HOT ISSUES AND HORROR HEADLINE THE 13TH BROUHAHA FILM & VIDEO SHOWCASE

Entering its thirteenth year, the Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase is an annual event celebrating Florida’s finest independent film and video makers. Conceived nearly two decades ago by Blair Witch producer Gregg Hale of Haxan Films, Brouhaha has steadily grown into one of the premier outlets for films and videos produced in Florida by Florida residents and students.

This year, six Florida colleges and universities are represented among the 34 films: University of Central Florida, Florida State University, Valencia Community College, Ringling School of Art & Design, University of Florida, and University of Miami. The films range from narratives and animation to experimental. Particularly strong this year are the documentaries, including HUMAN SHIELD, LOLITA: SLAVE TO ENTERTAINMENT, and IN THE PIT.

In February, 2003, about 250 “Human Shields” from 30 countries mobilized in Iraq for what would become a futile mission to prevent an invasion and protect Iraqi civilians. This short documentary focuses on two individuals from Florida who risked everything in their stand for peace: retired 63-year-old schoolteacher Faith Fippinger, and 23-year old Benjamin Joffe-Walt, whose mother shares his experiences from her point of view.

LOLITA: SLAVE TO ENTERTAINMENT is the documentary an entire industry doesn’t want you to see. This controversial film takes a disturbing look into the dark secrets of the multi-billion dollar aquarium industry and questions human ethics in relationship to wild animals. At the center of its story is a 37-year-old captive performing orca named Lolita. Showpiece of the Miami Seaquarium, she has been caught in a net of lies and controversy for over 30 years. Undercover footage and alarming interviews with former park employees, marine mammal specialists, animal welfare activists, and a retired whale hunter combine to tell a powerful tale of this gentle victim to a heartless industry.

IN THE PIT explores yet another aspect of life in Florida that is slowly disappearing. Skeet is the weary owner of Native Village, a struggling tourist attraction in Hollywood, Florida. Jimmy, his 18-year-old protégé, is determined to follow in his footsteps and master the arts of alligator wrestling and snake charming. But after decades in the business, Skeet is slowing down and realizing that quaint, family owned attractions like his are becoming part of Florida’s past.

Another don’t miss film is the horror gore fest, FILTHY. When ambitious news reporter Dana Diamond searches for the ultimate story, she gets more than she bargained for. On a riot-torn Halloween night, she is lured into an old, decrepit house where she endures the most brutal and unspeakable ordeal imaginable. *Warning—despite the screening time, this film is definitely prime Midnight Movie material in the tradition of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the works of Herschell Gordon Lewis. It contains scenes of sadistic violence and sick behavior that may be considered shocking. Viewer discretion is advised.