One of many films selected for screening this past weekend at the Virginia Film Festival, “Paradise, FL” follows Tommy — a fisherman struggling with drug addiction — as he finds new purpose after he is forced to watch over his friend’s children. On the surface, “Paradise, FL” stuns with beautiful Florida scenery. Yet underneath, the film explores dark themes. Arts and Entertainment interviewed the film’s writer and producer, Tony Stopperan.
Arts & Entertainment: With this being the first feature you've written, what made you choose this particular story?
Tony Stopperan: This story was the evolution of the first film that I produced. Where we live in Florida often gets promoted as a tour destination with pristine beaches, and there is a lot of affluence in our community. There is another side to that community as well: an impoverished community — one addicted to prescription drugs. So I wanted to tell a smaller story which is a look at the human condition.
A&E: You used some of the same crew from the first film in “Paradise, FL,” correct?
TS: I did. Nick, the director of “Paradise,” was the the DP [director of photography] on my first feature. He had been working on documentaries as well, and he understood exactly how we wanted to make this picture. Other members of the crew on “Paradise” cut their teeth on the first film with smaller roles on the first film and got promoted for this film — whether that was production designer or key grip — they had huge amounts of responsibility for it being the beginning of their career.
A&E: What were you looking for during the casting process of “Paradise”?
TS: The funny thing for me — my background is in acting. I have a BFA in acting, and I thought I was going to “Rocky Balboa”-it or “Good Will Hunting” and write a script that would launch my acting career. For the story, I picked a couple years of my life that I thought were very cinematic, and I was going to write it and cast myself. Both Nick and I knew, that in both of our leads — Tommy and Shawn — we needed human beings as actors who are good people, because the script had a tendency on paper to feel dark, and these people didn’t always come across as good people. So we wanted, at the core, good and decent human beings, so when they brought a strong performance, it was inherent that they were good and the audience would connect to them.
A&E: Did you look for any local talent when you were casting?
TS: It was a mix. Adrienne Stern, a casting director out of New York, got us three of the roles from L.A. The role of Tommy was a classmate of mine, so I had known him for six years now. During the development stages, I started to see him in that role. I flushed out some of the supporting characters with actors from the Sarasota area.
A&E: You have a strong attachment to the Sarasota area and building the film scene there.
TS: I feel that any regional market, outside of L.A. and New York, has the capability to be its own hub. If several smaller cities team up and [corner] that market space, then they can have a bit of the infrastructure and industry of how people receive content. It is very different than it was ten years ago. I feel that with the education institutions from FSU to Ringling College, we are sending talent to the big markets, when we have the technology and access here and to resist the main engine.
A&E: The scenery of the film is stunning, almost acting as another character. What was your goal in establishing the setting of Florida?
TS: You can watch the sunset in Sarasota and fall in love with Florida every single day. If you are going to tell a story about a place, you have to make it a character. The name of the film could have been just “Paradise,” but we named it “Paradise, FL.” This place is a character. It is a beautiful place here in Florida, but you are living the same life that your father did, your grandfather and his father before him. How does that drive the plot of your life?
A&E: How does it feel for “Paradise, FL” to be recognized by various film festivals like the Virginia Film Festival?
TS: I think it is a huge victory for the cast and crew, and it shows that our story has some universality to it. It has a connection to a Virginia audience, and it has a connection to a film audience — larger than just a regional audience. I am also just very appreciative, with the amount of films made here, there is a lot of competition to get seated in. For Jody [Kielbasa, VFF Director] and the Virginia Film Festival to take a chance on a film that has relatively unknown actors — that doesn’t have a pedigree of coming from Sundance or Cannes. To say that this is still an authentic story and for them to take a chance on this, I am very appreciative.
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