Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
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Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
Sunshine & Swampland was born to celebrate all the things that filmmakers find unique about life here amongst the heat and humidity. This year, we had so much incredible content we created two diverse programs to showcase filmmakers we believe best exemplify the future of filmmaking in Florida. From invasive species in the Everglades and celebrating the beauty of the human body’s various shapes and sizes amongst the springs, to the need for prison reform; struggles with mental health, overbearing mothers, artists and muses; and maybe even a werewolf, there are a lot of stories in the Sunshine State, and we’re thrilled to bring you these.
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Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
Carmen
Directed by: Cristine Brache
USA/Canada, 2023, 14m
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
Cristine Brache (“Morning Sickness in the USA,” FFF 2021) returns with the tale of Lazara, a dominatrix working on the outskirts of Miami whose day is upended when her unstable mother, Carmen, arrives at the dungeon with two large bags of teddy bears and demands a ride.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
Goodbye Tallahassee, I Hope You Understand…
Directed by: Bretton A. Miller
USA, 2023, 9m
Goodbye [good-bahy] interjection: a concluding remark used at parting. Tallahassee [tal-uh-has-ee] noun: A vortex of a city that never lets you go. Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the 2022 Brouhaha Film and Video Showcase.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
How to Carry Water
Directed by: Sasha Wortzel
USA, 2023, 15m
Shoog McDaniel is a fat, queer, and disabled photographer working in and around northern Florida’s vast network of freshwater springs. For over a decade, Shoog’s photographs have transformed the way fat people view themselves and how a fat-phobic society views their bodies. Bringing Shoog’s photography to life, director Sasha Wortzel immerses audiences in a world of fat beauty and liberation, one in which marginalized bodies—including bodies of water—are sacred.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
Two Strikes
Directed by: Ursula Liang
USA, 2023, 20m
Mark Jones wanted to serve his country and possibly become an FBI agent like his father, but his life took a turn. In 2011, Jones grabbed the arm of a woman sitting in her car at a Publix grocery store parking lot in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and demanded her keys. At age 39, Jones was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. “Two Strikes” explores Jones’ case and the state law that put him behind bars likely for the remainder of his days.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
Alexandra McGee
Directed by: Nicole Cone
USA, 2023, 12m
A hardworking South Florida teen is pushed to her moral limits when she realizes her geometry grade could jeopardize her GPA.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
From Fish to Moon
Directed by: Kevin Contento
USA, 2022, 13m
In Pahokee, Florida, there is a grocery store, and those who work at the Thriftway arrive early and stay all day roaming the aisles. One of these employees is Jean Voltaire. Alumni director Kevin Contento (“Hierophany,” FFF 2019) trains his observant lens on another unique corner of Florida.
Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts, Volume 2
U.S.A. Vacation
Directed by: Xavier Francisco Serrano
USA, 2023, 6m
This FSU student short follows a French couple on a southern road trip. When they make a quick stop to clean out their car in a Northern Florida industrial office park, they quickly come to regret the decision. A tense and timely look at what happens when communication breaks down.
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