Not every zingy title that Noelia Solange came up with for the programming at this year’s Subtropic Film Festival survived in-house review. There was, for instance, the “Angry Cheerleader” block — five cinematic shorts by emerging Florida filmmakers exploring “the darker side of the female psyche,” Subtropic founding director Solange tells PureHoney.
The five films — Blabla, Girl Itch, Stone and Flesh Gummy Bear, Frenesi, and Birthday Girl — are still on the bill at Subtropic No. 3, happening November 7-9 in West Palm Beach. But the angry cheerleader has bowed out: That curated half-hour block is instead called “Yea I’m Good, Just A Bit Tired,” after the popular meme featuring a Hello Kitty doll going up in flames.
The themed blocks — there are a dozen of them — and the festival picks they represent are a product of Solange’s offbeat devotion to a cause. “At the end of the day,” she says, “this festival is truly a celebration of South Florida independent film.”
Subtropic opens on November 7 at Norton Museum of Art with a screening of The Python Hunt, a feature-length documentary by Xander Robin about the annual state-sponsored Everglades snake kill that draws professional hunters and tourists alike. Python Hunt has won accolades this year at major festivals including SXSW, but Broward-based Robin didn’t hesitate when Solange approached him about bringing it to an insurgent like Subtropic.
Robin tells PureHoney that he likes how the festival champions homegrown filmmaking and “an underground artist perspective.” He’s also pleased to have The Python Hunt playing at the Norton Museum. Robin will be there for the screening and a Q&A. An opening-night party at TW Fine Arts follows.
Subtropic continues on November 8 at 9 at the Afflux Studios complex at G-Star School of the Arts, where the blocks of short films on various themes get rolling, from edgy and experimental to kid-friendly. There are more feature-length films on tap as well as panel discussions, parties, meet-and-greets with filmmakers, an awards presentation, and hands-on workshops for learning how to shoot with both digital and vintage Kodak movie cameras.
Subtropic Film Festival takes place Friday-Sunday, November 7-9 in West Palm Beach. subtropic.org ~ Sean Piccoli
