Florida Crackers: The Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida

Country of Origin: U S A
Year: 2010
Language: English
Director: John Michie
Producer: Rob & Susan James, Diana Michie
Cast:

No Showtimes Found

Synopsis

The story of this little-known pioneer culture dates back to 1521, when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in what is now Florida and introduced the first cattle and horses into North America. In the decades that followed, additional settlers from Spain continued to arrive, establishing missions and cattle ranches and thus giving rise to the first cowboys and cattle industry in America. In the early 1800s settlers of mainly Celtic and British descent began moving into Florida, rounding up the Spanish cattle and horses that had thrived in Florida's unique environment and establishing cattle operations of their own. Some descendants of these early pioneering families still play a major role in Florida's cattle industry to this day, working the land and raising the cattle that their families have owned for generations. "Our crew was small, our money was tight but we accomplished a lot. Our team deliberately created an almost-invisible presence during production so we were able to capture real people at their most authentic. Our editing approach was to let them tell their own story throughout the movie and we feel that is why the message of Florida Crackers is so powerful, because it comes from the hearts of the subjects. We captured over 180 hours of HD footage, and scanned hundreds of photographs, copied video tapes and 8mm home movies to create the 87 minutes in the documentary. We shot for about 2 years on and off, and editing took about a year working part-time. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was a journey through parts of Florida that I have never seen, yet instantly fell in love with and it was a great learning experience for someone who grew up in suburbia and had very little prior knowledge of the Cracker culture or Florida's cowboy history." John F. Michie

• 
• 
• 
•