Florida Stories
Shorts Package
Lynda Fay Braun
2025, NR, US, Documentary, 6 minutes
World Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Florida Film
Director: Jacopo Fantastichini
Producer: Plant Pop
Writer: Jacopo Fantastichini
Cast: Lynda Fay Braun
An abstract painter living in Naples sees the allure of abstract art everywhere she looks — deserts, mountaintops, distant landscapes and the beach. Following the devastation of Hurricane Ian, she begins to answer the question of whether art can emerge from disaster by finding lines, contrasts and a new visual grammar through the destruction.
The Little Brown Bird
2025, NR, US, Documentary, 33 minutes
Filmmakers in Attendance
Florida Film
Director: KT Bryden
Producers: KT Bryden, Tom Swartwout
Once down to 80 in the wild, the Florida grasshopper sparrow is at risk of extinction. Biologist Fabiola ‘Fabby’ Baeza-Tarin and an unexpected team work together to protect the sparrows, their shrinking habitat and the headwaters of the Everglades. A timely, hopeful story about the power of collaboration between ranchers, military officers and biologists.
George V
2025, NR, US, Documentary, 12 minutes
Filmmakers in Attendance
Florida Film
Directors: Dennis Scholl, Dia Kontaxis
Producers: Dennis Scholl, Dia Kontaxis, Ed Talavera
Writers: Dennis Scholl, Dia Kontaxis
Cast: Katherine Gentleson, Kyle Mancuso, Gary Monroe
When a Ukrainian immigrant retires to 1970s South Beach, he discovers a hidden talent for fine art. Decades later, a young friend’s devotion to preserving his work results in a celebrated museum exhibition.
Parker & Sammy
2025, NR, US, Documentary, 33 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Florida Film
Directors: Guto Barra, Peter DiMario
Producers: Guto Barra, Peter DiMario
Writer: Ricardo Lerman
It’s not every day you meet an ex-cage fighter and a young man with Down syndrome who call each other best friends, but Parker and Sammy are anything but ordinary. This unlikely duo has been capturing hearts and changing perceptions ever since their uplifting buddy videos went viral on social media. Parker & Sammy is a heartwarming documentary that follows their journey as they train for a 5K run in Naples, Florida. Along the way, they push each other beyond their limits, proving that friendship, perseverance, and an unbreakable bond can redefine what’s possible.