Paradise, FL: The story of Tommy a struggling oyster-fisherman who is making a living, but hardly has a life

Inspired by true events, Paradise, FL tells the story of Tommy a struggling oyster-fisherman who is making a living, but hardly has a life. His best friend, Sean, is torn between two women – each a mother of one of his children. When Sean’s wife ends up in the hospital, Tommy moves in to help care for his friend’s kids and finds himself fighting for the family he didn’t know he needed.

2015 was a very successful and eventful year for our film. Directed by Nick Morgulis and written and produced by Tony Stopperan, Paradise, FL shot for 28 days in the grueling Florida summer in 2014. Turning around a very quick post-production schedule, we premiered at the Sarasota Film Festival in the Historic Opera house to nearly 900 people, and three sold-out screenings. We were official selections to the Gasparilla, Skyway, Iphias, and Virginia Film Festivals to high praise.

Named as “A Must-See Film” by ABC7, THE BRADENTON HERALD, and THE SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE
“Paradise, FL stuns.” – THE VIRGINIA CAVALIER
“A film that satisfies…stunning imagery with a captivating story.” – SRQ MAGAZINE
“A true gem.” – MARK FAMIGLIO, Sarasota Film Festival President
“Beautiful and poignant.” – SNN
Listed as “One of Ten Must-See Festival Films” by MICHAEL DUNAWAY

Where are we now?

Utilizing the festival circuit as a test audience, we have begun the process of editing the film for online platforms, which also includes shortening its total run-time. If you were able to see Paradise, FL at one of its festival screenings, you may have noticed that the sound had yet to be finalized.

Due to its success in the festivals and its artistic integrity, Paradise, FL has been awarded fiscal sponsorship by Fractured Atlas. This sponsorship allows Paradise, FL to solicit for tax-deductible donations for a discrete portion of the production – in this case, final sound and final editing.

How you can help?

Donate. Email. Call. Facebook your friends and encourage their support of this campaign. We are seeking to cover the costs to get the film market ready. We have bids in place to fix the sound and finalize the edit, but those costs can only be covered by a successful campaign.

Where will people see the final film?

We had strong interest from both large and boutique distributors who have expressed interest for distribution online and on-demand.

Thank you for making this film possible, and I appreciate your support to help it make it to market.

Best regards,

Tony Stopperan

Source: icnw