Private Project

A Book of Freedom: The Confessions of Francisco Menéndez

After a West African man enslaved in colonial Carolina escapes to Spanish Florida, he becomes the leader of the first sanctioned free Black settlement in North America and ultimately a hero in the fight against the British. A Book of Freedom: The Confessions of Francisco Menéndez is a docudrama that incorporates documentary evidence and historical fiction to tell the true story of one of the most remarkable people in Florida history.

  • Students of the Cinematic Art Program at Flagler College
    Director
  • H James Gilmore
    Faculty Project Director
  • Tracy Halcomb
    Faculty Project Producer
  • Nadia Ramoutar
    Writer
  • Jefferey Spivey
    Writer
  • Kyle Miller
    Writer
  • Abby Surber
    Writer
  • America Hill
    Writer
  • Quinn Sheehan
    Writer
  • Hoyt Bankston
    Writer
  • Allison Kindley
    Writer
  • Ace Londano
    Writer
  • Tracy Halcomb
    Producer
  • Kyle Miller
    Producer
  • Madison Torres
    Producer
  • America Hill
    Producer
  • Makayla Andrews
    Producer
  • Patrick Coleman
    Producer
  • Lily Russell
    Producer
  • Chris Allen
    Producer
  • Zeus Xavier Scott
    Key Cast
    "Francisco Menéndez"
  • Troy Rossi
    Key Cast
    "Father Juan"
  • Darby Nash
    Key Cast
    "Ana Menéndez"
  • Brit Corry
    Key Cast
    "Manuel de Montiano"
  • Benedetto Robinson
    Key Cast
    "John Palmer"
  • Kip Taisey
    Key Cast
    "Benjamin Norton"
  • Ajeve Robinson
    Key Cast
    "Toby"
  • Patrick Mathis
    Key Cast
    "James Oglethorpe"
  • Alajah Henry
    Key Cast
    "Granddaughter"
  • Madison Torres
    Cinematography
  • Dustin Miller
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Genres:
    Docudrama, Historical fiction, Black History, American History
  • Runtime:
    48 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 2, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    BMPCC 6K Pro
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Flagler College
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Saint Augustine Film Festival
    Saint Augustine, FL
    United States
    January 11, 2026
  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
    Ft Lauderdale, FL
    United States
    February 23, 2026
  • Ogeechee International History Film Festival
    Statesboro, GA
    United States
    March 6, 2026
    Georgia Premiere
    Best Student Film
  • Vero Beach Film Festival
    Vero Beach, FL
    United States
    April 11, 2026
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Students of the Cinematic Art Program at Flagler College

The Cinematic Arts program at Flagler College is based around the production of a multi-year film project created entirely by students under the supervision of a visiting filmmaker. Over the course of 5 semesters, the students in the program wrote the script, organized all aspects of pre-production, were cast in many of the roles, took on all of the crew positions on set, and edited the footage together. In short, they did it all as a collaborative effort.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As the Visiting Filmmaker in Cinematic Arts at Flagler College, I served as the faculty project director and advisor on this film project.

I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our amazing student production teams. These students chose an incredibly important story of local colonial history here in St Augustine, largely ignored by the history books, as the source for their original docudrama.

Unlike most student productions, this is a programmatic production, created entirely by an enormous team of students over multiple semesters. None of them had ever done anything like this before, and it was designed as a high-impact learning experience in the cinematic arts.

I recognize that this film doesn't necessary fit easily into traditional "student" categories as there is no singular voice serving as the director. But I do hope that you will consider it as a programming option for your upcoming festival.

H. James Gilmore, Visiting Filmmaker
Flagler College