Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, a feature documentary that is about Jimmy Buffett’s original band is set to premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 9th, with a second screening on February 13th. The documentary is narrated by Academy Award winner and the official Dude, Jeff Bridges.

The documentary features commentary from Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes as well as many original Coral Reefer band members and touring crew. The First Coral Reefers were a group of wildly talented, often unruly characters whose creative energy and personal chemistry helped define Buffett’s most iconic early work. Occupational Hazard is directed by John H. Cunningham, who has a deep and close connection to several members of the first Coral Reefers as well as to a lifelong affinity to Jimmy Buffett, as their paths crossed many times, beginning in the Florida Keys in the 1970s.

The director John H. Cunningham commented about the doc and Jimmy Buffett:

“I first saw Jimmy and the Coral Reefers in 1977 and then moved to Key West shortly thereafter. Having known many of the first Reefers for several years, I felt the band’s origin story needed to be preserved. Once we started the interviews, their collective sentiments about life in the 70s, their time on the road, in the studio and their feelings about Jimmy, I knew we had captured lightning in a bottle. My goal in making the film was to help preserve the band’s origin story, capture the essence of that era and pay tribute to how Key West had permeated their souls.”

Watch the trailer:

From dusty road gigs and dive-bar rehearsals to the first big studio albums, the documentary details how this group crafted a sound and built a touring family—until the hard-partying lifestyle, dubbed the “heavy artillery years,” began to take its toll. Drug use led to burnout, and tragedy crept in, but Buffett’s desire to succeed resulted in a near-total transformation of the band on his road to becoming one of the most successful musicians of our generation.

This film is a tribute to Buffett and the original Coral Reefers, the places and people that shaped them, the volatile beauty of a musical moment that couldn’t last but changed everything and their candid sentiment toward Buffett. It’s the origin story upon which the Parrot Head empire was built upon, by the people who helped lay the foundation.

Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers SBIFF Screening Information:

February 9, 2026
8:00PM
Fiesta Five – Auditorium 1
916 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

February 13, 2026
6:00PM
Fiesta Five – Auditorium 4
916 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

For tickets + info please visit https://sbiff.org/