From Oscar winners Bong Joon-Ho and Barry Jenkins to indie mavericks Kat Candler and Zoe Lister-Jones to cinematic auteurs Jem Cohen and Josephine Decker, the Tallahassee Film Festival has been selecting and curating the best independent cinema flying under the radar since 2008. Here’s the lineup for the 2020 Tallahassee Film Festival.
Film. Freshly squeezed.
This year, we’re excited to announce a new track in our festival called Freshly Squeezed. The films and presentations in this track feature some of the latest and best work by filmmakers from Florida; working in Florida; or, with films made in Florida or about Florida.
Opening Night Presentation
Pahokee
A film by Patrick Bresnan & Ivete Lucas
A deep dive into the final year of high school for a group of predominantly African-American students in this small town on the edge of Lake Okeechobee.
Friday, April 17, 2020 at 7:00 PM at CMX Cinemas Fallschase 14
Help us kick off the FSU Spring Game the right way!
Expected to be in attendance at the Opening Night screening of Pahokee: Filmmaker Patrick Bresnan and some of the subjects from the film, which features several students now attending college in Tallahassee, including B.J. Crawford, offensive lineman for the Florida A&M University Rattlers, and brothers Adarius and Akeem Dent, respectively a wide receiver and a defensive back for the Florida State University Seminoles.
There will be a post-film reception, featuring a special food and drink menu, in the bar at CMX Cinemas Fallschase 14.
Closing Night Presentation
Some Kind of Heaven
A film by Lance Oppenheim
Behind the gates of a palm tree-lined fantasyland, four residents of America’s largest retirement community, The Villages, Florida, strive to find happiness and meaning.
Sunday, April 19, 2020 at TIME TBA at LOCATION TBA
Included as part of the Closing Night Presentation will be a brief Awards Ceremony to honor the Audience Favorites of the festival and the TFF Directors’ Choice.
Expected to be in attendance at the Closing Night Presentation of Some Kind of Heaven: Filmmaker Lance Oppenheim.
There will be a post film reception at the Craft House in Railroad Square.
Spotlight Films
Crestone
A film by Marnie Hertzler
In a world that undulates between fact and fiction, digital and physical, a group of SoundCloud rappers lives a solitary, post-societal existence in the desert town of Crestone, Colorado.
The El Duce Tapes
A film by Rodney Ascher, David Lawrence & Ryan Sexton
A deep dive into recently unearthed VHS footage of El Duce from the infamous shock-rock band The Mentors. What secrets do these tapes contain? Are they an archive of a lost time and place or do they say something about 21st Century America?
Freeland
A film by Kate McLean and Mario Furloni
Devi has been breeding legendary pot strains for decades on the remote homestead she built herself. But when cannabis is legalized, she suddenly finds herself fighting for her survival.
The Killing of Two Lovers
A film by Robert Machoian
After a startling opening image of extreme tension, first-time solo director, and TFF-alum, Robert Machoian’s stark, slow-burn drama never quite goes where you expect.
Narrowsburg
A film by Martha Shane
In this stranger-than-fiction documentary, a bit player in mob movies turns con artist and bedazzles a small town in upstate New York with Hollywood dreams.
Once Upon a River
A film by Haroula Rose
Based on the best-selling novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell, Once Upon A River is the story of Native American teenager in 1970s rural Michigan as she begins an unexpected odyssey on the Stark River to find her estranged mother after her father is killed in a tragic accident.
Red, White & Wasted
A film by Sam B. Jones & Andrei B. Schwartz
A film that dives into the subculture of mudding to reveal a microcosm of redneck America where race, class, and the polarized politics of our time manifest themselves in unexpected and messy ways.
Thumbs Up for Mother Universe
A film by George King
This is the story of one person’s drive to succeed against impossible odds: a journey from garbage dumps and prison camps to festival stages and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Official Selections
Features
Easy Does It
A film by Will Addison
Shot with a gritty ’70s road-movie aesthetic, Easy Does It follows the scrappy anti-heroics of two Mississippi no-hopers on a treasure hunt of epic proportions.
Flannery
A film by Elizabeth Coffman and Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J.
A gothic story fueled by televangelists and girls with wooden legs, Flannery tells the life story of southern U.S. writer Flannery O’Connor. How can people go to church and commit murder, she wonders?
Granada Nights
A film by Abid Khan
A British-Pakistani tourist struggles to mend his broken heart. After a sudden breakup with his girlfriend he finds himself lost and isolated in the foreign city of Granada, Spain.
The Last Porno Show
A film by Kire Paputts
Wayne, an amateur method actor, inherits the city’s last adult cinema from his estranged father Al and gets caught up in the pornographic underworld as he struggles to resolve the traumas from his youth and reconcile with the father he barely knew.
No one under 17 will be admitted into this screening.
Marlene
A film by Andreas Resch
This nightmarish film tells the story of a woman, Marlene, who moves to Berlin in order to begin a new life and soon meets her upstairs-neighbor Flo, seemingly a nice guy.
Overwhelm the Sky
A film by Daniel Kremer
An expertly modern take on the classic noir genre, the story is loosely adapted from Charles Brockden Brown’s 1799 novel Edgar Huntly, or Memoirs of a Sleepwalker. Edgar “Eddie” Huntly moves to San Francisco to marry the sister of his best friend Neil. When Neil is found murdered just before Eddie’s arrival in town, he soon begins to obsess over the details of his friend’s crime, unleashing a chain of unpredictable events.
Queen of Lapa
A film by Carolina Monnerat and Theodore Collatos
Larger-than-life actress, cabaret performer, activist, and proud sex professional since the age of eleven, Luana Muniz – arguably one of Brazil’s most recognizable transgender personalities – shapes a new reality for a new generation of transgender sex workers in the dangerous neighborhood of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro.
Wasted Hours
A film by Peter Mahaffey
Three stories intersect on the last day of school in Pensacola, Florida. The film is a naturalistic portrayal of a class of teenagers in the slightly surreal Florida tourist town. Shot on Super 16, the film feels like a memory of a hot summer day in Florida years ago.
Woman of the Photographs
A film by Takeshi Kushida
A misogynistic photographer discovers the joys of loving a woman for the first time in his life, when he encounters Kyoko, a beautiful woman and former model with a large scar on her body.
Official Selections
Short Films
Please note: Official Selection short films will be shown in their respective programs. The programs will be announced soon!
A Burial
A film by Kevan Tucker
A young boy confronts his fears and ventures into the mysterious woods at night to find his lost dog.
A Mentor
A film by Szonja Szabó
Sarah is a lonely teenager who is full of hidden, bitter passion. She shares her feelings only with a man she calls her “mentor” whom she met on the Internet. Based on the true story of the Blue Whale Game crimes.
A Separation
A film by Yalan Hu
On a warm autumn day in 1990, a young Chinese woman, arrives in Florida to reunite with her PhD husband after a four-year separation.
And the Brave Shall Rise
A film by Adam Schlachter
In the wake of the high school shootings in Parkland, Florida, concerned citizens travel by bus to the State Capitol to debate legislators about an urgent issue: Gun Reform.
Anniversary
A film by James Harlon Palmer
A comedic and musical look at a couple celebrating one year as doting sweethearts. It was all good until Jimmy realizes this milestone leads to the altar – a sacrifice he’s not ready to make.
Arachne
A film by Adam Kritzer
“Her hair, touched by the poison, fell off, and with it both nose and ears; and the head shrank up; her whole body also was small; the slender fingers clung to her side as legs; the rest was belly. Still from this she ever spins a thread; and now, as a spider, she exercises her old-time weaver-art.” ~ Ovid, Metamorphoses
Avail This Offer
A film by Dave Rodriguez
A brief, forensic investigation into the tactics of predatory capitalism and synthetic media generation.
Cambia Tutto
A film by Ana Mouyis & Fox Schwach
Cambia Tutto is comprised of over 2,500 images that, when brought together in sequence, take the viewer through the small Italian village of Cavaso del Tomba.
Carry My Heart to the Yellow River
A film by Alexis Van Hurkman
Taking her hospitalized friend’s place on a bike tour to the Yellow River, a high school graduate travels to faraway Gannan and races the clock to share pictures of the journey.
Catharsis
A film by Nicholas Firlej
A teenage boy’s struggle with depression and apathy in the wake of his father’s unexpected passing.
Chapter 9
A film by Jake Brown
Caught in the clutches of a nefarious island, Edward Prendick stumbles upon a terrifying Thing that soon wreaks upon him a flood of endless torment.
¡Come!
A film by Lizette Barrera
Set in Florida, a 12 year old Puerto Rican girl’s perspective changes when she brings a popular dessert dish, Arroz con Leche, to a thanksgiving event at her school and no one eats it.
Cuba Scalds His Hand
A film by Abby Sun & Daniel Garber
A kinetic and humorous glimpse of a man just trying to do his job, the film rides along with Cuba, who fits the rodeo cowboy stereotype no better than he fits into his ill-fated Japanese mini-truck.
Dear Georgina
A film by Adam Mazo & Ben Pender-Cudlip
At age two Georgina was removed from her home and her Passamaquoddy community in Downeast Maine by child protection services. She would never see her parents again. Now Georgina tries to sharpen the blurry outlines of her identity.
Deep Creak
A film by John Knipp & Joel Flora
Noah, a disgruntled writer, searches for creative seclusion at an old waterfront cabin. After a power outage leads him to the basement, Noah discovers the identity of a previous tenant.
Down
A film by Garry Crystal
Two strangers are trapped in an elevator. One is dying; the other is dying to escape.
Flash
A film by Barney Frydman
A French-Belgian crime drama that’s also a master class in cross-cutting: A police squad on a mission. A football match. Tension rises on either side. Shots fly and the team must face the pressure. When rivalry and betrayal slide onto the field, the team’s trust shatters.
For Hope
A film by James P. Rees
In the underbelly of Kentucky a young disabled girl’s world of structured harmony is kept afloat by her older brother, but at what cost?
Former Sinners of the Future
A film by Drew Durepos
A complicated moment between two friends—one a novice filmmaker, the other a new parent—is explored through an arrangement of objects of memory and tools of production.
Ghostal Galaxies
A film by William Allen
Weaving his twisty surrealist jabs, this documentary pays homage to George Lowe, who plays the voice of Space Ghost, chronicling his art obsessions and masterful voice talent as he strives to maintain a committed fanbase.
Ground Control
A film by Danielle Karagannis
In a world where drugs are outlawed, an astronaut named Major Tom is assigned to export an exuberant number of drugs out of America and into outer space.
Herzog & Morris
A film by Neil Butler
A comedic noir that dramatizes a pivotal moment in the real life relationship between Werner Herzog and Errol Morris during the summer of 1975.
Hunger
A film by Katyayan Shivpuri
Inspired by true events, Hunger is about a homeless man and his love for food. He is a pauper in life but at heart, he is connoisseur of “gourmet” food. He does not eat to live. He lives to eat…and eat well!
In Lieu of Flowers
A film by Louise de Nexon
As Michael struggles to write the eulogy for his mother’s funeral, he tries to remember what it is that defined his complicated relationship with her, so he can find the right way to finally let her go.
In the Pink
A film by Katharine Stocker
Marie is a young medical professional who discovers she might be infertile. What unfolds is a narrative of friendship, youth, and maintaining normalcy, when something as fundamental as bodily autonomy is taken away.
Invitation
A film by Chad Hill
Pastor Paul is trying to save Ambrose’s soul. It’s not going well.
Killer Confidence
A film by Peter Howie
After being dared to burgle an abandoned house, Jamie meets Mike.
Let’s Get Lost
A film by Sam Stillman
Ozzy, beset on all sides by the eccentricities of the artists around her, escapes her jazz club to go on an adventure with Jack, a talented and mysterious urban forest-sprite singer.
Let’s Not Go There
A film by Jonathan Kiefer
On the cusp of a momentous journey, an interracial relationship reaches a daunting threshold.
Maelstrom
A film by Juhee Jane So
Anna is a teenage girl who recently lost her mother to suicide and now must move in with her aunt who will become her guardian.
Maria
A film by Robert Burns
A young college student with an anxiety disorder goes on an awkward blind date.
Miss Man
A film by Tathagata Ghosh
Manob is in love with another man. And he has a price to pay for that. Not only is he fighting the society around him, but his own homophobic father, who turns to physical violence to “cure his son from the disease of loving another man.”
Motion at a Distance
A film by Lindsay Packer
In Motion at a Distance, a stop-motion animation film. Images coupled with sound are pushed and pulled much like paint on a canvas to create abstract textures that evoke mood and memory.
No Fems
A film by Tyler Vogel
A portrait of feminine gay men and how they not only receive the pressure from society to be masculine, but also from within their own community.
Northern Malady
A film by Gerrit Kuge
Northern Malady is a memory of lost things: a couple on vacation, wind and water, a dream and speechlessness. To the one remembering, this memory becomes a presence of an imprint of reality and an absence from its real counterpart at the same time.
Nowhere Arkansas
A film by Robert Linsley
Nowhere, Arkansas, 1863. A Confederate veteran, haunted by his past, hunts redemption in the form of a famous eagle that belongs to the Union Army.
Office Song
A film by Marcus Markou
It’s another office affair – one of thousands. But in Office Song, the inner world of ordinary office workers and their humdrum lives bursts into life with poetry and something greater than the sum of their tedious working day is revealed.
One Bedroom, One Bath
A film by Mischa Livingstone
Two nameless strangers overcome their expectations while on the hunt for a rental apartment in Los Angeles.
Out of the Desert
A film by Natalia Fentisova
A physical and psychological journey, discovering the Self. Shot on 16mm film and hand-processed, this experimental short explores the mystical terrain of Joshua Tree through the medium of pure cinema.
Pickpocket
A film by James Mackenzie
A dialogue-free dramatic thriller that follows a busboy who is lured from his boring life by the exciting lifestyle of a pickpocket.
Pygmalion
A film by André Hoven
With great anticipation Harald eagerly awaits the wedding of his only daughter. His biggest problem is his belief, that his deceased wife lives on in a store mannequin, which he wants to take along to the wedding celebration.
Sam
A film by Sean Price
A lonely sock puppet struggles through life until he discovers an improv comedy troupe.
Sequins
A film by Michael Beddoes
Paul wakes up early every morning to practice his drag act. A chance encounter with jaded Blackpool queen Mimi Le Purr, set’s him on a collision course with his parents, bullies and the school talent show.
Side Effects May Include
A film by Jonathan Kiefer
Why even think about struggling? Tell your doctor about all of your medications so that he or she may squeeze in a few more.
Sophie & Stephen
A film by Rob Perri
Two A.I. assistants conspire to get their human counterparts to meet.
Soukoon
A film by Farah Shaer
While her marital life decays, Mariam worries she might be pregnant.
Soul Man
A film by Kyle Taubken
Ben Whitaker, Jr., an aging and mostly washed up singer-songwriter from the ’60s/’70s era of big soul music, navigates loneliness, failed relationships, and a botched career in modern day Memphis, Tennessee.
Space Tape
A film by Yuma Slowbinder
Become art, worship videotape, and win arguments with hearse drivers in less than seven minutes! By using concentrated narrative elements Yuma Snowbinder pre-packages three unique tales in one 7 minute short.
Stay Green
A film by Brian Wallace
For the people. For the planet. For the pretense. In this, self-proclaimed, “mundane documentary,” an unassuming man reveals the activist hero within himself.
Stunned, I Remain Alert
A film by Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos and Henrique Amud
Journalist Dermi Azevedo has never stopped fighting for human rights and now, three decades after the end of the military dictatorship in Brazil, he’s witnessing the return of those same practices.
Swiped
A film by Derek Evans
Cat and Rita have had enough of their soul sucking jobs. When an opportunity arises, they take matters into their own hands by swiping wallets as they swipe right on Kindred Spirits: an online dating app.
It’s not a typo! We have two very different films with the same name.
Swiped
A film by Steve Whiteley
Alarmed by the detrimental effect smartphones are having on those around them, three friends launch a rogue initiative intended to force people to be more present.
The Binoculars
A film by Rahul Sharma
Cadence runs away during an unwanted road trip with her mother. Looking through her binoculars leads her to an unexpected meeting with two refugees.
The Lost Ones
A film by Ben Rand
A grieving mother is haunted by the ghost of her son.
The Sound of Unexpected Death
A film by Alexander Sagmo
It is a completely normal night, full of petty fights and everyday happenings – until it isn’t. Six seemingly innocuous scenarios serve as the prelude to a horrific, unexpected terror.
The Tip
A film by Daryn Castle
Big Jake and Miles, two happy-go-lucky friends meet in a quiet bar to celebrate the completion of a job well done. But Miles has some unexpected news for his friend that sours the party.
The Turner Exhibit
A film by Mathew Gregory Bainbridge
Growing resentment between brothers Anthony and Alex Turner, one successful and the other struggling, leads to tragic consequences.
Tired Eyes
A film by Ryan Martin Brown
Rose, Mitch, and Trevor make up the lo-fi rock band Tired Eyes. The trio have a small gig tonight, which means schlepping gear from a cramped practice space in Brooklyn to the middle of Manhattan. Unfortunately, the city has a way of making even the simplest of tasks absurdly difficult.
To Settle
A film by Alex Wahoski
Claire receives news that she can leave for her New York internship early and leaves her boyfriend behind, even after receiving a local internship.
Waterfall
A film by Nora Niasari
Fourteen-year-old Zahra cannot come to terms with her Iranian mother’s new Australian fiancé, Peter. In an attempt to unite the family, Peter and Leila take Zahra on a road trip in search of a waterfall, but Zahra’s growing tensions with Peter lead to an inevitable distance from the person she loves most.
We Have Your Wife
A film by Jim Ford
Two criminals kidnap a man’s wife. When they call with their ransom demands, they are very surprised with his response.
You Have Probably Never Heard of Hornita Calypso
A film by Tala Schlossberg
In an unrealized search for meaning, a set of characters trudge through the mundane. This piece was created along the way.