2025 Key Biscayne Film Festival
2025 Festival Program
Nestled in an island village flanked by two government-protected parks, the Key Biscayne Film Festival is on a mission to foster a deeper appreciation for our delicate ecosystem through the arts. By curating a selection of works that delve into our global situation and share deeply moving human stories, the festival endeavors to inspire positive action.
Scroll down to view the Festival Program online.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
OPENING NIGHT
| 5:00 PM | Check-in |
| 5:30 PM | Screening “IN A WHALE” at Paradise Park |
| 7:00 PM | 15 min Q&A w/ Director David Abel |
| 7:15 PM | Reception at the Reflecting Pools until 9PM |
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2025
AFTERNOON SHORTS BLOCK
| 3:00 PM | Check-in |
| 3:30 PM | Screening “ICE CREAM MAN” (35 mn) followed by Q&A |
| TBA | SHORTS BLOCK |
FEATURE FILM & RECEPTION
| 5:00 PM | Check-in |
| 5:30 PM | Screening “THE BLIND SEA” (93 min) at Key Biscayne Community Center |
| 7:00 PM | Reception at Key Biscayne Community Center |
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2025
MORNING SHORTS BLOCK
| 10:00 AM | STUDENT SHORT FILMS (30 min) Free & Open to the Public | 1st Come 1st Served Seating |
PRODUCERS PANEL
| 11:00 AM | PRODUCERS PANEL with Sean Wolfington & John Devaney (45 min) |
MATINEE
| 12:00 PM | Screening “THE GREEN FLASH” at Key Biscayne Community Center |
AFTERNOON SHORTS WITH Q&A
| 3:00 PM | Screening “UNION DE REYES” at Key Biscayne Community Center |
| 4:00 PM | PANEL: Deborah Mellen and the Impossible Dream at Key Biscayne Community Center |
CLOSING AWARDS CEREMONY & RECEPTION
| 5:30 PM | Welcome Drink |
| 6:00 PM | AWARDS CEREMONY |
| 6:30 PM | Closing Night Film Screening of “SAVAGE WATERS” at Paradise Park Free & Open to the Public | 1st Come 1st Served Seating | Cash Bar & Food Truck |
| 8:00 PM | VIP RECEPTION at Paradise Park Free & Open to the Public | 1st Come 1st Served Seating |
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025
MATINEE
| 11:00 AM | Screening “FROM RUSSIA WITH LEV” at Key Biscayne Community Center |
| 12:30 PM | Q&A w/ Director Billy Corben & Producers Alfred Spellman & Nicole Pritchett |
AFTERNOON SCREENINGS
| 2:00 PM | Screening “HENRI: THE LAST PIRATE” at Key Biscayne Community Center |
| 4:00 PM | Screening “MELGES: THE WIZARD OF ZENDA” at Key Biscayne Community Center |
Islands & Oceans Features
THE GREEN FLASH
FLORIDA | Documentary by JODI CASH & ETHAN PAYNE
99 min. (Best Doc – Sunscreen Festival 2024)
50 years after the bust that made him famous, ex-drug runner Steve Lamb refuses to let his own legend fade. As he hustles his memoir around St. Pete Beach, FL, we witness what it’s like for a pirate to grow old.
THE BLIND SEA
AUSTRALIA | Documentary, 93 min.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Sydney Film Festival 2024
Australian blind surfer Matt Formston’s mettle is pushed to the limits in this thrilling documentary. With only 3% vision, the 3x World Champion attempts his most fearsome and dangerous challenge yet, surfing the monster waves of Nazaré.
Awarded a world record for largest wave surfed by a vision impaired male. 15.48m (50.79ft)
IN THE WHALE
USA | Documentary by David Abel, 86 min.
WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD NEW HAMPSHIRE FF 2024
IN THE WHALE is an award-winning feature-length film about arguably the greatest fish story ever told, though this one is true. It’s the account of a man who survived to tell the tale of being swallowed by a whale, and what happened after he escaped.
SAVAGE WATERS
UK/France | Documentary by Mikey Corker, 93 min.
Narrated by Charles Dance
How far would you go searching for something that
may not exist? A 19th century treasure-hunter’s journal inspires a captivating journey to seek out and surf a mythical, never-ridden wave in some of the most remote and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
For renowned skipper, Matt Knight, sailing to unpredictable and uncharted regions is impossible to resist.
MELGES
USA | Documentary by Mark Honer, 85 min.
A documentary film exploring the life of sailing legend Buddy Melges. He won Olympic medals and world championships. But sailing’s biggest prize eluded him, the America’s Cup. Follow Buddy’s extraordinary journey as seen through interviews with some of sailing’s biggest stars and unprecedented access to over 100 hours of archival footage.
HENRI: THE LAST PIRATE
CHILE | Documentary by Julian Fernandez, 93 min.
TRIBECA FF Lab 2023
Narrated with impudence, full of twists and turns, passing from Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso, to Polynesia and then to the then to the top of a volcano in the middle of a desert. The director’s real treasure is the material he has in his hands and not that of his pirate Henri, the hypnotic protagonist.
Islands & Oceans Shorts
UNION DE REYES
FLORIDA | Short Film By Danny Pino, 22 min.
Official Selection Miami FF 2024
Standing vigil over his father’s hospital bed, David is faced with secrets from his family’s past and blood-ties back to his father’s homeland, Cuba.
URGENT SEA
FLORIDA | Short Film By Karlyn Hoon, 8 min.
Official Selection Key West FF 2024
Members of Reef Renewal USA, a nonprofit based in the Florida Keys, are shocked when the summer of 2023 brings the hottest ocean temperatures ever recorded. As they race to save their coral nurseries from bleaching, these researchers uncover knowledge that is essential for the future of Florida’s reef recovery.
A SWIM LESSON
USA | Short Film By Rashida Jones, 22 min.
Official Selection Telluride FF 2024
A Swim Lesson is an ode to an everyday hero: Bill Marsh, a swim teacher who helps children manage their fears and discover their own power.
Spotlight on the Key
THE ICE CREAM MAN
NETHERLANDS | Short Film By Robert Moniot, 34 min.
Shortly after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, a popular ice cream shop owner, Ernst Cahn, finds himself targeted by the infamous “Butcher of Lyon,” Klaus Barbie. As his world crumbles, “The Ice Cream Man” must choose between resistance and death, a choice that will reverberate throughout the country. Based on actual events.
Spotlight on Youth
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
KEY BISCAYNE | A short film by Gaby Mesa, 5 min
Two young girls talk on the phone, one urgently needing to reach a destination. Seeking assistance, she turns to the other for transportation. Upon discovering that she will have to take a means of transportation that will take longer than expected, she reluctantly boards while they both discuss the passing of time. Embarking on her journey, the presence of a girl during the trip unexpectedly awakens memories of her childhood, transporting her to her own past as she continues toward her destination.