Last Day in Florida

Two queer people meet up in Brooklyn after years of not talking to each other and reminisce about dating (as each other’s beards) during high school back home in Florida.

  • Anthony Valdés-Strickler
    Director
    The Opener
  • Anthony Valdés-Strickler
    Writer
  • Anthony Valdés-Strickler
    Producer
    The Opener
  • Talia Romano
    Producer
  • Dreia Ong
    Key Cast
    "Patrice"
    Aphasia
  • Jon Rodéz
    Key Cast
    "Michael"
  • Daniel Rodriguez
    Director of Photography
    The Sister Karras, The Fablemans
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 8, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Anthony Valdés-Strickler

Anthony Valdés-Strickler is a gay Latino filmmaker whose work explores the hope and passion of being human even when things are stacked against you. Audacity and oddity in stories is what he looks for when telling a story. Coming from the audio and hospitality world, his work exemplifies connection with each other and the world around us. His directorial debut, the short documentary "The Opener," profiles three groundbreaking aperitif brands across New York State and is a 2024 official selection at the Syracuse International Film Festival.

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Director Statement

It’s Florida 2009, I’m 17 years old. Everyone in my whole world has just found out I’m gay. It wasn’t easy coming out - quite frankly, it was incredibly dramatic. There’s a part of me that so wished I could have stayed in the closet just a little bit longer. But that moving train couldn’t be stopped. Thankfully, I had hope.

That hope was inspired by the people who looked out for me - my teachers and friends, and the Tew family, who took me in when I was kicked out. While my life was upended, an online campaign had started where celebrities and regular people told me and other gay people, “It gets better”... and so I kept moving onwards.

My last day in Florida, I was sent off by two of my closest friends at the time. I’ll never forget looking back at both of them. It was like looking back on everything that had happened. Twelve years later and I’m in New York, married to a man, and so proud to be gay and Latino.

This film is to all the queer millennials who lived in intolerant places with intolerant people. My hope is you had people in that season of your life when you needed it most, and even though found home somewhere else, it did get better, even if we still long for the homes we left.