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Gopher Games

As developers slowly squeeze every ounce of profit they can out of the Florida landscape, animals like the gopher tortoise and more than 365 creatures that rely on them are being driven to extinction. Developers have infiltrated every level of government in Florida including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, an organization supposedly dedicated to protecting Florida's wildlife and wild places. Protections for the tortoise and other species is slowly being chipped away. But there's still hope that we can save this species, and ultimately, ourselves.
This film was created on a budget of only $5,000 and using 100% volunteer work, and is a story from told from the collective hearts of thousands of people who care about gopher tortoises and supported the film throughout the production process.

  • Brent Fannin
    Director
    The Water State
  • Brent Fannin
    Writer
    The Water State
  • Chase Pirtle
    Producer
    The Legend of Cocaine Island
  • Brent Fannin
    Producer
    The Water State
  • Chase Pirtle
    Key Cast
    The Legend of Cocaine Island
  • Kim Titterington
    Key Cast
  • Elise Bennett
    Key Cast
  • Brent Fannin
    Editor
    The Water State
  • Lorenzo Phrasavath
    Cinematographer
  • James Sullivan
    Cinematographer
  • Nicholas Cravey
    Cinematographer
  • Brent Fannin
    Aerial Cinematographer
    The Water State
  • Kristin Salisbury
    Aerial Cinematographer
  • Shivam Shukla
    Aerial Cinematographer
  • Zack West
    Aerial Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Environmental Documentary
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 27, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Gainesville
    United States
    March 30, 2024
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Brent Fannin

With a background in environmental education and communication, Brent's passion as a documentary filmmaker is telling stories of conservation and social justice.
He believes that an effective story is well said and has stunning visuals, so he tries to make his documentaries as professional and eye-catching as possible.
He has spent a bit of time on hollywood sets but prefers to keep his projects self or crowd funded and low budget.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"We're only on this planet for a short time, so it's best to leave it better than we found it. This documentary does this by giving a voice to gopher tortoises and their exploited environment."