Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
Florida Film Festival 2025 More Great Films!
InFocus-Magazine is back with even more recommendations for the 34th Florida Film Festival, which runs for 10 days beginning April 11th. Before I dive in, here’s an update. The special celebrity guests this year are Christina Ricci and Mia Farrow. A link for tickets to those events as well as further information on all the films is posted at the end of the column. Many of the filmmakers will be in attendance and are happy to talk about their films, so this is your chance to meet and greet!
The Paper Bear – A Florida Feature that could not be timelier, considering the FWC is this close to allowing yet another black bear hunt. Walton County, the film's setting, is one of the areas where Florida black bears live. Bears are naturally wary of people, which is one of the reasons that Jason Burkey (Father), is having such a difficult time tracking ‘Talla’ the bear; he occasionally checks up on her. Not only is it his job, but he’s got a passion for conservation, and he’s brought along his young son, Max, to share the experience. Max shows little initial enthusiasm for the expedition. Until he comes face to muzzle with one. Intrigued by the illustrated journal written by his grandfather, which tells the tale of the Paper Bears, Max becomes increasingly interested in keeping Florida Wild. A harmonious blend of live action and animation, the film's cinematography is also beautiful. When Max and his dad are reading the journal out loud, the animation comes to life, bringing back beloved memories of classics like The Jungle Book and The Rescuers - especially the bear yoga! The journal reveals the legend of the Paper Bear; there are some bears who are so special that they are designated the protector ghosts of the forest. The film appeals to people of any age, especially children who are concerned about the planet. They understand – respect nature and it will respect you.
The Snow Bear – Animated Shorts. Though they’re not playing in the same bill, let’s continue the bear theme. This Florida-produced / animated short is a beautifully hand-drawn eleven minutes. Without a single word, it begs us all to work to halt global warming. Like The Paper Bear, the polar bear in this film is anthropomorphized, and tugs on your heartstrings just as fiercely. The Snow Bear is directed by Aaron Blaise, whose work with Walt Disney features animation includes The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast and Aladdin. In 2003, he was nominated for directing Brother Bear. Emotionally packed, the creative team even utilizes the closing credits to illustrate the further adventures of our Snow Bear.
Dandelion – Narrative Shorts. Stars Vic Michaelis and Ava Lalezarzadeh are absolutely dynamic together. This is a perfect 20-minutes of real, relevant and relatable characters. Expelled from a Los Angeles Catholic school for girls for stealing the donation box, found guilty of flirting with the other female students, Margaret is shuttled around town by social worker/volunteer Joyce. Joyce is desperate to find one family on her list willing to take in the teen rebel for the few short months till she ages out of the foster system. It’s obvious that although Joyce identifies with Margaret’s unwillingness to guard her tongue, she resists the urge to foster Margaret. Well-written, the story is based on true experiences of gay teens in America in the 1970’s.
Something Better Change – Doc Feature. Director Scott Crawford tells In Focus that he spent almost four years on this feature about one rockin’ politician. I know very little about the music D.O.A.’s frontman, Joey 'Shithead' Keithley released, but it’s obvious that musicians like Dave Grohl and Henry Rollins, who also appear in the film, have huge respect for Keithley and are not surprised that the Burnaby, British Columbia native joined the Green Party, running for public office multiple times. With a full-out, balls-to-the wall, smash you in the face with our music past, Keithley brings that same passion to his present city council race. With the full support of his family, Keithley’s motto is TALK – ACTION = ZER0, and he’s more than willing to put himself out there, knocking on doors, chatting up neighbors on the street, working the voters just like he worked the concert crowds. And he hasn’t slowed down. At public meetings, he brings his guitar on stage and serenades the voters, jumping around like the rebel he used to be. Joe wants to shake up the system and make the lives of his constituents better, with action, not just words. Slick editing by Crawford, interlacing Keithley’s musical past with the present political landscape in Vancouver, the viewer becomes fully invested in the outcome of his race.
Boil That Cabbage Down - Florida Short. From Director and Florida Filmmaker Candace Williamson, the film is about the banjo. And it will bring you joy. I was reminded of that quote from Steve Martin, ‘the banjo is such a happy instrument, you can’t play a sad song on the banjo’. Part personal journey, part exploration about how the instrument became part of the fabric of America, you’ll tap your toes and smile.
Bad Hostage – Doc Shorts. If you’re a fan of true crime stories, this thrilling documentary will suck you right in. Or, should I say, right back to 1973, when Director Mimi Wilcox’s mom and her siblings were held hostage in their suburban California home by a pair of bank robbers. Wilcox and Max Asaf, the film’s producer, utilize press clippings, diagrams, stills and interviews from Wilcox’s entire family to convey not only the fear, but also the courage her mom exhibited under pressure from the gunmen as well as the local police, who were determined to capture the robbers at any cost. Among other historical lore, they weave in the Patty Hearst/Tania kidnapping by the SLA as well as footage from the victims of a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, which birthed the term 'Stockholm Syndrome'. It’s extremely disturbing to hear her mom say that, at the time, some, including the cops, were sure that she, like Patty Hearst, were accomplices to their own hostage-taking; “she feared more from the cops than those who took them prisoner”.
Fatherless No More – Doc Feature. Kayla Johnson, Director of the film, takes us to Riker’s Island, a maximum security prison in NY, and follows her dad, Orlando Pastor Tim Johnson, into the belly of the beast. In 2021, Rikers had 139 stabbing and slashing cases within the prison. Pastor Johnson had a ‘calling’ to go to the prison and, by working with the inmates, all young, black men with limited or nonexistent contact with their own fathers, encourages and inspires them to find their own sense of self-worth. Tim Johnson’s guidance and compassion for these young men who are not afraid to die, but are afraid to live, is starkly revealed through the lens of Director Johnson, Ashly Robinson and Victoria Martinez. Johnson tells In Focus that this was a majority all-woman crew and it took time to build trust with the incarcerated men. They had off-camera conversations, the men revealing feelings and emotions on camera that they hadn’t yet revealed to the Pastor. Her dad had already been working with the men for a year before Ms. Robinson suggested they film the Pastor’s time, just to get a sense of what he was doing. With previous experience in documentary filmmaking, the crew realized the footage they captured was immensely compelling, and the film took shape. There are no punches pulled here. The reality is that many of these young men will be imprisoned for life, but the difference Tim Johnson has made is irrefutable. A year after the program began, there was a 57% decrease in the assault cases within Rikers.
After What Happened At The Library – Narrative Short. Personal and powerful narrative about violence at a Drag Story Hour. The true story of a hate crime in San Francisco, where anti-gay extremists burst into a library, terrifying the parents, librarians and kindergarten kids who were all there expecting a fun time and ended up hysterically crying. Simply because the story was being read by a beautiful figure in a dress, wig and makeup, who happened to be a man, and extremists have been programmed to consider that 'sick'. Actor/co-writer/producer Kyle Casey Chu gives an emotionally taught performance of the events before, during and after the episode, including a bizarre yet accurate interview with a news crew in her apartment, following the assault. Those who fear Drag Story Hour have never been to Drag Story Hour. The idea that your child will become gay because of what another person is wearing is one of the stupidest, most dehumanizing concepts in America today. Writer/Producer Roisin Isner is developing the short film for a feature.
Here's the link for more information on the entire festival: https://floridafilmfestival.com/films/
