Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse) which, obviously, provides services for individuals suffering alcohol or drug abuse. It’s unclear whether the Nexus staff is prepared to handle the additional functions including the county’s Community Services grant program, which last year
By Luke Frazier Lowcountry Weekly
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f our lives were like the live oaks that grace the Lowcountry, the drapes of Spanish moss would be our memories: sometimes wispy and ethereal, other times dense and clumpy, consistently rich with meaning, and always hanging around. Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) President and CEO Ron Tucker has plenty of memories from the 19 previous years running the show with his wife Rebecca. In fact, he recently reflected on the subject when asked for a mantra for this year’s festival. “Hmm, memories … heaped with nostalgia,” he said. “For twenty years we’ve seen great films from extraordinarily talented filmmakers … they are often powerful and sometimes life changing.” It’s a wonder that the man who rightfully fits the
SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A4
“Energizer Ronny” moniker has any time for reflection at all as the 2026 festival is now upon us. He and Rebecca, his beloved partner in films and life, just spent about 200 hours watching movies over the past several months — and that is a fraction of all the other hours it takes to organize, promote, and run this highly regarded and enjoyed event. This will be my second year covering BIFF, last year I fell back in love with short films because I INSIDE watched 16 of For full schedule of them. It rekindled events, see my dormant desire page A10. to make another one myself. Ron totally gets it from the filmmaker’s perspective. “Indie filmmaking is about passion, creativity, and in many cases enormous sacrifices,” he said. “The reward comes with the applause mostly and not the money.”
This year’s festival It’s safe to say that this year’s BIFF will display oodles of passion and the USCB auditorium will ring loudly with applause. It runs from Thuesday, Feb. 17 through Sunday, Feb. 22. As a little background, the judges (there are three tiers) selected 54 films and five screenplays from more than 500 submissions from
SEE MEMORIES PAGE A10
Bands Brews & BBQ brings smoke, sauce, sound back to Port Royal By Delayna Earley The Island News If the breeze coming off the river smells a little like hickory this weekend, you’re not imagining it. It’s Bands Brews & BBQ time again, which means downtown Port Royal’s Paris Avenue will fill with smokers, folding chairs,
guitar riffs and the slow, happy migration of people moving from tent to tent with tickets in one hand and napkins in the other. Now in its 15th year, the festival has become one of Port Royal’s most reliable signs that winter is loosening its grip. You may still need a jacket, but
you’ll also need an appetite. Sanctioned by the South Carolina Barbecue Association, the competition draws cook teams from across the Southeast while raising money for the Zonta Club of Beaufort — the club’s biggest
SEE SMOKE PAGE A6
The Albridge Family speaks with one of the barbecue teams while tasting a sample during the Bands, Brews and BBQ tasting in Port Royal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. The event was coordinated by Zonta Club of Beaufort. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
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Beaufort’s new FOIA deposit rule sparks debate among residents.
‘Heart of Healing’ program will unite power of local art, healthcare.
Robert Adams Jr.: “This is our chance to shape what economic development looks like.”
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