On Saturday, Sept. 13, the link hosted the Film Day for Jax Fuse, a festival that celebrates the creative economy of North Florida. Guests from all over the area came to learn about Jacksonville’s film scene, attend workshops, hear from keynote speaker Adam Madrid, enjoy good food and view films from talented local filmmakers.
The day started with film workshops led by Tery Spataro (Tery Designs and Creations), Dana Maute (creator and executive producer), Alexa Wint (Nicalex Productions) and DJ Remark (director and filmmaker). The audience learned a lot about the ins and outs of filmmaking as well as its history and impact on culture. After the workshops, Gurpreet Misra, programming director at the link, spoke about the link’s mission and introduced the keynote speaker.
Madrid began by sharing his love for cinema growing up. Movies like “Jurassic Park” fascinated him and he wanted to learn how movies work. He started working in restaurants and learned how to communicate with others well. However, he really wanted to go to school to gain knowledge as a filmmaker. Despite not getting into FSU School of Motion Picture, Madrid did not give up on his dream of making movies. Instead, he bought the equipment he needed to learn.
The 48 Hour Film Project caught the attention of Madrid and his childhood friends. They signed up and were given a genre, prop, line of dialogue and character that they must include according to the guidelines. The result was “Soul Possession,” a sci-fi film.
“It’s a terrible movie,” Madrid admitted laughing, [but] “it motivated us.”
Shortly after, Madrid started a film company, Argyle Forest Films. After playing around with filmmaking, Madrid and his friends agreed to “try an attempt at making a good movie.”
In 2014, Madrid and his friends made a movie titled “No laughing Matter.” Even though the film won a ton of awards including best film, Madrid said, “it wasn’t about winning the best film, but the crew getting recognized.”
Because they won the 48 Film Project, they got to travel to Filmapalooza and show their film.
More opportunities opened up when Adam’s wife, Monique, came up with the idea for LOL Jax Film Festival, which focuses on highlighting local filmmakers, actors/actresses and comedians. Madrid said this had a ripple effect on the film scene in Jacksonville.
“It’s important that we have a film festival in Jacksonville,” he said. “It’s about uplifting what we have here in our own city.”
Madrid said he decided to run the 48 Hour Film Project and updated it to create an exciting event where contestants get to view their movies on the big screen. Madrid then became the first-ever film production coordinator for Jacksonville Film and Television.
Madrid said he is passionate about uplifting film and talent in the city. “We got to hype them up,” he said. He also told the audience about his directing style and how he wants to highlight the actors by letting them go off script and be themselves.
Before closing, Madrid said he and his friends filmed “Let Me be Cory” during the pandemic. Although it isn’t finished yet, he showed the audience a short clip of the comedy and told them about the exciting upcoming opportunity to sell the movie. The audience enjoyed Madrid’s inspirational speech about pursuing your dreams and not letting rejection get in the way.
After the keynote, the audience got to view 12 short films from various genres: “Curse of the Christmas Witch,” “Comic Cash,” “Night Heist,” “Toppermost,” “For My Liberation,” “Wave Form,” “A Look Inside,” “Akashic Spheres,” “Gemini,” “Many Keys — the Heartbreak Monologue,” “Don’t Watch Alone” and “The Titanium Tiger.”
“Curse of the Christmas Witch,” “Comic Cash” and “Night Heist” had the audience laughing. “For My Liberation” and “Wave Form” got the audience thinking as they tackled some heavy topics while using beautiful cinematography.
After the viewing, the results were shared. Best Film went to horror film “Don’t Watch Alone.” Best Makeup went to “The Titanium Tiger.” Most Memorable Line/Scene went to “Don’t Watch Alone.” Best Costumes went to “The Titanium Tiger.” Best Special Effects went to “Akashic Spheres.” Best Editing went to ‘Don’t Watch Alone.” Best Cinematography went to “For My Liberation.” Best Use of Location went to “The Titanium Tiger.” Best Sound went to “For My Liberation.” Best Writing went to “The Titanium Tiger.” Best Ensemble Cast went to “Night Heist.” Best Actor went to Rich Pintello (“The Titanium Tiger”). Best Actress went to Ales Johnson (“Don’t Watch Alone”).
The 2025 Jax Fuse Film Day was a success. Attendees learned a lot and enjoyed the art of film.
