Welcome to the first ever
Tampa Film Festival
in beautiful sunny Florida!
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We connect filmmakers with each other in a celebration of
the best in independent cinema. We hope you join us
to enjoy the films and the sun and fun of Tampa!
Thursday, December 7th, 2023
Friday, December 8th, 2023
Saturday December 9th, 2023
FILMS OF THE 2023 Tampa Film Festival
Drama Life
Liang Yi yi, a 65-year-old actress who was tricked into selling her home for a film, accidentally realizes her dream when she finds out a way to get her money back.
Bo Yao has a Master degree in filmmaking and has watched more than 4000 movies. His past directing efforts include Mr. Bunny and the Undead Detective.
Directed by Bo Yao
Written by Xiaohan Luo
Echo
Detective Harder takes on her first case after surviving a bomb attack during a police training mission in Afghanistan. The remains of a girl are discovered in a moor near the small German town of Friedland. But Harder's investigation hits set backs.
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Nominee - Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival)
Official Selection - Cinefest Sudbury
Official Selection - The Oldenburg Film Festival
Mareike Wegener studied film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, documentary filmmaking at the New School in New York and philosophy at the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
Echo is her first feature and was nominated at the 72nd Berlinale.
Written & Directed by Mareike Wegener
Rutubet
(The Moisture)
Teacher Ä°shak is a teacher in Turkey struggling with an unruly student Yusuf as well as his own marital problems. But everything changes when one of his students goes missing.
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Winner - Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Nominee - La Biennale di Venezia (Venice)
Turan Haste won Best Short for The Moisture at the 38th Santa Barbara Film Festival this year. The film was also nominated for Best Short at the 79th Venice Film Festival.
Directed by Turan Haste
Written by Muhammed Furkan Dasbilek
sister
On the day of her older sister's burial, a bereaved woman meets an amicable bartender who helps her find the courage to continue on. A story about sisterly love and the bonds that will always remain.
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Stars Billy Magnussen (Game Night, Aladdin, 007 No Time to Die) and
Jayne Brook (Star Trek: Discovery, Brothers & Sisters, Boston Legal)
Directed by Shane Andries
Written by Meg Jenkins Locke
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Shane Andries graduated from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He won the Grand Prize at the Slamdance Screenplay Competition and is currently developing a live-action Aladdin spinoff for Disney Plus with Billy Magnussen who he runs a studio with and are producing several projects. Shane has performed worldwide as a Blue Man in BLUE MAN GROUP and has worked on projects such as HBO's Love and Death. He resides in Texas with his wife Bethany and their children.
The Nana
Project
Set in the competitive world of chess, we follow Nana’s (Academy Award Winner Mercedes Ruehl) journey in a heartwarming feel-good comedy about reuniting her grandsons and supporting her retirement community. Also starring Nolan Gould (Modern Family), Morgan Fairchild, Tony Todd (Candyman), and Sierra McCormick
Robin Givens has acted in many projects including Boomerang and Riverdale and directed episodes of TV shows Nancy Drew, Dynasty, and others as well as six features.
Directed by Robin Givens
Written by Eric Ulloa
Life
A young man who, solving his problems, finds himself in a string of events and people whose meanings of life form a kind of kaleidoscope.
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Nominee - Tokyo International Film Festival
Official Selection - Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection - Hong Kong International Film Festival
Emir Baigazin was born on July 19, 1984 in Alma-Ata, Kazakhskaya SSR, USSR now known as Almaty, Kazakhstan. Emir is a director and writer, known for Harmony Lessons, The River, and The Wounded Angel. He has won and been nominated at film festivals such as Tribeca, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Tokyo, San Paulo, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Seattle.
Written & Directed by Emir Baigazin
John Doe
A homeless man with no memory of his past or who he is, helps save the citizens of Los Angeles. Stars Martin Kove (Cobra Kai, Karate Kid), Crystal Allen (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Jeff Rector (American Horror Story)
Directed by Jeff Rector and Vahe Garabedian
Written by Jeff Rector
Jeff Rector is an award-winning writer, director, producer, actor, stand-up comedian and best-selling author. Jeff has over 150 Television & Film credits to date and is also the Festival Director for the Tarzana International Film Festival. He also supports many charitable organizations such as The American Heart Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Boys and Girls Club, and The Frontline Foundation which feeds the homeless on skid row.
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Vahe is accredited for producing hit TV movies for HBO/Cinemax
Behind
Our Walls
Despite all odds, a group of inmates in Michigan join a Bachelor's degree program, in order to change their lives...and maybe even the system.
Directed by Nate Roels
Nate Roels is a director based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the founder of Second Mile Video. Criminal justice reform is a special focus of his, which is the topic of two of his documentaries, Behind Our Walls (2023) and Renardo (2016).
This
Time
When a closeted teen inherits her estranged father’s journal she discovers cryptic clues uncovering his secret life.
Now to fulfill her father’s dying wish she must blackmail an alcoholic hearse driver to race her cross-country to attempt a long shot rendezvous with her father's longtime friend Liza Minnelli.
Directed by Robert George Vaughn
Written by Allie Jennings
Vaughn has written and produced on more than 30 television and feature films for the likes of HBO, Hallmark, Showtime, and more. This Time marks his feature directorial debut and stars character actor Charles Martin Smith and emerging breakout talent Anwen O’Driscoll.
Clone
In the future, every U.S. citizen has the right to own one clone of themself. Clones have no rights and can only become citizens if emancipated by their original human.
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After 30 years together, Alex suddenly elects to emancipate his clone, but his closest friends begin to question his true intentions. Starring Alex Breaux (Showtime's Waco: The Aftermath) and Kiowa Gordon (AMC's Dark Winds)
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Official Selection - Jacksonville Film Festival
Official Selection - Flickers Rhode Island
Official Selection - Montclair Film Festival
Official Selection - DC International Film Festival
Ryan M. Kennedy is one of the few people to direct a feature and have it go to Netflix and Hulu and then go to film school! He has a Bachelors of Fine Arts in filmmaking from Montclair University and is currently working on his Masters at Georgetown
Written & Directed by Ryan M. Kennedy
Long Time
No Sleep
After a backpack hits a man at a bus stop. He must contend with a series of obstacles that befall him.
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Winner - Mar del Plata International Film Festival
Official Selection - Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Agustín Godoy was born in Buenos Aires. He's a graduate from the Universidad del Cine Buenos Aires and holds an Masters in Screenwriting from Goldsmiths University London. Godoy has directed several films and written multiple books.
Written & Directed by Agustin Godoy
Losing Grip
Shane Wiskus is a top collegiate gymnast who dreams of going to the Olympics. On his most dangerous release move, Shane loses grip and falls onto the mats below. The crowd and commentators gasp.
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Shane is down, but is he out?
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Official Selection - Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Steven is a documentary filmmaker from Minneapolis, MN. Has won several awards for his work and has a BFA in Film and Media Arts from the University of Tampa and now resides in Tampa running his own film production company, S Nye Films. Steven started practicing gymnastics at the age of two, and trained with Shane in middle school.
Directed by Steven Nye
8 Ball
Vini is a university student who is in a tough spot in his life. He lacks companionship, is severely introverted, and anxiety-ridden. When the state of his well-being is far from healthy he meets Emma, a bubbly, extroverted blind girl who he initially wants nothing to do with. A couple of coincidental meetings later, Vini’s quietness starts to crack, and he learns to get out of his shell.
Since he was 12 years old in Ghana, Adrian Marquet has been making films. He later moved to Toronto, Canada where during the pandemic he started a Tiktok channel that has amassed tens of millions of views.
Written & Directed by Adrien Marquet
Stolen Dough
Anthony Mongiello, a young Italian American Chef who, at the age of 18, invented and patented Stuffed Crust Pizza.
What follows are the real life events of a 1 Billion dollar lawsuit against Pizza Hut in the 1990s.
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Winner - WorldFest-Houston
Filmmakers Stefano Da Fre & producing partner Laura Pellegrini won the Coup de Foudre at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the AFI award. Stolen Dough is made possible from a grant by the Russo Brothers (Avengers Infinity War, End Game, Captain America Winter Soldier and Civil War)
Directed by Stefano Da Fre
Lexicon
While interviewing for a job at Merriam-Webster, a young woman reflects on the relationship that defined the past year of her life
Kyra Arendt is a filmmaker out of Charlotte, NC. She directed the short Betta Sis about two brothers who team up to kill their super villain sister on her 13th birthday. She also cut her teeth on more shorts and music videos before making her first feature, Lexicon.
Written & Directed by Kyra Arendt
Warriors: The
Bernie Mac Disease
Rhonda, takes us on a deeply personal journey through the life and legacy of her late husband and beloved comedian Bernie Mac and his hidden lifelong battle with sarcoidosis and the charity they started for it. Sarcoidosis is an illness where your body attacks its own organs. Patients from the US to Germany to Ghana describe their struggle with the disease.
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Winner Best Short - Fort Myers International Film Festival
Nicholas Markart is a filmmaker and documentarian who has amassed over 2 million views across social media platforms. His television credits also include work on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Directed by Nicholas Markart
The Sound
of Your Voice
A romantic-thriller that centers around a linguistics student named Benjamin who is adrift in life, unsure of the direction to take his research. After stumbling upon a young woman named Ave and offering her a chance to be one of his test subjects, the two begin a nocturnal relationship.
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Filmed in Lawrence, Kansas by Tampa filmmaker Nate Shapiro
Tampa-born Nathan Shapiro is an award-winning director/editor now based in Los Angeles, California. Some of his influences are Harmony Korine, Agnes Varda, Nicolas Roeg, and David Fincher.
Written & Directed by Nathan Shapiro
The Calm
Under The
Water
After a surfing accident as a teenager leaves Cruise Bogle paralyzed from the neck down, he learns to express himself in his art. Will he return to the water?
Cam Brooks is a filmmaker from Delray Beach in Florida. He holds an Associate's degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
Directed by Cam Brooks
The Architecture
of Success
A motivational speaker has an existential crisis right before taking the stage.
Directed by Jacob Figueroa
Written by Bryan Biebl
Jacob Figueroa is a filmmaker from Texas of Puerto Rican decent. As an actor he has worked on projects from WB, Amazon, Disney, Fox and Sony. He has written, directed and produced the shorts THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUCCESS, THE MARIGOLDS LISTEN, PAPAYA WHIP and RAVIOLI MAN. THE MARIGOLDS LISTEN was an official selection at the 2022 Tallgrass Film Festival.
How She Didn't Die
A mysterious European woman has set a life-changing plan in motion – but she needs a stranger’s help to pull it off. She meets a young man and makes him a disturbing offer. Can she convince him to accept?
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​Winner Best Cinematography - Flickers Rhode Island
Nominee Best Short - Flickers Rhode Island
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Written & Directed by Antonio Tibaldi
Antonio Tibaldi is a NYC-based, Australian-born, Italian filmmaker. His fiction and non-fiction feature films have won numerous awards and been official selections at festivals such as Sundance, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, and Tribeca. His long film directing career includes On My Own starring Judy Davis, Little Boy Blue starring John Savage, Ryan Phillippe and Shirley Knight and Claudine’s Return starring Christina Applegate. His films have been released by Miramax, Warner Bros, and Lion’s Gate. He directed the feature We Are Living Things which was a selection at Deauville 2021 and Slamdance 2022.
Faceless After Dark
Following her breakout success as the star of a horror film, Bowie finds herself in the clutches of an unhinged fan trying to recreate the film’s fatal plot.
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Official Selection - FrightFest
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Directed by Raymond Wood
Written by Jenna Kanell & Todd Jacobs
Raymond Wood is a film and commercial director who has worked on the features Summer Night and 7000 Miles as a co-producer. Faceless After Dark stars Jenna Kanell which she wrote alongside Todd Jacobs of her semi-autobiographical experience making horror films.
Tower
Theatre
​Sarah and her film snob employees decide to blow off their work duties at Tower Theatre to make a horror movie of their own.
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Austin Thomas Wood is a writer/director and founder of Red Creek Films. He has worked on films and TV shows including Gone Girl and Twin Peaks.
Written & Directed by Austin Thomas Wood
Resurrektor
Two sisters, separated by tragedy. A grieving husband, haunted and devastated, looking for answers. An innocent victim, caught in the web of desperation. To what lengths would you go to bring back someone you love?
Angad Aulakh is an award-winning Punjabi-American filmmaker and alum of Ryan Murphy Television’s Half Initiative for diverse and minority filmmakers. Aulakh recently directed The Atomic Dream.
Written & Directed by Angad Aulakh
Finish
Against all odds, a young man with autism and tourette syndrome enters a grueling gravel race, pushing himself to the limit as he faces physical and mental challenges along the way.
Dev Walker is the co-Founder of the 1836 Agency, a video production company based out of Sarasota, Florida.
Directed by Dev Walker
Midnight Ride
An Italian delivery rider hits it off with the clerk at a South London burrito joint.
Alessandro Farrattini Pojani is UK-based Italian filmmaker
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He is currently working alongside veteran director SJ Clarkson on the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web. As well as developing his debut feature.
Written & Directed by Alessandro Pojani
Miki Maniaco
Miki and his friends grapple with reality after being cast away from a world of magic and unfulfilled dreams. Now depressed and stuck somewhere in South Florida, the trio looks back at an era of fame and glory that will never come back.
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Official Selection- Cucalorus Film Festival
Carla Forte was born in Venezuela. Her films have won many awards around the world and have been selected to some of the top film festivals including the Atlanta Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival, St. Louis Film Festival, and more
Written & Directed by Carla Forte
Fili
After graduation, Fili Tanuvasa is torn between following his father's footsteps in playing football and pursuing his hidden passion for acting.
Peter is a filmmaker of Mexican and Samoan descent from Diamond Bar, California. From a young age, he was an avid film fan, and believes in the mantra of dreaming big and working hard. Passionate about his craft, he is dedicated to telling underrepresented stories that will inspire the next generation of filmmakers. He completed his bachelor's degree in Media Production and Film Studies from Pepperdine University and received his MFA in Film and Television Production at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.
Written & Directed by Peter Filimaua
Sirens and the Seashell Queen
Three real-life merpeople find community and creativity in their pursuit of mythical alter egos. Carrie Wata finds meaning in breaking the generational cycle of water-related trauma for people of color. Merman Akylis dives into a female-dominated profession. Iona Parris, a military veteran, started collecting shells and creating art to cope with symptoms of PTSD— and now her shell creations are prized collector’s items. All three are part of Florida's mermaid community, where they swim in the otherworldly beauty of Florida springs and create a world of their own.
Directed by SK Shore
Sarah Kate Shore is an independent documentary filmmaker based out of Florida. She has an undergraduate degree in marine biology and attended graduate school for environmental anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As a filmmaker, SK aims to provide a platform for people to tell incredible real-life stories. She believes that film is a powerful medium for combining art and research in ways that inspire, inform, and create change.
Pregnant
Based on a short story by the French author Anna Gavalda, "Pregnant" is a window into a woman's existence as she lives her internal life ever so delicately as her external life. Becoming a mother for the second time, she prepares for the unknown.
Born in San Francisco in 1984, Golnaz received a BA in Film, Television and Media from The University of California, Los Angeles. She travels back to her roots to carry out filmmaking where she works in various feature films in Iran. She has a Masters degree in Filmmaking at The London Film School. David Lynch picked Golnaz as the winner of the David Lynch Master of Fine Arts in Film short film competition, where she was granted a Scholarship for her film Avo.
Written & Directed by Golnaz Jamsheed
Hold the Mayo
Trashcans go flying, ketamine is snorted, grandmas tote shotguns, and Carl, a nerdy data analyst commissioned by the Florida legislature, doesn't want his map gerrymandered.
Liam's parents are political reporters which lead him to write and direct political satires. He served as a SGA Senator at Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, but claims it was all for the comedy writing material.
Written & Directed by Liam Fineout
The Last Embrace
A mother and son embrace one last time before taking six feet apart and isolating themselves to avoid the risks of a dangerous air-borne pandemic.
Written & Directed by Diego Contreras
Diego Contreras is a Guatemalan film director based in Los Angeles and a member of the DGA.
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Diego started his directing career in 2015 as part of Bullitt Branded, a production company founded by The Russo Brothers. He then spent five years directing commercials under David Fincher's production company, Reset Content.
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Diego’s has directed world wide campaigns for brands such as Apple, Facebook, Ford, Playstation, Square Enix, Target, Walmart, General Electric and Reebok. He has received international honors and awards including Cannes Lions, Webbys, and AICP Pencils.
AJ's Story
A teenager living in the Bronx in search of his biological father, faces tragedy that could split up his foster home family.
Directed by Leon Robinson & Christina Richardson
Written by the Bronx Film Initiative
Leon Robinson also known simply as Leon has had prominent acting roles in several TV shows from Blue Bloods to Oz to City on a Hill to Donald Glover's Swarm. Leon was nominated twice for NAACP awards for playing Little Richard in Little Richard and the lead singer of the Temptations in The Temptations. His feature acting roles include Cool Runnings, Cliffhanger, Above the Rim, and Waiting to Exhale to name a few. He has also had Billboard chart-toppers with his band Leon & the Peoples.
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AJ's Story is the first film from The Bronx Film Initiative.
A program that teaches under privilege teenagers how to make films, from concept to story to script to the screen.
This is their story.
The Feature
An aspiring filmmaker learns that life is not a movie when he quits his job to make an indie film with his crush
Based out of Pensacola, Florida, Derek hosts the Derek Diamond Experience podcast and has written and directed The Parker Syndrome and The Feature.
Written & Directed by Derek Diamond
Ashes on the
Highway
Two women from very different walks of life, both escaping their past, find themselves at a crossroads. As they each confess to what led them to the highway, their past burns down in front of their very eyes.
Rupert Smith is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker from England. He has received three BAFTA Awards and two Emmy Nominations. He has worked on shows such as Top Gear, Rennervations for Disney Plus, Netflix's Full Swing, and The Masked Singer. His commercial clients include BMW, Range Rover, Jaguar and Shell.
Directed by Rupert Smith
Written by Lara Clear & Sohm Kapila
Lumped Together
Psychologist Ida Lumpkin, convinces a couple she's counseling to let her stay with them so she can be more hands on- so she can move out of her mother's house.
Sophie Miller is a writer-director who got her start in New York working on late night talk shows before moving to Los Angeles to work on projects such as Marvel Studios’ Loki and Ms. Marvel. Sophie’s directorial debut, Ranch Water, premiered at Austin Film Festival in 2021.
Directed by Sophie Miller
Written by Jessica Toltzis
Here & Now
A semi-pro boxer is struggling to get good results. He excels at training but completely collapses when it comes to competition. This movie tells the story of his fight through doubts, fears, and sacrifices to finally reach his full potential.
Graduate of the University of Tampa as a film major, Jean-Baptiste Hansali grew up in France. Pianist, high school athlete, and magician in his spare time, Jean-Baptiste has above all been passionate about visual storytelling for many years. He is currently working as a camera operator in various production companies.
Directed by Jean-Baptiste Hansali
Written by Yanis Amar
Screen Test
An actor lands her first big role, but at the screen test she realizes that it might’ve not be a dream come true...
Director, Actor, Writer Adam Shimberg, began his career at Savannah College of Art and Design studying Film and Acting. He wrote Screen Test with his partner Becca Gelb at SCAD.
Directed by Adam Shimberg
Written by Adam Shimberg & Becca Gelb
Let's Do This
Again Sometime
A man’s search for connection is thrown off course during an uncomfortable encounter with an old flame.
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Nominee - Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema
Official Selection - Cork International Film Festival
Petrus van Staden is a filmmaker based in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2019 he co-founded Vanishing Elephant with Tebogo Malebogo. Through the company he produced and edited Mthunzi (2019; Locarno, SXSW, Special Jury Mention at AFI Fest) and Heaven Reaches Down to Earth (2020; New Directors New films, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs ShortFest).
Written & Directed by Petrus van Staden
Not Today
Only at the beginning of her thirties, Meryem makes a living by babysitting for a middle-class family, while also taking care of her own children and her mother with Alzheimer’s.
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Official Selection - Leeds International Film Festival
Official Selection - Cork International Film Festival
Born in 1991 in Istanbul. Yagmur graduated from Prague Film School in 2017 specializing in directing and screenwriting. She has taken part in various feature, short and commercial films both national and international. Not Today is her directing/writing debut and is currently working on her second short film.
Written & Directed by Yagmur Mısırlıoglu
Soldiers
An old man living alone is horrified to find his comrade woefully dead in his home early one morning. He sets out to find his own way of dying...
Zhao Shuai Wu is a student filmmaker out of Changzhou, Jiangsu
China
Written & Directed by Zhao Shuai Wu
Translators
In the United States, there are over 11 million child translators. Translaters follows Harye, Densel, and Virginia as they translate for their parents in everyday situations.
Directed by Rudy Valdez
Rudy Valdez is a two time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker committed to creating social, cultural, and political stories through a cinematic and meaningful lens. He got his start in film as a Camera Operator on the Peabody Award-winning, Sundance series Brick City and went onto direct a true passion project, The Sentence (HBO). Shot and directed by Valdez over the course of a decade, this feature documentary tells the very personal story of his sister's plight in the criminal justice system while tackling subjects like mandatory minimums and sentencing reform. For this work, the filmmaker won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, US Documentary Audience Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was a 2018 Critics Choice Documentary Awards Best New Director nominee.
Dom Bangs
a Rockette
After picking up his nephew from elementary school in the Valley, East Coast transplant and aspiring adult film actor Ray, loses track of the kid, leading to the kidnapping of an innocent man.
Directed by Kelly Diaz
Written by Tom See
Kelly Diaz has taught a wide range of subject matter—from collage to acrylic painting, Photoshop, to oxyacetylene welding, from set design to stop motion animation—to all sorts of students ranging in age from five years old to sixty-five.
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Kelly has designed and assisted on short films, features, commercials, and music videos – and always looks forward to telling fresh, ambitious stories, now as a director and cinematographer. Beach Body, the first short Kelly Diaz wrote and directed, was featured in multiple film festivals and won many awards.
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Kelly recently completed her MFA in Cinematography at UCLA, where she was awarded the 2020 MPAA Award for Directing.
She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and teaches film at Central New Mexico Community College.
Contentment
Ja searches for meaning and tries to woo his girl Tiff in the Southside of Chicago.
Directed by Skyy Dade
Written by LaToya Johnson
Skyy Dade is writer and director, native to the south suburbs of Chicago. She draws her inspiration from her life and the people around her. She enjoys watching films as much as making them and looks forward to working in the film industry after graduation.
Original Copy
(Copia Original)
A talented young Peruvian pianist is offered her dream career with a renowned orchestra in Madrid: if only she can resolve a bureaucratic impasse to attain her residency visa.
Written & Directed by Greg Zinger
Greg Zinger hails from Madrid, Spain and has written & directed The Engagement, Peter Gets Dumped, The Chair, and The Last Man prior to Original Copy in 2023.
Ike Brown
After learning that his son has been murdered, police officer Ike Brown begins the seemingly impossible process of forgiving his son's killer.
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Official Selection - Tallahassee Film Festival
Directed by Caleb Clowe
Caleb Clowe was born in Pensacola, Florida. He graduated high school in 2019.
Applause
(Aplauso)
A message of praise to the President concludes a Party assembly, sparking apotheotic applause.
In the middle of the crowd inquisitive eyes of the State Police look for the slightest sign of dissent.
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Official Selection - Tampere Film Festival
Written & Directed by Guilherme Daniel
Guilherme Daniel graduated in Applied Mathematics before joining Film School in 2009. He has shot 18 short-films, five documentaries and two features films as a DP.
As a director, his work includes Depois do Silêncio, A Estranha Casa na Bruma, Erva Daninha, Os Abismos da Alma, and Aplauso
What a Coincidence
Alex, a shy coffee barista, thinks the fate of his future is out of his hands until he discovers a “magic” coin that guides him to the right decisions to get his dream girl.
Written & Directed by Olivia Rugg
Olivia "Liv" Rugg recently graduated from High Point University in May 2023 with a Popular Culture and Media Production major and a minor in Creative Writing. She has always been fascinated by classic romantic comedy and wanted to bring the lovable 90s feel back to modern cinema.
Supercruz 99
As a victim of constant physical and emotional abuse from his stepfather, Roly takes measures to stop the harassment.
Written & Directed by Matthias Glahn
Matthias Glahn was born in Germany and raised in Bolivia. He has assisted and collaborated in various projects such as two feature films, and directed multiple commercial spots and short films.
Pompano Boys and The Gender Reveal Party
A beautiful gender reveal party is accidentally but mercilessly destroyed by two well meaning morons, who are destined to save society from a globalist conspiracy, and warring underground factions. Somewhere between science fiction and absurdist comedy.
Written, Directed, and Acted by
Eric Newcombe and Brad Rayson
Eric Newcombe and Brad Rayson have written, directed, and acted in several projects including this one. They hail from Pompano Beach, Florida much like their characters. The Pompano Boys must crash their friend's gender reveal party to uncover a criminal gift card conspiracy.
On/Off
Endless distractions threaten to destroy creativity throughout history.
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Nominee - Flickers' Rhode Island
Official Selection - Cinequest
Official Selection - St. Louis International Film Festival
Written & Directed by Nicolas P. Villarreal
Nicolás P. Villarreal was born and raised in La Plata, Argentina. He graduated with honors from the Master’s Program at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He has worked in animation and effects at Walt Disney Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, Jim Henson Studios, Sega, Reel FX, Digital Domain, Duncan Studios, and Amazon Studios among others. He has given presentations at Pixar Animation Studios, Dreamworks Animation, Apple, Stanford University, The Sydney Opera House, and several universities in South America and Europe as well as a TEDx talk. In 2020 Nicolás was featured in VOGUE Latin America as one of the creative minds of Latin America.
Nicolás is the co-founder of Red Clover Studios where he is currently developing his first Feature Film.
Endangered Funding
When the last of the endangered Maguffin birds in a park dies minutes before a grant inspector arrives, three park rangers attempt to fake its existence to fool him and save their park -- and their jobs.
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Official Selection - Miami Film Festival
Written & Directed by Alejandro Avila
Alejandro Avila is a recent graduate of the University of Florida’s
Film and TV Production program. Since his first short film as a crew of one, Alejandro has been someone to make his projects happen. He loves science fiction and period pieces because of their ability to comment on the present by commenting on the past or possible future. He aims to create a more equitable and caring industry through his actions behind the scenes and in his writing. He is currently based in Miami and is pursuing a supporting career in production design.
Guilty
Martin is preparing for his premiere on set the next morning but Jeff, a very old friend whom he has lost contact with for several years, comes by his apartment. Jeff realizes he has not changed and that his so-called "unexpected" visit is self-serving and compromising.
Jules Thénier has directed on a few television series in France. Now he is beginning work on his first feature film project.
Directed by Jules Thenier
Written by Yvonnick Muller
Paradiso
Daniel and Kionna look for shelter in a vacant apartment. There they start dreaming big about their future...until they are caught.
Directed by Jonna Volz
Written by Chris Paris & Curtis McConnell
Jonna Volz is a graduate of Missouri State University with a BFA in Acting and BA in Film Production. She played Fancy in the music video for Reba McEntire's Fancy as a teenager and went on to roles in In the Heat of the Night, Clarissa Explains It All and Welcome Freshman.
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She has worked in production on everything from Criminal Minds to reality shows like Gene Simmons Family Jewels and Say Yes to the Dress to commercials for Home Depot and Capital One. She currently runs Acting For Real, an acting studio that has booked lead roles for her students in projects such as Pacific Rim Uprising and Bad Times at the El Royale.
Gladiators
A homeless child Ali enters a fight competition to earn money for his sister
Maryam is an Iranian born writer, screenwriter and director who has won many national and international awards for her works. She won Mibact MigrArt from the ministry of culture in Italy for her short film Mare Nostrum
Written & Directed by Maryam Rahimi
Autotomy
A man must make a life-changing decision after a strange salamander visits him in his dreams.
Rafael Rosales Rábago is a filmmaker and entrepreneur from Mexico City that has built a career out of mixing different media formats and styles and applying them to short format concepts for the internet.
Directed by Rafael Rábago
Written by Sebastían Ortega
Crosswalk
Rosemary returns for her final year of college after a tragic accident last semester, but soon discovers the past is haunting her in more ways than one.
Regan is an actress, writer and filmmaker from Tampa. At the University of Virginia, she studied English and Drama. During the Spring of her third year, she attended NYU Tisch's Shakespeare in Performance program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In her final year of study at UVa, Regan was awarded the Clay E. Delauney Jr. Award for excellence in playwriting and was the first prize winner in UVa Alumni Steven Kruger's (Yellowjackets, The Originals) Screenplay Contest. Crosswalk is her first film.
Written and Directed by Regan Borucke
Death in Lavender
Secrets begin to unravel after the untimely passing of the patriarch of the Pennington family.
Tyler Wolfgang Moore is a writer, director and producer out of Kansas with a multitude of shorts and features under his belt. While his interests are primarily in animation, his love of film also spills over into live action.
Directed by Tyler W. Moore
Written by Fritz Robinson & Roy Nugen
A Swan
Story
​Sukiara is an origami swan in a paper world who adopts a child and wants to find true love. She tries to find love through speed dating, but people find her unattractive because she has a missing wing. could she ever find true love, or would she forever be ALONE?
Despite still being a teenager Harrison Lum has already made multiple short films with his peers.
Written & Directed by Harrison Hahne-Lum
Frostbyte
In a snowy, mountainous region, a laboratory sits at the side of one of the tallest mountains. Scientists worked in the lab alongside their robots who took care of a powerful orb. One day, something went wrong, and the laboratory was abandoned for many years. Circa 2100s, a young scavenger breaks into the lab seeking treasure to eventually sell for profit, but instead awakens one of the robots that teaches her the importance of companionship.
Hannah Papa has a degree in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design and has studied abroad in France. Victor Uzcategui is a 3D Character Animator and graduate from the University of Central Florida. He speaks fluent Spanish.
Directed by Hannah Papa & Victor Uzcategui
Written by Hané Harnett
Goodnight
Moon
A short film with a twist inspired by the classic children's book: Goodnight Moon.
Anton Church has worked on numerous projects including The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. In his free time he is telling stories that explore the human condition through the lens of hyperrealism. His past shorts have won multiple awards.
Directed by Anton Church
Overthought
Carlos, a 10 year-old, tries to evade his fears by submerging himself into a mystery story about Arturo, a 35 year-old detective.
Andres Santiago is a videographer and photographer from San Juan, Puerto Rico, based in New York. Now focusing his work as writer, director, and camera operator.
Written & Directed by Andrés Santiago
Ito
A day in the life of Ito, an inner-city teenager hustling to make enough money to take care of his mentally unstable mother.
John Plucenik is video editor, cinematographer, photographer, director, grip, PA and data wrangler for various films and commercial productions.
Written & Directed by John Plucenik
Bonding
A solitary figure at an empty bar, CIA clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. John Flemington, is planning to visit his girlfriend in Mexico when he is pressured by mysterious underground operatives to join them on a secret mission.
He really doesn't have a choice.
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Official Selection - St. Kilda Film Festival
Luke Rex was born in Sydney, Australia where he began his formal training as an actor, graduating from The Sydney Acting School in 1996. He is also experienced in guitar, releasing several albums. In 1999, Luke studied acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York.
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In 2006, Luke graduated from UCLA with a major in Psychology and Theater minor, then completed his Masters in Psychology at Pepperdine University. He currently works as a Psychological Associate, conducting individual, group, and family therapy for adolescents in a residential treatment center.
Bonding marks Dr. Rex's cinematic directorial debut.
Written & Directed by Luke Rex
The Last
Shift
Brooke is a young woman who has been accepted into medical school. On her last shift as a barista she attempts to impact those around her in a positive way in an effort to pay it forward.
Kevin Ramnath is a director and actor, known for When Beers Attack (2012), Stress, why you do dis? (2022) and Echoes (2022)
Written & Directed by Kevin Ramnath
Good Girl
After ending a six year relationship, a well-behaved, Jewish, OBGYN decides to turn her brain off and her body on by exploring BDSM; instances of which are popping up in the most unusual places.
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Official Selection - Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Born in NYC and raised in South Carolina, Jenny Kleiman is a 7th-generation Charlestonian Jew. A mean parallel parker, she currently resides in Ridgewood, Queens.
Directed by Jenny Kleiman
Written by Haley Dercher
Dance with Death
Death offers a helping hand to an elderly woman who has been neglated by the living.
Grace Para is a Film Studies student from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida
Written & Directed by Grace Para
Wait For
It
Jan comes home to realize parents are sacrificing their first born to The Resident.
Vernon Ray Heard produces and directs shorts and music videos in California for his company Scobey Films.
Directed by Vernon Ray Heard
Written by Bryan McCowan
Influencer
A social media influencer gets too comfortable online when a night of fun quickly turns to a night of terror.
Jasmin is a Director, Writer & Cinematographer who specializes mainly in horror with a twist. Growing up she was inspired by Wes Craven.
Written & Directed by Jasmin Alexa
Roadside Assistance
A couple's road trip takes a sinister turn as they get involved in a car accident and have to get help from a stranger.
Tosetti has directed commercials for brands like Tabasco, eBay, Sodexo, YMCA, and SUNO. With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a Minor in Film from the University of Central Florida, he is currently finishing a Master's Degree in Digital Communications, Branding and Storytelling in São Paulo, Brazil.
Directed by Fernando Tosetti
Written by Brooke Kayla and Fernando Tosetti
1st Annual
Tampa Film Festival Awards
DEC 9
Film, Exceptional
Writing, Exceptional
Actor, Exceptional
Actress, Exceptional
Supporting Actor, Exceptional
The Festival
About the Festival
About the Festival
01
Welcome to the Tampa Film Festival in beautiful sunny Florida!
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The Tampa Film Festival connects filmmakers with each other in celebration of the independent film scene from filmmakers all over the world to our own backyard of Florida.
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The Tampa Film Festival premieres the most exciting and challenging works from brand new talent to established auteurs who have played and won awards from Toronto, Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, Venice, Berlin, Tokyo, and more. They have worked for Netflix, WB, HBO, Disney, and Marvel to ad campaigns for the likes of Apple, Ford, and Playstation. They have combined decades of experience with Master degrees and have worked with the likes of David Lynch, David Fincher, and the Russo Brothers. They even have been honored by the BAFTAs, Emmys, Grammys, Webbys, NAACP, and more! While others have just started to pick up a camera! But all films are considered the prestige in independent cinema and a selection into the Tampa Film Festival is considered a top honor.
The Mission
The Founder
Jimmy Kustes
The Founder
Jimmy Kustes is an actor/writer/producer who won Best Feature at both the 14th Annual Peachtree International Film Festival and the 10th Annual Louisville International Festival of Film, and Remi awards at the 53rd Worldfest-Houston for Body Swap which he made on a $50,000 budget. He's worked on projects from Steven Soderbergh to Greg Berlanti. Talent in his films have starred in their own HBO shows to hosting Saturday Night Live. He founded the Tampa Film Festival to bring attention to challenging projects you can't see anywhere else.
Supporting Actress, Exceptional